HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST A.A.S. DEGREE
Program Course Requirements

Fall Semester - First Year (16 credits)
COMP 1102 Introduction to Keyboarding, 1 cr
HINS 1122** Body Structures and Functions for Healthcare Professionals OR BIOL 1404** Human Biology, 3 cr
1st Half Semester
HINS 1120 Introduction to Health Information Privacy and Security, 1 cr
HINS 1163  Medical Office Procedures, 2 cr
HINS 1360  Medical Terminology, 3 cr
2nd Half Semester
HINS 1152  Medical Insurance and Billing, 2 cr
HINS 1154  Introduction to Health Data Analysis, 3 cr
HINS 1156  Interpersonal Skills for Healthcare Professionals, 1 cr

Spring Semester (16 credits)
BUSN 1166  Business Communications, 3 cr
COMP 1120 Introduction to Computer Applications, 3 cr
1st Half Semester
HINS 1144* Pharmacology for Healthcare Admin, 1 cr
HINS 1165  Medical Records Management, 3 cr
2nd Half Semester
HINS 1142  Healthcare Information Systems, 3 cr
HINS 1150* Introduction to DX and Procedure Coding, 3 cr

Fall Semester - Second Year (15 credits)
Minnesota Transfer Curriculum, 9 cr
1st Half Semester
HINS 2140  Advanced Medical Coding, 4 cr OR additional required core course, 3 cr
2nd Half Semester
HINS 2142*  Medical Certification Prep, 3 cr OR additional required core course, 3 cr

Spring Semester (13 credits)
Minnesota Transfer Curriculum, 6 cr
1st Half Semester
HINS 2144 Legal Aspects of Healthcare, 2 cr
HINS 2148  Healthcare Management and Organization, 3 cr
2nd Half Semester
HINS 2172* Reimbursement Methods, 2 cr

GRADUATION REQUIREMENT - 60 CREDITS
*Denotes Prerequisites
**Students intending to transfer or pursue medical coding certification should take BIOL 1404.

Click here to download the Healthcare Administrative Specialist AAS Degree Program Planning Form (PDF)

Career Description: Healthcare Administrative Specialist is ideal for individuals who would like a career in healthcare, but are not interested in the hands-on patient care. The medical community depends on educated staff to collect, interpret, analyze, protect and organize medical information so that it may be used for continuity of care, reimbursement, and quality improvement. Health administrative professionals work closely with providers, nurses, researchers, and other healthcare staff to contribute to the quality of patient care behind the scenes. Employment opportunities exist in hospitals, clinics, long-term facilities, nursing homes, physician offices, medical group practices, behavioral health facilities, insurance agencies, home health agencies, consulting firms, government agencies, insurance based healthcare companies, and medical supply organizations.

Program Information: The 60-credit Healthcare Administrative Specialist Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) program graduate is prepared to assume duties in the field including basics of ICD and CPT coding, reimbursement methodologies, quality assessment, legal, accreditation, and electronic health record systems. In addition to the diploma skills, graduates of the A.A.S. program will be able to use and maintain electronic applications and work processes to support healthcare business procedures, workflow, and reform; identify and prevent fraud and abuse while maintaining corporate compliance including HIPAA and HITECH; conduct analysis to ensure the documentation in the health record supports the diagnosis and reflects the patient’s progress, clinical findings, and discharge status; and to support physician reimbursement and revenue cycle management.

Program Outcomes:
Graduates will be able to:

• Demonstrate understanding of how their role fits into and affects their department, other departments, and the organization;
• Identify and utilize appropriate technologies used to capture, retrieve, and maintain information from internal and external sources;
• Apply knowledge of human structure and function, diseases and disorders, and medical terminology as it relates to their healthcare role;
• Apply policies, procedures, and regulation standards surrounding issues of access and disclosure of protected health information and organizational compliance;
• Evaluate the revenue cycle management process (emphasis on billing procedures);
• Analyze documentation in the health record to ensure it supports the diagnosis and reflects the patient's prograss, clinical findings, and discharge status;
• Demonstrate effective verbal and written communication within the healthcare environment;
• Describe positive work behaviors, personal traits and attitudes desirable in members of a healthcare team; and
• Explain accepted ethical practices with respect to cultural, social, religious and ethnic differences within the healthcare environment.

Special Program Requirements:

In addition to the program requirements listed above, students must meet the following conditions in order to graduate:

1. College Cumulative GPA Requirement: The cumulative grade point average (GPA) must be at least 2.0
2. College Technical Core GPA Requirement: The cumulative GPA of credits in the technical core of the diploma or degree must be at least 2.0
3. Residency Requirement: students must complete 25% of their credits at Central Lakes College.

Admissions: The A.A.S. degree and diploma are offered as full-time programs. Students can start at the beginning of fall or spring. This program is a combination of in-class room, hybrid (both in-class, LiveOnline and online), and online formats. Students pursuing the A.A.S. degree will find the second year courses are offered in an online format to allow for employment while completing the degree.