Implementation Support Specialist
Program Application Packet
Funding for this project was made available through the Office of the National Coordinator, Department of Health and Human Services, award number 90CC0078/01 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Public Law 111-5: Information Technology Professionals in Health Care: Community College Consortia to Educate Information Technology
Professionals in Health Care.
Dallas County Community College District
12800 Abrams Road Dallas, Texas 75243-2199 972.238.6950
www.richlandcollege.edu/HIT
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
By 2015 healthcare practitioners will be required to have electronic health record (EHR) capability. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Education, and independent studies indicate a shortfall over the next five years of approximately 50,000 qualified health IT workers required to meet the needs of hospitals and physicians as they move to adopt electronic health care systems.
A health IT professional is someone who is qualified to support the adoption and implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHRs), information exchange across health care providers and public health authorities, and the redesign of workflows within health care settings to gain the quality and efficiency benefits of EHRs.
Dallas County Community College, Temple College and Austin Community Colleges offer an intensive online CE program training six (6) various Health IT workforce roles and is designed for self motivated experienced Health Care and IT professionals that can be completed in less than six (6) months.
Upon completion of the program, graduates are expected to sit for the national competency exam developed by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Graduates will find employment with health care institutions, physician offices, and vendors of EHRs. The first 20,000 program completers in the nation will be able to complete the certification for free.
Program Description
General Description
Workers in this role provide on-site user support for the period of time before and during implementation of health IT systems in clinical and public health settings. These individuals will provide support services, above and beyond what is
provided by the vendor, to be sure the technology functions properly and is configured to meet the needs of the redesigned practice workflow.
Suggested Background
Individuals training for this role will have a general background in information technology or health information management.
Competencies
Workers in this role will be able to:
Execute implementation project plans, by installing hardware (as needed) and configuring software to meet practice needs.
Incorporate usability principles into software configuration and implementation
Test the software against performance specifications.
Proactively identify software or hardware incompatibilities.
Assist the practice in identifying a data back-up and recovery solution, and ensure the solution is effective.
Ensure that the mechanism for hardware/software recovery (e.g., data backup or redundant systems) and related capabilities are appropriately implemented to minimize system downtime.
Ensure that privacy and security functions are appropriately configured and activated in hardware and software.
Document IT problems and evaluate the effectiveness of problem resolution.
Assist end users with the execution of audits.
Program Admissions Criteria
Admission Requirements are based on the following education and experience:
Health Information Technology / Management professionals:
o Associate degree or higher from a CAHIIM accredited college or two years of experience or combination.
Information Technology
o Minimum two years IT education or two years IT experience.
Military
o Two years experience related to health information, database management, MIS,HIS, communications, technology, healthcare delivery, or electronic data interchange OR
o Currently employed at the VA, DoD, IHS, or military base with healthcare or IT experience
Physician Office Setting
o One year experience related to physician practice management, coding, billing, related experience.
Hospital setting:
o Associate degree or higher in a healthcare related field OR
o Two years experience directly related to health information management or healthcare IT systems
Admission Assessments*
Academic assessment tools assist applicants in determining if they have the skills to achieve program goals, objectives and competencies. With the information gained from the assessments, the Program Administrator can assist each applicant in developing an appropriate study plan.
1 Candidates must select one of the following two assessment tools:
A. Documentation of a “C” average or above in previous college course
Reading Comprehension 78+ , Sentence Skills 80+ , Arithmetic 55+ Because the purpose of the admissions criteria is to provide increased assurance of academic success, the Program Administrator has the authority to permit applicants with scores close to the above criteria to enroll in a maximum of two courses. If the applicant performs
successfully in the course work, the admissions criteria may be waived.
2. Applicants must have basic computer and software knowledge*.
* These are minimal requirements for admission. Individual courses have prerequisite requirements.
Program Curriculum Outline
Students with a healthcare background, should follow the Healthcare Coursework, and students with an information technology background should follow the Information Technology Coursework.
Healthcare Track Coursework CONTACT
HOURS
Core Foundations in HIT, Required Courses
Introduction to Information and Computer Science 36
Working with Health IT Systems 36
Installation and Maintenance of Health IT Systems 36
Networking and Health Information Exchange 36
Configuring EHRs 30
Special Topics Course on Vendor – Specific Systems 16
Advanced Foundations, Required Courses
Terminology in Health Care and Public Health Settings 24
History of Health Information Technology in the U. S. 16
Health Management Information Systems 36
Quality Improvement 20
Usability and Human Factors 24
TOTAL CONTACT HOURS 310 Enrichment Coursework, Not Required
Fundamentals of Health Workflow Process Analysis and Redesign 36
Public Health Information Technology 24
Professional Customer Service In a Health Environment 20
Working in Teams 20
Information Technology Coursework CONTACT HOURS
Core Foundations in HIT, Required Courses
Terminology in Health Care and Public Health Settings 24
Working with Health IT Systems 36
Installation and Maintenance of Health IT Systems 36
Networking and Health Information Exchange 36
Configuring EHRs 30
Special Topics Course on Vendor – Specific Systems 16
Advanced Foundations, Required Courses
Introduction to Healthcare and Public Health in the US 36
The Culture of Healthcare 36
Health Management Information Systems 36
Fundamentals of Health Workflow Process Analysis and Redesign 36
Usability and Human Factors 24
TOTAL CONTACT HOURS 346 Enrichment Coursework, Not Required
History of Health Information Technology in the U. S. 16
Quality Improvement 20
Public Health Information Technology 24
Professional Customer Service In a Health Environment 20
Working in Teams 20
Introduction to Project Management 20
Financial Aid
IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT SPECIALIST
APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION
Last Name First Name Middle Name Student Identification Number
Address City State Zip Code
Home Phone Work Phone and/or Cellular Phone E-mail Address
Educational History
School Completion Date (Please attach transcripts to this application)
High School
College
Special Training (explain)
Employment History
Position Employer
Place an “x” by the Program Admissions Criteria that you meet:
Health Information Technology or Management Professional Other Healthcare Profession, please specify below:
Hospital Setting
Physician Office Setting Other Healthcare Personnel
Information Technology Professional, please specify:
Associates Degree or higher in Information Technology or related field.
Two years experience working with HIT, networks, installations or related areas.
Military (current or veterans)
Currently employed at the VA, DoD, Indian Health Systems or military Healthcare or IT Department, with a minimum of two years experience.
Two years experience working with HIT, networks, installations or related areas. Attach documentation: Assessment scores or college transcripts
Resume
