Course Descriptions

Refer to the appropriate curriculum to determine which of the following courses applies to your career option.

HCI Prefixed Courses

Please note: when prerequisites are listed, it means that the student must have passed the course with a 2.0 or higher prior to the current course. All HCI courses have a prerequisite of acceptance into one of the HCI programs prior to enrollment except for HCI 120 and HCI 134. Another exception is for HCI 174 and HCI 175: if there are any spaces available after HCI students have enrolled, then others may sign up for these courses if they have completed HCI 134 and BIOL& 170 (or equivalent). Two other courses may be available for non-HCI majors: HCI 170 and HCI 225 if appropriate prerequisites are met. For HCI 170, HCI 174, HCI 175, HCI 225, non-accepted HCI majors must obtain HCI Program Director approval prior to enrollment.

HCI 120 Survey of Health Care Delivery (4 credits)

Organization and activities of hospitals, nursing homes, mental health and ambulatory care centers, home health agencies, hospices. Educational preparation and responsibilities of health care professionals. Financing health care, government regulations, medical ethics. Lecture. Online. Prerequisites: none. Mandatory decimal grading. Fall.

HCI 125 Introduction to Hospital Records (5 credits)

Functions of health information department and record systems. Content and uses of hospital, physician clinic and dental office patient records. Evaluation of documentation completeness and quality. Record storage and retrieval systems (manual, computer, microfilm). Lecture and laboratory. Prerequisite: HCI 134. Mandatory decimal grading. Winter.\

HCI 134 Medical Terminology (5 credits)

Medical prefixes, suffixes, roots. Overview of anatomy, symptoms, diseases, operations, tests, abbreviations for digestive, urinary, female/male reproductive, musculoskeletal, nervous, cardiovascular, skin, respiratory, blood, lymphatic, eye, ear, and endocrine systems. Oncology, pharmacology, radiology, psychiatry also discussed. Prerequisite: ENGL 100 or ESL 100 or Asset/Compass test showing readiness for ENGL& 101. Mandatory decimal grading. Fall, Winter Spring, Summer.

HCI 154 Medical Reimbursement Systems (5 credits)

Federal, state, private health insurance plans including managed care systems. Processing cycle of health insurance claims, health insurance terminology, reimbursement methodologies for professional services, proper completion and submission of the UB-92 and 1500 billing forms, legal issues related to reimbursement processing. Examination of billing system management reports. Review of DRG and APC requirements. Lecture and laboratory. Online. Prerequisites: HCI 171and HCI 172 or concurrent enrollment. Mandatory decimal grading. Spring.

HCI 170 Legal Aspects of Health Care (4 credits)

Introduction to legal concepts, court functions, and practices related to health care practitioners. Confidentiality/release of information standards with practice. Hybrid. Mandatory decimal grading. Spring.

HCI 171 Basic ICD-9-CM Coding (5 credits)

Instruction in and practice with the coding systems used in hospitals and nursing homes with emphasis on ICD-9-CM (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Edition, Clinical Modification). Implications of diagnostic related groups (DRGs) and their relationship to coding assignment and financing of hospital care are examined. Lecture and laboratory. Prerequisite: HCI 134, BIOL& 170. Also, HCI 174 and HCI 175 or concurrent enrollment. Mandatory decimal grading. Winter.

HCI 172 CPT Coding (4 credits)

Introduction to coding in ambulatory settings using CPT (Common Procedural Terminology), HCPCS (Health Care Financing Administration Common Procedure Coding System) Level I. Common practices, insurance company constraints and other problems are discussed in relation to coding ICD-9-CM (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Edition, Clinical Modification) and CPT in alternative and ambulatory care settings. Implications of ambulatory patient classifications (APCs) and their relationships to coding assignment and finances. Practice in coding. Lecture and laboratory. Hybrid. Prerequisites: BIOL& 170, HCI 134, HCI 171, HCI 174, HCI 175. Mandatory decimal grading. Spring.

HCI 173 Intermediate Coding (5 credits)

Practice in using ICD-9-CM (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Edition, Clinical Modification) and CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) in coding of source documents/charts, inpatient and outpatient. Implications of diagnostic related groups (DRGs) and their relationship to coding assignment and finances. Content/purpose of manual/computer indexes. Theory and practice in coding problem-solving, data quality control, and use of ICD-9-CM and CPT computer encoder. Lecture and extensive laboratory time. Prerequisites: HCI 125, 171, 172, 174, 175. Mandatory decimal grading. Summer.

