Associate of Science in Health Sciences

Why Earn an Associate of Science in Health Sciences in Administration?

The Associate of Science in Health Sciences - Administration track is designed to prepare or advance students in specific administrative and certified allied healthcare careers. This program's curriculum offers coursework to provide the knowledge, skill and eligibility required for certifications within the following areas:

• Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist (CEHRS)
• Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS)
• Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA)
• Certified Rhythm Analysis Technician (CRAT)

Core Curriculum (18 hours)

• ENGL 1311 Composition I
• ENGL 1312 Composition II
• Fine Arts (MUSI 1320 Music Appreciation or MUSI 3350 American Popular Music or MUSI 3348 Studies in World Music or MUSI 2346 History of Jazz or transfer)
• RELS 1325 Religious Quest Social Science (ANTH 1311 Cultural Anthropology or ANTH 2324 Native Peoples of North America or SOCI 1311 Introduction to Sociology or PSYC 1301 Introduction to Psychology or ECON 2301 Macroeconomics or other transfer)
• MATH 1304 College Algebra or MATH 2303 Probability and Statistics

Core Health Sciences Curriculum (10 hours)

• BIOL 1401 Diversity of Life and Laboratory (4 hours)
• HSCI 2310 Health Sciences I
• HSCI 2320 Health Sciences II

Major Curriculum (30 hours)

• HSCI 2312 Medical Terminology
• HSCI 2315 Medical Coding
• HSCI 2317 Medical Insurance Practice
• HSCI 2327 Introduction to the Electronic Health Record
• HSCI 2330 HIPAA Compliance and Certification
• HSCI 2340 Information Technology and Systems
• HSCI 3305 Basic Cardiac Rhythm Interpretation
• HSCI 3310 Healthcare Organizations and Administration
• HSCI 3315 Introduction to Administrative Medical Assisting
• HSCI 3317 Healthcare Communication
• HSCI 3320 Healthcare Data Management
• HSCI 3340 Third Party Payment Systems
• HSCI 3355 Healthcare Ethics and Law

General Electives

Additional hours are needed to meet 60 total credit hours required.

Community Service (22 hours)

A total of 22 hours of community service is required.

Please Note

Completion of a minimum of 30 semester hours must be taken at UIW. Completion of 24 of the final 30 hours for the degree must be taken at UIW. Active-duty military are only required to take 15 of the final 30 hours at UIW.

Can I transfer in previous credit or training for an Associate of Science in Health Sciences?

This program is specifically designed for the working allied healthcare practitioner who may have previously earned a recognizable specialty certification and/or completed military training and experience, but desires an Associates Degree. This program's curriculum offers coursework to provide the knowledge, skill and eligibility required for certifications within the following areas:

• Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist (CEHRS)
• Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS)
• Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA)
• Certified Rhythm Analysis Technician (CRAT)

Core Curriculum (18 hours)

• ENGL 1311 Composition I
• ENGL 1312 Composition II
• Fine Arts (MUSI 1320 Music Appreciation or MUSI 3350 American Popular Music or MUSI 3348 Studies in World Music or MUSI 2346 History of Jazz or transfer)
• RELS 1325 Religious Quest Social Science (ANTH 1311 Cultural Anthropology or ANTH 2324 Native Peoples of North America or SOCI 1311 Introduction to Sociology or PSYC 1301 Introduction to Psychology or ECON 2301 Macroeconomics or other transfer)
• MATH 1304 College Algebra or MATH 2303 Probability and Statistics

Core Health Sciences Curriculum (10 hours)

• BIOL 1401 Diversity of Life and Laboratory (4 hours)
• HSCI 2310 Health Sciences I
• HSCI 2320 Health Sciences II

Major Curriculum (Up to 42 hours of Allied Health credits)

The General/Military track is designed for the working allied healthcare practitioner who may have previously earned a recognizable specialty certification and/or completed military training and experience, but desires an associate degree.

Courses consist of transfer college work or appropriate military experience credit in an area of allied health science. Consult with your academic adviser to determine appropriate courses.

General Electives

Additional hours may be needed to meet total 60 hour credit requirement.

Community Service (22 hours)

A total of 22 hours of community service is required.

Please Note

Completion of a minimum of 30 semester hours must be taken at UIW. Completion of 24 of the final 30 hours for the degree must be taken at UIW. Active-duty military are only required to take 15 of the final 30 hours at UIW.

This course studies the diversity of living organisms, structure and function of plants and animals, ecology, and evolution. It is designed for non-majors and serves as a laboratory science requirement for the core curriculum. Fee.

This course is a survey of math and chemistry concepts as related to the health sciences. The first half of the course will emphasize basic mathematical definitions and concepts. The second half of the course will emphasize chemistry topics related to the health sciences to include the basics of inorganic, organic, and selected biochemical concepts.

Prerequisite: BIOL 1401

This course is a survey of the fundamentals of anatomy and physiology for the health sciences. The topics include: the language of medicine, organization of the body, cellular foundations, and tissues and membranes. The body systems include: skeletal, muscular, integumentary, cardiovascular, lymphatic and immune, respiratory, nervous, sensory, endocrine, gastrointestinal, urinary, and reproductive.

