The Health Information Administration (HIA) program at the IU School of Informatics and Computing proudly marks its 60th anniversary on the IUPUI campus this spring. The program prepares students to assume increasingly critical roles in our health care industry, specializing in the design and maintenance of health information systems to collect, analyze, interpret and protect patient data. Its more than 600 alumni have gone on to establish careers within a variety of health care settings, serving as directors, managers, consultants and information security officers. The HIA program and its students have enjoyed a near 100% employment rate upon graduation for the past seven years, no doubt benefiting from Indiana’s strong life science industry and Indianapolis’ strong network of hospitals and physicians.
The future of the program and its graduates continues to look promising. 2010-11 statistics published by the U.S. Department of Labor expect employment in the health information field to grow by at least 20%, well above national career growth averages. This is in no doubt fueled in part by national health care reform and the 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). Both measures are expected to spur the adoption of health information technologies, such as the electronic health record (EHR), in preparation for a wave of new and aging patients entering hospitals and exam rooms nationwide.
The Health Information Administration program was first founded by Gertrude Gunn, RRL, as the Medical Record Administration Program in 1950 – the first program of its kind in the United States to be established within a state university. It was formerly part of the IU School of Allied Health before becoming a vital component of the IU School of Informatics and Computing in 2003. The curriculum includes coursework in business, information systems and technology, ethics, anatomy, physiology and personnel management, as well as mentored clinical experiences in health care settings.
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