Health Information Management

Health Information Programs at WKU

Health information management (HIM) is a diverse yet evolving field that incorporates medicine, management, finance, information technology, and law into one dynamic career path.  The Baccalaureate Degree can be completed online.  See below for more information.

Health Information Management Baccalaureate Degree

Health information management (HIM) is a diverse yet evolving field that incorporates medicine, management, finance, information technology, and law into one dynamic career path.  The major in health information management is designed to prepare students with skills and competencies in health data management, data analytics and informatics, information governance, privacy and security, compliance, clinical documentation improvement, revenue cycle management, medical coding, administering health information technology and administrative and clinical work flow.

Accreditation

The Health Information Management accreditor of Western Kentucky University is the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). The College’s accreditation for BACCALAUREATE degree in Health Information Management has been reaffirmed through 2026. All inquiries about the program’s accreditation status should be directed by mail to CAHIIM, 200 East Randolph Street, Suite 5100, Chicago, IL, 60601; by phone at 312.235.3255 or by email at info@cahiim.org.

Career Opportunities

Job opportunities for baccalaureate degree graduates exist in multiple settings throughout the healthcare industry. These organizations include hospitals, multi-specialty clinics and physician practices, long-term care, mental health, and other ambulatory care settings. The profession has seen significant expansion in non-patient care settings, with careers in managed care and insurance companies, software vendors, consulting services, government agencies, education, and pharmaceutical companies. Jobs may include medical coder or biller, data analyst, revenue cycle analyst, clinical documentation improvement specialist, tumor registrar, office manager, HIM director, and many more. Visit AHIMA's Career Map for additional information on job titles, descriptions, salaries, and career pathways.

Transfer Students

Since acceptance of transfer credit for a particular major is subject to approval by the appropriate academic department, the HIM program director is responsible for the determination of transfer credit of HIM courses. Any HIM course considered for transfer credit must be completed through a CAHIIM accredited program.  Acceptance of courses transferred from CAHIIM accredited programs are accepted as equivalent to WKU HIM program courses in the appropriate upper or lower division courses. For all other courses, the student may be required to provide a description and syllabus for each course; the transferring institution may be contacted for additional information.  Credit may be given for each approved equivalent course as long as the University minimum residence requirement for the baccalaureate degree is maintained.  Courses taken in HIM from a non-approved CAHIIM program will not be accepted as a WKU HIM course unless there is an articulation agreement between the institutions, but students may take departmental exams for credit for the corresponding HIM course.  See transfer link for additional information.

Experiential Learning

Credit for experiential learning will be assessed on a case by case basis, pending submission of a work portfolio in the HIM 495- Capstone and Professional Practice Experience course.