The Health Information Technology/Medical Records AAS from SUNY Suffolk will help students develop an understanding of the health information/medical records field. The Health Information Technology associate degree level program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). Upon completion of the program, students will be eligible to apply to take the national qualifying examination for certification as a Registered Health Information Technician.

Health information professionals are dedicated to the effective management of patient information and healthcare data that is needed to deliver quality treatment and care to the public. Specialists ensure that providers, healthcare organizations, and patients have access to the right health information when and where it is needed while maintaining the highest standards of data integrity, confidentiality, and security.

Health information professionals work in a variety of healthcare delivery settings, such as, hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, group and individual medical practices, managed care organizations and correctional facilities, as well as in other settings such as attorneys’ offices, pharmaceutical and medical research firms, public agencies, insurers monitoring care provided to their clients, consulting firms, health data organizations and information systems vendors.

The curriculum combines general and technical education with career development and clinical experience. In addition to courses in liberal arts and sciences, the program provides one semester of fieldwork. Students will be prepared for roles such as data integrity analyst, quality improvement analyst, clinical coder, reimbursement/revenue cycle specialist, clinical informatics coordinator, clinical documentation improvement specialist, and positions in supervision/management.

Students must achieve a minimum passing grade of C in each Health Information Technology course in order to continue to the next course in the sequence and to qualify for graduation with a Health Information Technology major. Students will be permitted to repeat a Health Information Technology course only once.