Program Overview

UCF's Department of Health Management and Informatics offers a full-time, online Professional Sciences Master's graduate program in Health Care Informatics designed to be completed in 20 months.

The program will:

• Develop your leadership and decision-making skills
• Enable you to serve your organization's information needs
• Teach you to work using an evidence-based, knowledge-management approach

Graduates can work as practitioners, managers, analysts and researchers. Numerous openings have been announced in several environments, including health centers and health insurance companies.

The program is offered through the Continuing Education Division of UCF. As such, the program charges a fee in lieu of tuition. For students considering reimbursement from their employers, please double check their reimbursement policies as some organizations may not reimburse for fees. For state employees (including UCF employees), the tuition waiver will not cover courses in the HCI program.

The successful completion of the MS - HCI degree does NOT qualify you to sit for the Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) or the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) certifications.

However, you are eligible WITH EXPERIENCE to sit for the Certified Health Data Analyst (CHDA) certification after the successful completion of your MS - HCI degree.

Upcoming Information Session:

Wednesday, April 17th 5PM-7PM

Continuing Education - 3280 Progress Drive, Ste 700, Orlando, FL 32826

For more information, contact Tina Yeung at Tina.Yeung@ucf.edu

Program Curriculum

The Master of Science in Health Care Informatics will be awarded upon completion of appropriate prerequisite course work and 36 credits of prescribed graduate study. Credits must be taken in health-services management, health care informatics, research practicum/thesis, a symposium course and a seminar on health care informatics research.

The health care informatics program is unique in that it will focus on providing students with a thorough grounding in the clinical, management and business aspects of the health informatics field. The program will be offered through an online, distance- learning format to offer access and convenience to working professionals.

Course Requirements
Once you've completed any and all prerequisite course work, you will need 36 credit hours of required graduate-level courses-that's all-and you can complete in 20 months. This course work includes these areas and projects:

• Database management
• Health-services management
• Health care informatics
• Project management
• Seminar on health care informatics research
  

Plan of Study

ACADEMIC PLAN 

FIRST YEAR FALL
HIM 5118C Health Care Informatics & Information Technology   4 Credit Hours
Overviews the role of information systems in healthcare from historical as well as future perspectives. Emphasis is on the role of information technology and computer applications in healthcare decision making. Social, ethical, planning, and legal issues of informatics in healthcare are explored.

HIM 6119C Biostatistics & Decision Analysis  4 Credit Hours
Introduces biostatistics and its application to health care research. Emphasis on development of a general systematic approach to solving problems under uncertainty. The role of informatics and application of information technology in improving managerial decision making process will be presented.

FIRST YEAR SPRING
HIM 6122C System Analysis & Design  4 Credit Hours
Focuses on electronic health record applications to provide the tools for successful system implementation. Includes creating a comprehensive planning document; assessing system requirements; developing design specifications; understanding criteria for vendor selection (including cost issues); and planning for installation requirements (including personnel and infrastructure). Use of current and future state analysis, along with gap analysis will be incorporated.

HIM 6124C Data Architecture & Modeling   4 Credit Hours
Integrates the key issues and techniques surrounding data architecture, modeling, and standards in healthcare informatics. Issues such as standardized clinical technologies, uniform standards, network security, fault-tolerance and fundamental concepts of local and wide-area networks will be discussed.

FIRST YEAR SUMMER
HIM 6217C Health Care Database Management   4 Credit Hours
This course develops advanced skills necessary for the design and management of healthcare organization databases and their use in computer-based information systems.

HIM 6935C Seminar on Current Issues in Health Care Informatics & Enterprise Management 2 Credit Hours
This course provides an overview of project management and will expose students to the principles of project management and health care information systems.

