Campus News

Health Information Technology Receives Initial Accreditation

3/19/19

Minnesota West Community is proud to announce that the Health Information Technology/Management Associate Degree Program has been awarded Initial Accreditation. Initial Accreditation been awarded by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). To receive Initial Accreditation, a comprehensive review was conducted by The CAHIIM and the Board of Directors recognizes the program’s substantial compliance with the nationally established CAHIIM Accreditation Standards.

Terri Petersen, Medical Coding Specialist Instructor, states, "We are so excited to attach the CAHIIM accreditation to our HIT Program.  Accreditation is a way to assure our students that we have met the academic quality and standards in higher education for the Minnesota West Community & Technical College Heath Information Technology Program.  As a CAHIIM accredited program we are able to assure future employers that their future employee has met the professional knowledge and skills and has experienced a curriculum that is pertinent to today's health information records and technology."

“Receiving accreditation from CAHIIM qualifies our students to take the Registered Health Information Technology (RHIT) exam through AHIMA. This accreditation is a huge accomplishment for Minnesota West, but more importantly for our students. Our students range from just starting their college experience to returning to school for a new career, we meet all these students on their journey in the HIT program. The future in Health Information is changing and more and more employers are looking for students with education beyond coding; including supervisor skills, quality improvement, and healthcare statistics. Giving students information is not enough, they need to apply, analyze, & create these new skills in ways and methods they would experience in future positions. With CAHIIM accreditation, employers can have confidence in the quality of our program to educate students on the most current trends, but also that student’s gain real-world experience with our Professional Practice Experience at local facilities that employ Health Information Technicians and through virtual training.  In addition to the RHIT, students in the HIT program are able to sit for AHIMA’s coding exams (CCA, CCS, & CCS-P) along with AAPC’s coding exams (CPC, COC, & CIC), states, Elaina Nichols, Health Information Technology Director & Advisor.

Jackie Otkin, Dean of Allied Health, states, “This has been our goal since the program was developed. The faculty have worked hard to write the curriculum with the highest standards to meet the accreditation guidelines as well as our industry requirements and demands.  Our students can sit for the exam with the knowledge and confidence to work in the HIT field.”

Health Information Management Associate Degree is a two-year, 60-credit program that provides hands-on career training and education that prepares students for a variety of careers in the Health Information field. For additional information, visit www.mnwest.edu or call 800-658-2330.