Health Information Management: Program overview
About
Welcome to PCC and the HEP Pathway
Welcome to Portland Community College and the start of your path to a rewarding career!
The Healthcare & Emergency Professions (HEP) pathway provides opportunities for students to gain certificates, degrees, licensure, and/or credentials to further their careers in healthcare and emergency services fields. Many of our programs provide hands-on learning opportunities with advanced technology, practical training in clinical settings, and instructors with industry experience. Program graduates are in high demand in the healthcare and emergency professions industry and have the potential to earn excellent wages and benefits.
For more information about the Healthcare & Emergency Professions pathway, see the programs offered. See the Healthcare programs comparison chart to compare degrees and certificates offered, program costs, and potential salaries offered in each career path.
About Health Information Management
The Health Information Management (HIM) program office is located at the Cascade Campus of Portland Community College in the Healthcare and Emergency Professions pathway. The HIM program is the oldest accredited HIM program in the state of Oregon. The program has two full-time faculty members, and additional adjunct faculty that round out the team of program instructors. The program is set as a 2-year program, but it can be modified to a 3-year program upon student needs.
Mission and values
The Health Information Management program at Portland Community College supports student success by delivering quality education to a diverse group of students, ensuring equity in the admission process and inclusion throughout the program while preparing them to be HIM professionals.
Goals and objectives
The Health Information Management program at Portland Community College strives to achieve the following goals:
- Retain a diverse cohort of students from admission through graduation.
- Prepare the students for success on the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT®) exam.
- Prepare the students for a successful career through real-world assignments.
Graduate achievement
The following demonstrates the high quality of the HIM program:
- Proven track record of students’ success and employment.
- A 100% first-time pass rate on the RHIT exam. The national average is 72%.
- An 80% retention rate from the beginning to the end of the program – also very high for a fully online program.
Accreditation
Portland Community College is regionally accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). For more information, see the college’s Accreditation webpage.
The Health Information Management program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).
To file a complaint with CAHIIM, it must be made in writing and signed, and addressed to the Chair of the Commission. The mailing address is CAHIIM, 200 East Randolph Street, Suite 5100, Chicago, IL, 60601. See the complaint process and stages on the CAHIIM website for more information.
Costs
In addition to the costs of attending Portland Community College, there are costs associated specifically with the Health Information Management program. Students should anticipate the following costs:
- Background checks, drug testing, and vaccination monitoring (approximately $193).
- Additionally, students may need to purchase EHR Go. EHR Go is used as the academic (virtual) EHR (electronic health record) throughout the program. It is either available through the bookstore, or may be purchased at a lower cost directly from ehrgo.com. The school key is S34K47 (approximately $200).
Leadership
Janeen Hull
PCC – Academic & Career Pathways Dean
See the PCC Organizational Guide for information about college administration.
Contacts
- Jason Johnson: Program Dean
- Dana Brown, MBA, RHIA, CHC, CRC: Full-time Faculty, Faculty Department Chair, and Program Director
- Amanda Gallo: Admissions Coordinator
- Shelly Samson: Program Advisor
- Nicole Shappart: Program Advisor
- List of Faculty
Portland Community College
Cascade Campus
705 N. Killingsworth Street
Portland, Oregon 97217
Telephone 971-722-5667
College mailing address:
PO Box 19000
Portland, Oregon 97280-0990
Advisory Committee
The PCC HIM program has an Advisory Committee. This Committee acts as a steering committee to assure the program meets the needs of the community as well as ensures the program is up to date and class offerings are in line with the industry standards. The membership of this committee consists of HIM professionals from the community, PCC HIM program Directed Practice partners, PCC staff and leadership, PCC HIM recent graduates, and current PCC HIM students.