Course Description
This introductory course reviews informatics in the U.S. health environment, data security and privacy, informatics terminology and technology, data standards, and health data sets. Students will receive hands-on experience analyzing de-identified data sets using MS-Excel and presenting their results in a case analysis format.
Athena Title
Hlth Informatics and Analytics
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in HPAM 4410E
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall and spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
In this course, students will develop the ability to: • Understand and articulate health informatics terminology. • Explain the scope, theoretical underpinnings, and current issues associated with and affecting the study and application of health care informatics. • Identify existing and emerging sources and technologies of recorded health data and information application. • Articulate the proper informatics management tools for health care organizations (HCOs). • Understand the use of data standards within health care organizations (HCOs). • Retrieve, record, organize, and analyze health using Microsoft Excel and other appropriate statistical tools. • Convert health care data into information, transform information into knowledge, and use health knowledge in solving public health problems. • Strategically integrate the clinical health, environmental risk, and population health informatics needs within the HCO. • Apply solutions that assure confidentiality, security, and integrity while maximizing the availability of information for public health use.
Topical Outline
Topics: 1. Informatics/Analytics Terminology 2. History and scope of informatics/analytics in public health, health care, and other industries 3. Legal Frameworks for health informatics: Privacy/Security/HIPAA/Stark 4. Health Information Technology incentives, penalties, and adoption 5. Electronic Health Records (EHR), Health Information Exchanges (HEI), Health Registries, and Telehealth 6. Data types and databases 7. Data standards in health informatics 8. Knowledge retrieval and decision support system 9. Sources of health data 10. Health risk models 11. Introduction to data analysis using Microsoft Excel 12. Data analysis: Descriptive statistics/data visualization, data interpretation using Microsoft Excel