Weber State University   

HAS - Health Information Technology

Results of Assessment

2000-2001 (submitted 10/15/01)

Overview: Our department (Health Administrative Services) has determined that the mean grade of a specific project, exam or assignment are not helpful data types to be collecting. So our measurement of these items has evolved into a more subjective focus rather than an objective one. The use of the exit survey is helpful in determining the format (full-semester, half-semester, or online) for our courses but not as a measure for learning outcomes. Because of this experience in trying to determine the best method for measure learning, we will begin to administer employer surveys for all degrees. We anticipate that this employer survey in conjunction with our graduate survey will provide us with the valuable feedback on our student learning outcomes that is desired.

Health Information Technology

Data Types: Direct measures include professional practice experience project grades and examination grades. As mentioned previously in the overview section, our department has determined that the mean scores for these projects are not resulting in meaningful data. However, the scores will continue to be collected and comparison made annually for changes to the curriculum. The American Health Information Management Association’s (AHIMA) National Certification examination scores and results of student exit surveys are monitored annually. The department also conducts employer and graduate surveys bi-annually in the odd numbered years. The employer surveys have been mailed, however results have not been returned and tabulated at this time. The graduate surveys will be sent out this fall semester.

Results/Changes: The Health Information Technology program is at or above the national mean on the AHIMA certification exam in 6 of 10 categories for the year 2000. In the four areas in which the Health Information Technology program dips below the national mean, three categories are still at 90% or higher and the fourth category is at 88% of the national mean. The AHIMA national certification examination content was reclassified in 2000, and this may account for some of the drop in our programs mean scores. One major change as a result of the reclassification of the examination content was a greater emphasis of the Current Procedural Coding (CPT) system. In anticipation of this increase in CPT coding emphasis, 2 credits were added to the Health Information Technology curriculum in the 2000-2001 academic year. Hopefully, this will reverse the drop in the mean scores for this AHIMA certification examination content.

The second category in which WSU students’ mean scores have dropped below the national mean score is in the area of releasing patient specific information. The Health Information Technology program added application activities of this type in HIM 2000 Introduction to Health Information Systems, as well as increased its emphasis in the Professional Practice Experience.

Category 4a of the AHIMA National Certification exam content includes database report generation and use, and design of input/output forms. To assist in improvement of our mean scores in this area, the Health Information Technology program is installing two computer information system programs in the Health Information Laboratory. These programs will allow us to simulate "real-life" situations for our students. However, it is the faculty’s opinion that students are having difficulty with transferring application of this process to answering questions on this topic.

The final area in which the WSU students’ mean score is below the national mean is in the area of management and supervision. This area will discuss further and requires more in depth investigation as to what changes need to be made. The results of the Employer Survey and Graduate Survey will also be utilized to determine if we really do have an area of concern here, or was the 2000 AHIMA Exam just an anomaly.

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