2022-2023 Graduate & Professional Studies Catalog [Archived Catalog]
Health Informatics, MS
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*On 12/15/2022 the following Health Informatics, MS information was updated in the published catalog. In an effort to provide accurate information the update was made on 12/15/2022.
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Data Science Concentration
Data Science (DS), a concentration in the Master of Science in Health Informatics program, is housed in the Department of Health Information Management, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS).
The Data Science (DS) concentration prepares students responsible for the development, evaluation, and management of health information technologies and systems. Graduates of this concentration analyze, design, implement, and
evaluate health information systems. They will also have the ability to conduct in-depth data analytics projects to improve the quality of health care and reduce the cost of health care services. Students enrolled full-time can complete the program in 3-4 consecutive semesters.
There are online and on-campus versions of this concentration. The curriculum and course contents are identical in these two versions. Domestic students can choose either of them according to their situation or preference before their enrollment. International students are required to attend the on-campus version of the concentration.
Program Requirements
All students enrolled in the Data Science concentration are required to complete 36 credits. Courses are chosen with the advisor and a Plan of Study will be developed to enable each student to have an in-depth study of Data Science considering student’s previous academic preparation and experience.
Around half of our courses are only offered once per academic year. In this case, if a student fails to successfully complete a course, the student must retake the course the next academic year. Furthermore, this may also prevent the student from registering for the advanced-level courses and delay the date of graduation.
DS Curriculum
The Data Science curriculum allows students to choose from required courses and elective courses. Elective courses can be chosen from other health informatics concentrations in the department, other departments in the SHRS or other academic programs within the University.
Please note: All students are required to finish one course in medical terminology if they do not have that course in their previous study or clinical background. Pitt offers a Coursera course in medical terminology that can meet this program requirement and can be found at this link https://www.coursera.org/learn/clinical-terminology. Students can choose an equivalent medical terminology course from somewhere else as well.
Required Courses (21 Credits)
Elective Courses (15 Credits)
Health Services Analytics Concentration
In Fall 2022, the Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) concentration was renamed to Health Services Analytics (HSA) concentration. All students in the RHIA ARCO will have until December 2024 to complete their training.
The Health Services Analytics (HSA) concentration leading to a Master of Science degree in Health Informatics prepares students responsible for the development and management of health information systems consistent with the clinical, fiscal, administrative, ethical, and legal requirements of healthcare institutions. Graduates of this program analyze, and evaluate health information systems. As members of the healthcare team, they interact with other healthcare professionals and administrators, and provide healthcare data for patient care, research, quality improvement, strategic planning, reimbursement, and related analytics and managerial functions.
HSA graduates work in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, health planning agencies, computer companies, consulting firms, information systems vendors, ambulatory care centers, research centers, rehabilitation facilities, and insurance companies.
There are online and on-campus versions of this concentration. The curriculum and course contents are identical in these two versions. Domestic students can choose either of them according to their situation or preference before the enrollment. International students are required to attend the on-campus version of the concentration.
Program Requirements - HSA
All students enrolled in the HSA concentration are required to complete 36 credits (students enrolled full-time normally
complete the program in 3-4 consecutive semesters). Courses are chosen with the advisor and a Plan of Study will be developed to enable each student to have an in-depth study of Health Informatics considering student’s previous academic preparation and experience.
Around half of our courses are only offered once per academic year. In this case, if a student fails to successfully complete a course, the student must retake the course the next academic year. Furthermore, this may also prevent the student from registering for the advanced-level courses and delay the date of graduation.
Please note: All students are required to finish one course in medical terminology if they do not have that course in their previous study or clinical background. Pitt offers a Coursera course in medical terminology that can meet this program requirement and can be found at this link https://www.coursera.org/learn/clinical-terminology. Students can choose an equivalent medical terminology course from somewhere else as well.
Required Courses for All Students (24 credits)
Students must complete the following 8 courses:
Elective Courses for All Students (12 Credits)
Students can choose 4 electives from the following list of courses:
Healthcare Supervision and Management Concentration
Health Care Supervision and Management (HSAM), a concentration in the Master of Science in Health Informatics program, is housed in the Department of Health Information Management, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS).
