SHRS changes program name to Health Informatics to match curriculum

The rapidly evolving fields of information technology and health care have led the School of Health and Rehabilition Sciences’ Department of Health Information Management (HIM) to re-envision its programs and change the name for the undergraduate bachelor of science program from “Health Information Management” to “Health Informatics.”

“The new curriculum and the new name will provide more opportunities for students in the program who are learning relevant skills in informatics and health data science,” said Department Chair Bambang Parmanto. “As a result, it will inform employers that graduates have acquired skills in traditional health information management areas plus more technical skills in data science.”

The proposal for the name change noted that health-related data are increasingly generated by individuals during daily living, through new technology and wearables. The infusion of data in health care led to a pressing need to teach students in “data acumen” areas that combine skills in health care business workflow and data modeling so they can learn how to use data to make decisions.   

The new name of the program reflects industry changes, but the core competencies of Health Information Management, including classification systems, health care reimbursement, revenue cycle management and information governance, will still be major parts of the new curriculum.

Read more about the change on the SHRS website.