SECOND YEAR FALL
HIM 6123C Health Care Informatics Applications   4 Credit Hours
Administrative, Financial and Clinical Project Management
Integrates clinical, financial and administrative data to resolve managerial and patient care problems. Organizational theory and change management are considered in terms of system planning, implementation and evaluation. Patient safety and improved outcomes are emphasized in the design and use of informatics solutions through data collection, consolidation and analysis. Organizes and develops infrastructure to support an enterprise system design for patient care. Components of architecture are developed in a project team approach for integration of applications that address organizational goals and functional requirements, while following the patient along the entire continuum of care. Covers the procurement process, vendor selection and evaluation criteria, and other decision support and management systems.

HIM 6464C Epidemiology & Quality Management   4 Credit Hours
Introduces epidemiological principles & analytics for enhancing utilization management, quality improvement and outcome assessment in the service delivery system.

SECOND YEAR SPRING
HIM 6125 Health Care Informatics Capstone   3 Credit Hours
Covers the transformations of data to information, knowledge and practice in healthcare. Identifies an operations management problem that is amenable to IT intervention in a healthcare organization. Explores IT solutions or knowledge information strategies for improving the quality & efficiency of health services.

HIM 6947 Internship   3 Credit Hours
A supervised placement of students in approved settings. Students must complete required number of hours and a project under the supervision of an organization preceptor.

HIM 6971 Thesis   6 Credit Hours
Can be taken in place of the Internship. The thesis option requires students to plan, design, execute and report results of original applied or basic research. Students who choose the thesis option are responsible for identifying an HCI major professor and a thesis committee. The thesis committee should consist of the major professor and at least two other graduate faculty members. The student must pass an oral examination in defense of the completed thesis.

*Please note that course numbers are scheduled to change.

Program Admission Requirements

A bachelor's degree is required for admission to the program, as is a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0. Preference will be given to those with practical experience in clinical or administrative areas.

In addition to the general UCF graduate admission requirements, applicants to this program must provide:

• One official transcript (in a sealed envelope) from each college/university attended.
• Goal statement indicating how the Health Care Informatics MS program will enhance career goals.
• Résumé (no longer than two pages).
• Applicants applying to this program who have attended a college/university outside the United States must provide a course-by-course credential evaluation with GPA calculation. Credential evaluations are accepted from World Education Services (WES) or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc. only.

Admission to the program is competitive, based on evaluation of the applicant's abilities, past academic performance, work experience, and the match of the program with career goals. The Professional Science Master's Program in Health Care Informatics accepts the most qualified students. Not all students who apply may be accepted, even if minimum requirements are met.

Application Deadlines

Health Care Informatics MS Professional Science Master's Program	Fall Priority	Fall
Domestic Applicants	Jan 15	Jul 15
International Applicants	Jan 15	Jan 15
International Transfer Applicants	Jan 15	Mar 1

UCF Application Requirements
Review UCF Admissions Overview
http://www.graduatecatalog.ucf.edu/content/Admissions.aspx

UCF Apply Online
https://www.students.graduate.ucf.edu/gradonlineapp/

Program Cost

HCI program cost per credit hour $833.02*

*includes all university fees, which may be subject to change.

Student Resources

KFORCE
Recruiting firm for Healthcare Informatics Majors - http://www.kforce.com/

AHIMA
American Health Information Management Association - http://ahima.org/

HIMSS
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society - http://himss.org/ASP/

AMIA
American Medical Informatics Association - http://www.amia.org/

Health Information Management Resource - http://www.healthadministration.org/

Program Contact Information

Admission & Program Information
Dr. Kendall Cortelyou-Ward
Assistant Professor & Graduate Program Director
Department of Health Management & Informatics
Phone: 407-823-2639
Email: kendall.cortelyou-ward@ucf.edu

Ms. Tina Yeung, MS
Coordinator, Academic Support Services
Masters of Science in Health Care Informatics
Department of Helth Management & Informatics
Phone: 407-823-3267
Email: Tina.Yeung@ucf.edu

Registration & Tuition
Ms. Kallie Reyes
Coordinator
Phone: 407-823-4401
Email: Kallie.Reyes@ucf.edu