The Health Care Supervision and Management (HSAM) concentration provides students an opportunity for knowledge, skills, and career advancement. Qualified students with interests in administration and supervisory management in health care, long-term care, and rehabilitation may pursue this 36 credit concentration in HSM. Students enrolled full- time normally complete the program in 3-4 consecutive semesters.
This program is designed for students who wish to attain knowledge and skills at the graduate level to prepare for a supervisory management position or to upgrade competencies developed earlier in his/her career.
There are online and on-campus versions of this concentration. The curriculum and course contents are identical in these two versions. Domestic students can choose either of them according to their situation or preference before the enrollment. International students are required to attend the on-campus version of the concentration.
Program Requirements
All students enrolled in the Health Care Supervision and Management concentration are required to complete 36 credits. Courses are chosen with the advisor and a Plan of Study will be developed to enable each student to have an in-depth study of Health Care Supervision and Management considering student’s previous academic preparation and experience.
Around half of our courses are only offered once per academic year. In this case, if a student fails to successfully complete a course, the student must retake the course the next academic year. Furthermore, this may also prevent the student from registering for the advanced-level courses and delay the date of graduation.
HSM Curriculum
The Health Care Supervision and Management curriculum allows students to choose from required courses and elective courses.
Please note: All students are required to finish one course in medical terminology if they do not have that course in their previous study or clinical background. Pitt offers a Coursera course in medical terminology that can meet this program requirement and can be found at this link https://www.coursera.org/learn/clinical-terminology. Students can choose an equivalent medical terminology course from somewhere else as well.
Required Courses (27 Credits)
Health Informatics Concentration
Health Informatics (HI), a concentration in the Master of Science in Health Informatics program, is housed in the Department of Health Information Management, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS).
The Health Informatics (HI) concentration prepare students responsible for the evaluation and management of health information technologies and systems. Graduates of this track analyze, design, and evaluation health information systems. They may also perform data analytics projects to improve the quality of health care and reduce the cost of health care services. Student enrolled full-time can complete the program in 3-4 consecutive semesters.
There are online and on-campus versions of this concentration. The curriculum and course contents are identical in these two versions. Domestic students can choose either of them according to their situation or preference before the enrollment. International students are required to attend the on-campus version of the concentration.
Program Requirements
All students enrolled in the Health Informatics concentration are required to complete 36 credits. Courses are chosen with the advisor and a Plan of Study will be developed to enable each student to design an in-depth study of Health Care Supervision and Management considering student’s previous academic preparation and experience.
Around half of our courses are only offered once per academic year. In this case, if a student fails to successfully complete a course, the student must retake the course the next academic year. Furthermore, this may also prevent the student from registering for the advanced-level courses and delay the date of graduation.
HI Curriculum
The Health Informatics curriculum allows students to choose from required courses and elective courses.
Please note: All students are required to finish one course in medical terminology if they do not have that course or clinical background. Pitt offers a Coursera course in medical terminology that can meet this program requirement and can be found at this link https://www.coursera.org/learn/clinical- terminology, however the student can choose another medical terminology course as well.
Required Health Informatics Courses (12 Credits)
Elective Courses (24 Credits)
RHIA Concentration
The Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) concentration leading to a Master of Science degree in Health Informatics prepares students responsible for the development and management of health information systems consistent with the clinical, fiscal, administrative, ethical, and legal requirements of healthcare institutions. Graduates of this program analyze, design, implement, and evaluate health information systems. As members of the healthcare team, they interact with other healthcare professionals and administrators, and provide healthcare data for patient care, research, quality improvement, strategic planning, reimbursement, and related managerial functions.
RHIA graduates work in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, health planning agencies, computer companies, consulting firms, information systems vendors, ambulatory care centers, research centers, rehabilitation facilities, and insurance companies.
Please note, starting from Fall 2022, we do not recruit new students into the RHIA concentration. All current students in the RHIA concentration will have until December 2024 to complete their training.
The Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) Option
We offer courses within the RHIA concentration for students who are seeking eligibility to sit for the American Health Information Management (AHIMA) credentialing examination to become a Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA).
