Thanks to federal mandates, hospitals are increasingly implementing Electronic Health Records (EHR) technology to manage information about patients’ care.
Changes in technology, government policy, and patient populations are contributing to a 28% increase in the need for healthcare administrators in the next decade.
High-level positions like medical and health services managers earn $101,340 per year on average, compared to $46,660 for bachelor’s-level positions.
This list features some of the best online Master’s in Health Informatics programs at top colleges across the country. Each school featured is a nonprofit, accredited institution — either public or private — with a high standard of academic quality for post-secondary institutions. Many of the schools on our list have been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education, which assesses the objectives, quality, and overall effectiveness of health informatics programs.
We evaluated each school’s program on tuition costs, admission, retention and graduation rates, faculty, and reputation as well as the student resources provided for online students. Then we calculated the Intelligent Score on a scale of 0 to 100. Read more about our ranking methodology.
Next, we compared this comprehensive list of online Master’s in Health Informatics programs to a list of aggregated college rankings from reputable publications like the U.S. News & World Report among others to simplify a student’s college search. We pored through these rankings so students don’t have to.
When considering this career path, it’s important to understand the difference between health informatics and health information management. While similar, they are two distinct professions.
Health informatics focuses more on developing, maintaining, and securing the systems used to record and track patient healthcare information. Health information management uses the data collected within these systems to manage and plan patient care and has more of an administrative emphasis. Consider your interests and career goals when deciding which type of program is right for you.
Professional credentials are not currently mandatory for jobs in health informatics. However, as this is a relatively new field within healthcare management, many employers seek job candidates with credentials as an endorsement of an individual’s skills and education.
The two primary credentials for health informatics professionals are the Certified Associate in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CAHIMS) and the Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS), both of which are awarded by the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). Both levels of credentialing require successful completion of a certification exam.
The American Medical Informatics Association is also developing the Advanced Health Informatics Certification for health informatics professionals who are practicing or seek to practice at an advanced level.
Here are some questions to ask when researching Master’s in Health Informatics programs:
As you research programs, you should keep track of when application deadlines are and what application materials you must submit for each program. You can usually find this information on the school’s website or by contacting their admissions department.
Financing your graduate education is another important consideration. Be sure to submit financial aid applications on time, and research other sources of funding including scholarships, assistantships, and tuition benefits from your employer.