Health Information Management 6150, A.S. Career/Tech

A Two-Year Admission Program Leading to the A.S. Degree

Health Information Management professionals play a critical role in maintaining, collecting and analyzing the data that doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers rely on to deliver quality healthcare. They are experts in managing patient health information and medical records, administering computer information systems and coding the diagnosis and procedures for healthcare services provided to patients. HIM professionals work in a multitude of settings throughout the healthcare industry including hospitals, physician offices and clinics, long-term facilities, insurance companies, government agencies and home care providers.

Vincennes University’s Health Information Management program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education c/o American Health Information Management Association, 233 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 2150, Chicago, IL 60601-5800, (312) 233-1100. Graduates are eligible to write the National Exam to earn certification as Registered Health Information Technicians (RHIT). For on-campus students: Arrangements will be made for students to take the National examination. A fee will be assessed to students to cover the cost of the exam. Graduates must write the National Exam within six months of graduation in order for the lab fee to be utilized. No refunds will be provided for the lab fee.

The Health Information Management Program requires that all students submit a criminal history report and a drug screen as instructed and at student’s expense. Students should be aware that any previous or current conviction of a crime or current substance abuse may result in ineligibility to be admitted and or/continue in the program.

Students are responsible for submitting (at their expense) any required health forms or other documentation required by the University/Professional Practice sites (PPE).

Admission Requirements

1. Meet admission requirements of the University.
2. Complete ENGL 079 /ENGL 101  with a grade of “C” or higher or qualify for placement into ENGL 101  as determined by placement test scores (e.g. SAT, ACT, or other standardized placement tests as accepted by Vincennes University) or have appropriate college level credit.
3. Qualify for placement into MATH 102 , MATH 103 , or higher with no corequisite as determined by the Vincennes University Placement Test (Accuplacer) or have appropriate college level credit.  Students who have successfully completed courses within the HIM curriculum may be admitted with MATH 102  -MATH 022  or MATH 103 -MATH 023  corequisite requirement with Chair approval.
4. Have no grade less than C in any required general education course. Applicants with grades less than C in required general education courses are not eligible for admission. Required general education courses may only be repeated one time in order to raise the grade to a C or better. This includes prerequisites to required courses.
5. Must have successfully completed Anatomy and Physiology (C or above) within the last five years to be considered for credit.
6. Must have successfully completed HIMT courses (C or above) within the last five years to be considered for credit.
7. Have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0.
8. Applicants with no previous college credit with a GED may be admitted based on appropriate placement scores.

Standards for Progression and Graduation

Satisfactory completion of all courses with a grade of C or above. Failure to meet this requirement for the (HIMT) courses will result in a withdrawal of the student from the Health Information Management program. A student who receives a D or F twice in any course in the HIM curriculum, after being admitted to the HIM Program, will be dismissed from the HIM Program and not allowed to reapply.

1. Students must achieve a grade of C or better in all required general education courses.   If a student receives a grade less than a C in a general education course, the student must repeat the course to achieve a grade of C or better.  Failure to achieve a grade of C or better in the second attempt will result in dismissal from the program. The student will not be eligible for readmission.   
2. Students must achieve a grade of C or better in all HIMT courses.  Failure to achieve a grade of C or better in any HIMT course will result in dismissal from the program. Students may be eligible for readmission (see readmission policy).
3. Students must complete all required courses with a grade of C or better concurrently with or prior to the recommended course sequence.

Any student that is dismissed from a Professional Practice will receive a grade of F and will be dismissed from the program. The student will not be eligible for readmission to the program. 

Readmission Policy

Readmission standards apply to any student that was previously unsuccessful or withdrew from the Health Information Management Program or any student that did not meet the Standards for Progression and Graduation.   

1. Students may be readmitted to the program one time only.
2. Students seeking readmission must submit a new application for the program. 
3. Prior courses that were completed with a grade of C or better within the past five years will not have to be repeated.

Appeal Policy

Students that fail to meet Standards for Progression and Graduation have the right to appeal to the Health Information Management Admissions Committee.  Appeals must be in writing and sent to hshp@vinu.edu.  Readmission to the Health Information Management program is not guaranteed.