Prerequisite: HSCI 2310

Medical Terminology is designed to familiarize the student with the language of medicine. The components of medical terminology are highly beneficial for any individual with a healthcare employment objective. The course presents the components of medical words including word roots, combining forms, suffixes, and prefixes. Using medical terminology as a focal point, the systems of the body are discussed.

This course provides entry-level training in medical coding. Students will develop and understanding of Current Procedural Terminology 4 (CPT-4), International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9-CM) Volumes I and II, HCFA Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS), as they are used in medical claims processing and record management.

This course teaches procedures for completing insurance claims and various financial methods used in medical offices for insurance billing, collecting, and records processing.

This course will provide students with an overview of all the information entered into and extrapolated from an electronic health record (EHR). Students will examine specific sections of the EHR in relation to health information management. Topics included in this course are information storage and imaging, organizing data exchanges through web databases, and real-time data collection.

This course provides an easy-to-understand overview of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy and security rules and compliance tasks. The student will be able to summarize the analysis, training, and technology needed to properly plan and implement privacy and security policies. Some of the topics discussed in this course are information on what HIPAA is, what is required, what the student can do to work toward compliance, and how the student can maintain compliance on an ongoing basis.

A foundation of electronic health record terminology and the information systems life cycle is explored. The important basis upon which successful HER implementation must rely - project management, strategic planning, and migrations from the current state are discussed. Skills in selecting, negotiating for, implementing and operating the electronic health record and its corresponding databases are developed. The use of data dictionary, data models, database management and design for electronic health records are introduced.

Basic Cardiac Rhythm Interpretation is designed to enable students to interpret basic cardiac rhythms in healthcare related settings. Heart anatomy, physiology, dysrhythmia interpretation and treatment will be presented

This course provides students with the opportunity to learn leadership competencies and identify opportunities in public and private healthcare sector. The course is designed to introduce students to the medical personnel, institutions, and health care delivery systems that they will inevitably encounter while practicing in a variety of types of actions, including medical malpractice, personal injury, workers , products liability, and age and disability discrimination. The course provides an introduction to the competing needs of the providers and the payers and how these two systems interact with one another. The student will be engaged in discussions of various common practice structures (including fee for service, RBRVS, Capitation, HMOs, PPOs and Medicare/Medicaid), and a summary of antitrust constraints on medical providers. This course also includes a policy-oriented discussion of the future of health care delivery and financing.

Topics include the history and development of the medical profession and its specialties; the role and function of the medical assistant and medical assisting organizations; principles of interpersonal relationships; professional attitudes; medical ethics and law; interactions with patients; and overview of basic functions carried out in a medical office, e.g., medical records, patient appointments, billing for services.

This course presents theory and research in health communication. Topics include interaction between parties and providers, communication in health care organizations, privacy and confidentiality, health care campaigns, and cultural meanings of health and illness. Include the history and development of the medical profession and its specialties; the role and function of the medical assistant and medical assisting organizations; principles of interpersonal relationships; professional attitudes; medical ethics and law; interactions with patients; and overview of basic functions carried out in a medical office, e.g., medical records, patient appointments, billing for services.

Analysis of healthcare data management theories focusing on the role of the Health Information Manager will be covered in this course. Managing processes for health data structure and content for compliance with standards, regulations, and accreditation is covered. Developing strategies for changing from a paper-based to electronic record is practiced.

This course includes the history of healthcare systems in the United States. The emphasis is on insurance systems including quasi insurance systems like PPOs. Emphasis is placed on the history of various payment systems such as FFS, RBRVS, DRGs, and how each of these systems impacts traditional insurance systems, HMOs, PPOs, and POS systems. This course will also explore the differences between fully-funded insurance and self-funded insurance systems. Students will also learn about various public insurance systems including Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare systems. Discussion on how health insurance systems impact the providers' systems like hospitals and physicians by employing peer review, utilization management and other systems to influence behavior changes. Discussion will center on how various insurance systems interact with various stakeholders including regulatory, employers, individuals and healthcare providers. We also will explore the current healthcare regulatory environment and the impact of the new healthcare reform program on various healthcare insurance organizations.

This course is designed to explore the theories, models and principles that serve as guides for ethical behavior within the healthcare context. Ethics is an integral part of every aspect of health careers and this course is encouraged for any individual with a health career objective. The student will explore the complexities created by science and technological advances, the variety of healthcare settings, and the diversity of patients in their care, all while emphasizing the importance of principled behavior in personal and professional situations. Global issues such as health policy, economics, social, gender, transcultural and spiritual considerations will be addressed.

This course is an overview of basic concepts in medical and health care informatics. These core concepts include an introduction to the foundational theory and practical application of clinical decision making; computerized decision support; health care systems and their organization; the special issues of administration, security, and operations of imaging informatics; tele-health technology; public health informatics; standards, terminologies, and the uniqueness of biomedical data; and a special focus on emerging technologies. This course includes an introduction to fundamental concepts in bioinformatics and introduces students to the data that is being managed, databases where this data resides, knowledge bases which are used to associate concepts with each other, and tools of analysis of this data.