Health Informatics and Data Analytics | Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Health Informatics and Data Analytics

The Graduate Certificate in Health Informatics and Data Analytics (CRHI) is available for working professionals who would like to expand their knowledge and further their education in health informatics and data analytics without pursuing a full graduate degree in healthcare administration. It is a flexible, 100% online, 12-semester hour program, provided in an accelerated 8-week format.

Up to two courses that meet the academic requirements are eligible to transfer into the Master of Science in Healthcare Administration program should you choose to continue on towards the MSHA degree.

Curriculum

Required Courses

  • HPHC 5309 Healthcare Research Methods & Statistics
  • HPHC 5326 Healthcare Decision Sciences & Business Analysis
  • HPHC 5330 Health Informatics & Data Analytics

Elective Courses (must complete one of the following)

  • HPHC 5306 Healthcare Delivery System
  • HPHC 5311 Healthcare Finance
  • HPHC 5321 Healthcare Operations & Supply Chain Management

Optional Electives for MSHA Graduates

It is preferred that students take courses 5326 and 5321 within the Certificate program. If an MSHA student has taken either, or both,  of those courses as electives within the MSHA program, then they may take an optional elective to make up for each of those courses.

  • HPHC 5322 Quality, Patient Safety, and Risk Management
  • HPHC 5323 Healthcare Business & Entrepreneurship
  • HPHC 5324 Health Systems Engineering

Four courses are required for this certificate. A maximum of two courses may be transferred from the MSHA program to the Certificate Program or from the Certificate to the MSHA program.

CRHI graduates may enroll in the MSHA program. They may transfer two core courses from the Certificate Program into the MSHA program. If they took 5306 or 5311 within the certificate program they’ll need to take an additional elective within the MSHA program to make up for that core course.

Course Descriptions

HPHC 5306 Healthcare Delivery System This course provides an introduction to healthcare services, offering students an overview of the U.S. healthcare delivery system and the important components of the system. The course will examine the healthcare delivery system broadly and explore contemporary issues affecting the institutions that provide healthcare and are designed to protect the health of the American public. The course will cover the historical development of the U.S. healthcare system, the changing roles of healthcare providers, major health programs, determinants of health, disparities in health, and healthcare finance. The goal of the course is to provide students with the necessary skills to be effective participants in efforts to improve the U.S. healthcare system.

HPHC 5309 Healthcare Research Methods and Statistics This course will provide a broad framework for understanding and applying commonly used research methodologies and data analysis techniques in healthcare management. The course will review quantitative and qualitative research, research design, and methodology. Basic concepts of interpretation and application of statistics such as types of distributions, concepts of significance testing, and introduction of basic descriptive and inferential statistics are included. The goals are to prepare students to design, analyze, interpret, report, and critically evaluate research.

HPHA 5311 Healthcare Finance This course introduces students to the core concepts of financial management in healthcare, including interpretation of financial reports, financial ratio analysis, cost and profit analysis, planning and budgeting, time value analysis, financing, investments, capital budgeting, and current accounts management. The purpose of this class is to assist the student in developing the necessary analytical ability, attitudes, and decision making skills required of a healthcare manager in a changing environment.

HPHC 5321 Healthcare Operations & Supply Chain Management This course examines operational issues in healthcare management. Healthcare operations topics include systems analysis, forecasting, facility location and design models, decision analysis techniques, inventory control, CQI and statistical quality control. The course also integrates key components of supply chain management, including strategic sourcing and purchasing, acquisition, logistics, inventory management, and point of use applications, providing understanding, knowledge and evaluation models to operate and manage an organization’s enterprise resource planning and management system.

HPHC 5326 Healthcare Decision Sciences & Business Analysis This course emphasizes data management and analytic skills and knowledge to support healthcare organizations in improving patient safety, quality, population health and business/marketing strategies. Topics include master data management principles, advanced analytics, electronic clinical quality measures, pay for performance, process control charts and fundamentals of quality improvement science. Students will develop skills in team-based projects to manage and analyze healthcare data to support improvement strategies.

HPHC 5330 Health Informatics & Data Analytics This course will introduce the student to the uses of information technology and data analytics as they apply to healthcare, including the basic structure and function of computers, information retrieval, electronic health records, physician order entry, telemedicine, consumer health informatics, security, privacy, and confidentiality in the electronic environment, HIPAA regulations, ethics, computerized medical imaging, decision support, and the use of data analytics in healthcare. The course will provide the student with the fundamental knowledge necessary to practice within the modern healthcare environment and communicate with information technology (IT) personnel.