Sedalia, Missouri – Oct. 8, 2020 –State Fair Community College’s Health Information Technology (HIT) Program Director Beverly Marquez and HIT students will observe Health Information Professionals (HIP) Week Oct. 11-17.
The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) originally planned to hold HIP Week in March but postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The celebration of health information professionals will now be held in conjunction with the AHIMA20 Virtual Conference.
To highlight and recognize the role health information professionals play in providing quality patient care, AHIMA created HIPWeek.org. This website shares stories of the good work these professionals do around the world and recognizes how they make a difference every day.
“I can’t recall a situation like the current pandemic that has so clearly demonstrated the importance of coders, health information clerks, medical records clerks, and records analysts,” said Marquez. “Our program prepares students to compile and process digital and traditional patient medical records while maintaining security, integrity, confidentiality, and availability. The pandemic has shown how important these professionals are to public health, and I’m glad our students are seeing how they have a role in patient care.”
SFCC offers a Professional Certificate in Medical Coding and an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Health Information Technology. The curriculum incorporates the disciplines of medicine, management, information technology, and law.
The Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and information Management Education has accredited SFCC’s AAS program. AAS graduates may take the national credentialing exam for Registered Health Information Technicians. Students who earn a Professional Certificate can take the American Health Information Management Association exam to become a certified coder.
For more information, contact Marquez at bmarquez@sfccmo.edu or visit www.sfccmo.edu/health-information-technology.
