Florida Health Informatics Degrees – What to Know
At the core of healthcare lies health information technology, or Health Informatics. Health Informatics workers in Floridaare the guardians of patient privacy, the individuals responsible for collecting, coding, and presenting medical data. The field combines aspects of information technology, computer science, and healthcare. Technicians at the Associate’s Degree level work on collecting this information and basic modeling, while professionals with Bachelor’s Degrees work as Health Information Managers. This field has a great job outlook, with a 20% in the number of Technician jobs and a 16% increase in Manager positions from 2010-2020. These jobs are in a broad range of settings, from emergency care clinics to hospitals to prisons, government jobs, education, mental health facilities, and senior citizen homes.
Florida Health Informatics Links
Florida RHIA & RHIT Certifications
The Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics & Information Management, or CAHIIM , gives their certification to the best Health Information Technology and Health Information Management programs. Only professionals who graduate from CAHIIM-approved Health Information Technology programs are eligible to take the examination to become Registered Health Information Technicians, or RHIT. At the Bachelor’s Degree level, students must attend a CAHIIM-approved program to test for certification as Registered Health Information Administrators (RHIA). Receiving certification from CAHIIM increases the already strong earning potential for professionals in the field, besides opening the door to a greater number of jobs. As an additional benefit, CAHIIM-certified professionals are eligible to join the Florida chapter of AHIMA , the American Health Information Management Association. AHIMA members have access to the most up-to-date information in the field, as well as increased networking opportunities and access to AHIMA-only job postings. For additional information, see the Florida AHIMA website, http://www.fhima.org/WhatsNew.htm.
Health Informatics Education & Training in Florida
Florida has an abundance of approved Health Informatics Associate’s Degree programs. Associate Degrees are offered by Broward College, Central Florida Community College, Daytona State College, Florida State College, Hodges University, Indian River State College, Lake Sumter Community College, Miami Dade College, Pensacola Junior College, Polk State College, Saint Petersburg College, Santa Fe Community College, and St. Johns River Community College. Additionally, ITT Technical Institute has approved programs at their campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Lake Mary, and Miami. As per the CAHIIM curriculum, students receive an introduction to all aspects of the field, with coursework in medical coding, medical terminology, human anatomy & physiology, legal aspects of health information, and reimbursement procedures. All students are required to complete a practicum, or internship, prior to graduation. In addition to those listed above, there are a number of other campus based and online health informatics associate’s degree programs available for Florida students as well.
At the Bachelor’s level, Florida is home to two CAHIIM-approved Health Informatics programs, located at Florida A & M University and the University of Central Florida. At both schools, admission to the university does not mean admission to the Health Information Administration program. Once accepted by the university, students must complete an additional application for the competitive Health Information Administration program. At the Bachelor’s level, students engage in more in-depth study of pharmacology, physiology, information management, and human resource management. Students must also complete internships in a management setting prior to graduation. If you are interested in other Bachelor’s or Master’s level health informatics or information systems degrees offered in Florida, they can be found below.
Florida Health Care Informatics Salary Information
RHIT’s in Florida earn an average of $15.45 per hour, or about $32,000 a year. Professionals in the top tenth percentile earn as much as $24.35 hourly, or $50,600 annually. In Florida, the average salary for a RHIA is $46.944 an hour, or $97,600 annually. Experience professionals in the top 10% of the field earn up to $71.73 hourly, $149,000 a year.
*Salary Data: Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Earnings Statistics
