Master of Science in Health Informatics SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Offered Online Only

The Master of Science in Health Informatics is designed to provide specialized training in the informatics aspects of health, information science and technology, and social and behavioral science, as delineated in the foundational domains of the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). A particular emphasis is placed on health information science and technology to help train the workforce to meet the expanding need for experts in this area.

Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate basic proficiency in understanding the theories and methods of social and behavioral science applicable to health informatics.
2. Demonstrate advanced knowledge of the concepts, methods, tools, and current challenges of health informatics.
3. Demonstrate the mastery of computerized tools of information science and technology applied to health.
4. Integrate the concepts, methods, and tools of social, behavioral, information science and technology to evaluate, design, and implement solutions to health informatics problems.
5. Employ effective collaborative leadership, ethical principles, and professional practices to motivate system thinking and a team approach to solving complex health informatics problems.

This program accommodates both full-time and part-time students. A minimum of 33 credits is required to graduate from the program. The courses in the program will lead to a generalist degree in health informatics. Courses will be taught by academic and industry experts in the field. The flexible curriculum design as well as a rolling admission, will allow a full-time student to graduate in no more than 4 semesters. A typical part-time student will take approximately 6 semesters to complete the program. Any student with a bachelor’s degree in any field can apply for this program, especially students with a background in health information management. In addition to a bachelor’s degree, students must show successful completion of an undergraduate statistics course with a C or better before the start of the program.

TIM 500 Project Management (3)

Reviews traditional project management techniques and project based organizational structures. Special attention is given to the integration of project management with technology and strategic objectives. Organizational issues, project tracking, the project manager, and project management techniques are examined both from the conceptual and the applied aspects. The potential for transferring knowledge gained from projects to multiple areas in the organization is also covered. Students will experience computer application software to support and implement project management activities.

HI 501 Health Care Informatics (3)

The theoretical basis of health care informatics and health information systems is presented and the use of technology to deliver health care is explored. Study of the impact of informatics on the socio-cultural environment of health care and the infrastructure to support health care informatics is a primary focus.

HI 509 Legal Issues in Health Informatics (3)

A study of the overall legal aspects of the various dimensions of health informatics and information management. Specific applications and study will include areas of health informatics and information management, the medical staff, facility liability, consent for treatment, confidentiality of health information, computerization of health information, professional negligence/medical malpractice and other related topics.

HI 520 Standardized Code Sets and Medical Terminologies (3)

A practical overview of methods and tools for creating, acquiring, representing, and classifying health information. Topics covered include clinical classifications/terminology systems and biomedical ontologies. Survey of health information exchange standards and approaches to data mapping. Overview of health care delivery, concepts of anatomy, physiology, and pathology.

HI 530 Computational Informatics (3)

Methods for extracting, merging, organizing, processing, analyzing, and visualizing health data, information, and knowledge. A practical overview of biostatistics in Health Informatics to support medical decision-making. Introduction to data mining and machine learning techniques.

HI 540 Human-Technology Interaction in Health Care (3)

A practical overview of techniques of integrating technology into patient care. Exploration of current trends and historical perspectives of human-technology interaction in healthcare. Application of principles of user interface designs and evaluation techniques. Examination of methods for assessing the usability of technology. Review of hardware, software, and peripherals in clinical care.

HI 550 Information Security in Health Informatics (3)

In-depth review of standards for health information exchange and security in clinical information systems. Main topics include authentication, authorization, encryption, access control, and integrity. Other topics related to computer networks, communications protocols, client-server architecture, and cybersecurity as pertained to health information.

HI 600 Quality Improvement in Health Informatics (3)

Overview of quality improvement methods. Includes topics about defining, measuring, analyzing, improving, and controlling quality in various areas of healthcare and informatics. Application areas include health information technology and management. The effects of social, psychological, and behavioral factors on quality are considered.

HI 610 Databases in Health Informatics (3)

Overview of system development life cycle and prototyping methods. Practical approaches to assessing user needs in health care, data modeling, normalization, structured query language (SQL), data warehousing, and data mining. Review of NoSQL techniques for information storage, retrieval, and presentation practices to support clinical decisions and policymaking in health care. Investigation of data transformation, patterns recognition, and knowledge discovery techniques in health care.

HI 620 Health Information Governance (3)

Exploration of health information governance theories and methods. Survey of policies and procedures for managing the complex infrastructure of electronic health record (EHR) systems and health information exchange (HIE) networks. Topics include operational and risk management of data integrity, accessibility, privacy, and security. Overview of leadership, professionalism, and collaborative practices in Health Informatics.

Prerequisites: All program courses except HI 699

HI 699 Health Informatics Practicum/Project (3)

Completion of practicum/project. Seminar lectures and participation in the discussions and potential solutions to current issues in Health Informatics. Real-world cases are reviewed, and collaborative problem-solving techniques are presented. Guest speakers discuss the fundamentals of leadership behaviors and best practices in Health Informatics.

Co/Prerequisite: HI 620