Healthcare Informatics
What is healthcare informatics?
Healthcare informatics brings together computer technology and clinical expertise to effectively organize, analyze, manage and use clinical knowledge and data for problem solving and decision making. As hospitals and healthcare organizations convert to electronic medical records, the need for healthcare informatics has increased significantly.
Healthcare informatics enables healthcare providers to use computerized systems to:
- Develop standards and clinical guidelines
- Guide their diagnoses and treatment recommendations
- Facilitate communication and manage the flow of information
- Evaluate quality of care
Healthcare Informatics at SIUE
This premier graduate program combines the specific information technology needs of healthcare professionals with the professional expertise of SIUE faculty and is designed for clinical employees who have technology-based responsibilities or who are interested in moving their careers in that direction. Healthcare informatics at SIUE will provide you with skills and perspective in planning, designing, implementing and using information technologies.
Our mission is to prepare students to be innovative leaders in health informatics with the ability to use technology and manage information to achieve industry objectives and improve outcomes.
What can I do with a degree in healthcare informatics?
There has never been a better time to pursue a degree in healthcare informatics. Patient privacy regulations, combined with the rapid growth of both medical knowledge and technology, have increased demand for electronic health records (EHR) and professionals qualified to lead industry change.
Healthcare informatics professionals:
- Integrate the worlds of medicine and technology
- Combine their expertise in medical data management, patient care and information technology systems
- Analyze and interpret clinical data
- Work with staff to plan, implement and optimize healthcare information systems
- Provide training, project management and leadership within their organization
Program Format
The program coursework is offered fully online. Please note that international students are ineligible to receive a student visa for this program.
Capstone Experience
This program emphasizes the application of state-of-the-art computing technologies to healthcare. The capstone experience is an opportunity for students to apply knowledge to a health informatics issue. Participants will choose a topic that complements their interests and demonstrates what they have learned by creating a comprehensive project with practical significance, or a strong research base. The capstone experience allows for ongoing reflection of learning outcomes, and provides an opportunity to share the project findings.
Accreditation
The health informatics accreditor of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). The College’s accreditation for the Master of Science in healthcare informatics has been reaffirmed through 2027-2028.
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
Outcome Statistics
CAHIIM accreditation standards require programs to provide reliable information to the public. SIUE’s Healthcare Informatics program provides information on graduation rates, employment, and retention. The outcomes are for students graduating between August 1, 2020 and July 31, 2021.
Employment Rate:
- Survey responses within 3 months following graduation (7 respondents): 100%
Graduation Rate:
- Students graduating in fall 2020 and spring 2021: 73%
Retention Rate:
- Students graduating in fall 2020 and spring 2021: 76%
Corporate Partnerships
Corporate partnerships provide convenient options for employees to complete their degree online while maximizing their tuition reimbursement.
Learn more about corporate partnerships.
Faculty
Frank Lyerla, PhD, RN, FHIMSS
Program Director / Associate Professor, Department of Primary Care and Health Systems Nursing
SIUE School of Nursing
SIUE Graduate School
Download Program PDF
Healthcare Informatics (MS) [pdf]
