HITECH EDUCATION LEARNING CENTER

Executive Summary: Medix Systems Consultants, Inc. (MSCI) runs a successful state of the art HIT Education Center in its South Holland, Illinois facility designed to provide students with requisite skills to assimilate into healthcare organizations ranging from care givers to technical support organizations.  MSCI is active in several local and national organizations as follows:

• Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce
• HIT Consortium - Midwest Region
• American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
• Illinois State Medical Society – Affinity and Preferred Vendor
• Illinois Medical Group Management Association – Affinity and Preferred Vendor
• Professional Association of Health Care Office Management (PAHCOM) – Gold Sponsor

Course Objective: To provide students with and without prior healthcare backgrounds training in comprehensive and practical knowledge of fundamentals related to health information technology, specifically as it relates to electronic health records and health information exchange.  Students are expected to participate in a 10-week program consisting of 2 sessions per week, for 2 hours per session totaling 4 hours per week.  Course will cover practical applications of healthcare skills in the EHR world. 

Course Description: Course will consist of theoretical and practical work utilizing an electronic health record system in conjunction with typical health care delivery experience.  Students will be tested regularly on their ability to utilize electronic health record systems in a theoretical setting.  Students will also receive a certificate of completion upon successful completion of the course.

Major Learning Outcomes:

• The student will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the role of EHR/EMR in an ambulatory healthcare delivery setting – specifically how utilization of EHR/EMR tools improves efficiencies, improves quality of care, improves health outcomes through better preventive care standards and ensures best practices in a clinical setting.
• The student will demonstrate understanding of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) impact of health information technology – including stage 1 meaningful use criteria (25 areas of measurement).
  
• The student will demonstrate understanding of the role and practical aspects of Health Information Exchanges (HIE) and how delivery of quality healthcare is enhanced by HIE implementation.
  
• The student will demonstrate understanding of practice clinical workflow from scheduling through healthcare delivery and post-delivery activities resulting in the ability to effectively triage and manage patients for clinicians – physicians and mid-level providers.
  
• The student will demonstrate understanding of impact of healthcare delivery standards on issues such as privacy, security and continuity of care.
  
• Successful completion of course will provide the student with the requisite skills to assimilate into a healthcare facility either implementing EHR/EMR or fully implemented and compliant with meaningful use as stipulated by Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Successful completion of course will provide the student with requisite skills for entry level into healthcare organizations requiring employees to fill the following workforce roles:
  •  Implementation Support Specialist
  • Software Application Training Specialist
  • Software Application Support Specialist