HCI 174 Pharmacology (3 credits)

Terminology for medication ordering, dosing, administration. Effective use of drug references. Classes of drugs as they relate to body functions. Desired effects, side effects, contraindications, drug-drug interactions. Common drugs of each class. Controlled substances. Common drug regiments. Herbal medicine. Online. Prerequisites: HCI 134 and BIOL& 170. Mandatory decimal grading. Fall, Winter.

HCI 175 Human Diseases (5 credits)

Introduction to the effects on the body of systemic diseases and discussions of selected diseases of the various body systems and their treatment. The influences of hereditary factors, external physical agents and infectious mechanisms are also reviewed. Overview of principles of pharmacology and description/purposes of selected laboratory tests. Online. Prerequisites: BIOL& 170 and HCI 134. Mandatory decimal grading. Winter.

HCI 179 Clinical Practicum I (1 credit)

Thirty-two hours of practicum at an assigned clinical site in a hospital health information department. Prerequisites: Acceptance into second year of Health Information Technology program and instructor's permission. Mandatory P/0.0 grading. Summer (prior to or after summer classes begin or end)

HCI 219 Health Care Statistics (4 credits)

Study of medical and hospital census and discharge patient statistics commonly used. Organizations, agencies requiring data and their uses of it. Methods of displaying data (manual and computer graphics). Introduction to computer abstracting from patient records. Practice in data collection - manual and computer spreadsheets. Lecture and laboratory. :Hybrid. Prerequisites: Formal acceptance into the second year of the HIT program, and completion of Math 080 or Compass test showing equivalent knowledge. Mandatory decimal grading. Fall.

HCI 220 Quality Improvement in Health Care (3 credits)

Concepts and practices in utilization review, quality improvement, risk management. Governing legal principles. Lecture and laboratory. Hybrid. Prerequisites: Formal acceptance into the second year of the HIT program, and completion of HCI 172, 173, 219, 225, and concurrent enrollment in HCI 226 and 234. Mandatory decimal grading. Winter.

HCI 224 Management for Health Information Supervisors (5 credits)

Supervisory functions applying management principles to the health information department. Legal aspects of supervision. Unions. Budget preparation and analysis using computer spreadsheets. Technical writing including policies, procedures, job descriptions, minutes. Lecture. Prerequisites: Formal acceptance into the second year of the HIT program, and completion of or concurrent enrollment in all courses required in the HIT program. Mandatory decimal grading. Spring.

HCI 225 Computers in Health Care (5 credits)

Study of computer applications in health care, components of health care databases, overview of local and wide area networking, security and implementation issues in a health information setting. Issues related to paperless records using either electronic or optical disk media. Practical applications using advanced word processing techniques; presentation, database, and flow chart software programs. Hybrid. Prerequisites: Computer 105 (or equivalent knowledge), and HCI 124(or experience with health records - instructor evaluation and permission required). Mandatory decimal grading. Fall, Spring.

HCI 226 Alternative Care Record Systems (3 credits)

Content, evaluation, basic procedures for health information systems in non-hospital settings including long-term care facilities, home health agencies, hospices, mental health clinics, chemical dependency programs, physician offices, hospital outpatient clinics, outpatient surgical centers, prison health settings, occupational health settings, etc. Role of health information consultants including contracts, functions, business ethics. Disease registries. Vital Statistics. Lecture. Hybrid. Prerequisites: Formal acceptance into the second year of the HIT program, and completion of HCI 173, 219, 225, 288 and and concurrent enrollment in HCI 220 and 234. Mandatory decimal grading. Winter.

HCI 228 Medical Coding Practicum (2 credits)

Medical diagnosis/procedure coding and abstracting using ICD-9-CM and CPT and encoder/grouper of approximately 150 medical records from a variety of settings. DRGs and APCs. Laboratory. Prerequisite: HCI 173. Fall.

HCI 234 Clinical Practicum II (4 credits)

Practical experience applying theory to clinical sites; hospitals, nursing homes and non-acute health care settings are used. 120 practicum hours plus a weekly seminar. Prerequisites: Formal acceptance into the second year of the HIT program, and completion of HCI 173, 179, 219, 225, 228. Concurrent enrollment in HCI 220 and HCI 226. Mandatory decimal grading. Winter.

HCI 235 Health Information Technology Capstone Course (4 credits)

Students design a complete health information department for an ambulatory care setting. This includes investigation, selection and presentation of department functions, job descriptions, supplies, equipment justifications, department layout and an annual department budget utilizing an automated spreadsheet. This project also requires the preparation of a planning time table for completion of the project that the student develops. Students are required to work in teams throughout the quarter. Seminars/group sessions. Prerequisites: Formal acceptance into the second year of the HIT program, and completion of or concurrent enrollment in all courses required in the HIT program. Mandatory decimal grading. Spring.