The RHIA concentration leading to a Master of Science degree in Health Informatics is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).
There are online and on-campus versions of this concentration. The curriculum and course contents are identical in these two versions. Domestic students can choose either of them according to their situation or preference before the enrollment. International students are required to attend the on-campus version of the track.
Program Requirements - RHIA
All students enrolled in the RHIA concentration are required to complete 36 credits (students enrolled full-time normally complete the program in 3-4 consecutive semesters). Around half of our courses are only offered once per academic year. In this case, if a student fails to successfully complete a course, the student must retake the course the next academic year. Furthermore, this may also prevent the student from registering for the advanced-level courses and delay the date of graduation.
Required Courses for All Students (36 credits)
- HI 2011 - CLINICAL SCIENCES FOR HEALTH INFORMATICS
- HI 2021 - PRACTICAL STATISTICS AND PROGRAMMING USING R
- HI 2210 - HEALTH INFORMATION AND THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
- HI 2250 - FOUNDATIONS OF HEALTH INFORMATICS
- HI 2410 - HEALTH VOCABULARY, TERMINOLOGY AND CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS
- HI 2450 - SECURITY, PRIVACY, LEGAL, AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMS
- HI 2455 - DATABASE DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT FOR HEALTHCARE
- HI 2231 - TALENT MANAGEMENT AND HUMAN RESOURCES
- HI 2452 - DIGITAL HEALTH
- HI 2632 - LEADERSHIP AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT
- HI 2230 - FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND HEALTH CARE REIMBURSEMENT
- HI 2670 - HEALTH INFORMATICS CAPSTONE/INTERNSHIP
Please note, before graduation, students are required to demonstrate a body of knowledge in math statistics, computer programming, anatomy, and physiology, medical terminology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology.
RHIA Internship
Students in the RHIA concentration are required to complete an internship as part of their curriculum requirements. The overall goal of the internship is to provide students with practical experiences to apply their knowledge and skills that they learn in their respective graduate programs. The internship is 3 credits, and requires a minimum of 180 hours of student participation.
The HIM department has affiliation agreements with approximately 120+ clinical sites for student internships. The following list provides a sample of these sites:
- 3M/M*Modal
- Allegheny Health Network
- Center for Connected Medicine
- Excela Health
- Highmark
- Loma Linda University Medical Center
- OhioHealth
- Pitt CTSI
- Pittsburgh VA Hospital
- UPMC Health Care Organizations and Information Services Division
- UPMC Health Plan
Prerequisites for Graduate Internships
If a student chooses to complete their internship/capstone at a site that is under contract with the HIM department (or any other site where a contract is required, the items listed below are required. If a contract is not required, the student must sign a waiver. The student’s advisor will provide detailed information and time guidelines for completion of the requirements once the student matriculates into the graduate program.
- Physical examination including proof or completion of specific immunizations
- TB test, 2-step
- Pennsylvania Criminal Record Check
- Pennsylvania Child Abuse Clearance
- Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse Training
- FBI Background Check (includes fingerprinting)
- HIPAA Training and Certification
- Students must carry personal health insurance while participating in an internship
Students must carry professional student liability insurance coverage while participating in an internship. The University provides liability insurance for internships covered by clinical affiliation contracts.
Some sites may have additional requirements (i.e. drug screen, Covid-19 vaccine, influenza vaccine, or orientation programs specific to their organization).
Internship sites may not allow a student to participate in an internship at their site if the background check reports that they have been convicted of a misdemeanor; a felony; or a felonious or illegal act associated with alcohol and/or substance abuse.
Additional Information
Travel to internship sites is the responsibility of the student. Students are expected to have a car or to provide their own transportation to all remote sites; no exceptions will be made. Not all sites are accessible by public transportation.
All expenses for transportation, parking, meals, and costs of prerequisites associated with clinical education are the responsibility of the student.
The HIM Department utilizes an outside document management vendor, EXXAT, to collect and track student compliance with internship/capstone requirements.
For more information on internships students are encouraged to contact their academic advisor.
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