New session to start in September 2013.

The 2013-2014 certificate program will commence September 2013. Admissions are open now, with a deadline of June 24th. The online application is available here. For more information, contact hit@dbmi.columbia.edu.

Overview

Health Information Technology (Health IT) is a national priority and promises to play a key role to improve health care delivery, reduce medical errors, improve care coordination and efficiency, engage patients in their own health care, and serve public health. The federal government is promoting Health IT including the deployment and meaningful use of EHRs through the HITECH Act which includes incentives and within a few years significant penalties.. As a consequence, the HIT field is a rapidly growing field. The lack of staffing resources was cited as the most significant barrier to implementing IT, according to the 2012 HIMSS Leadership Survey. The Department of Biomedical Informatics at Columbia University is uniquely positioned to provide the experience, faculty, and resources needed to train these professionals.

The Health Information Technology Certificate is a 9-month program that will provide students with the practical knowledge and skills required to implement and utilize health information technology in healthcare settings. At the end of this program, successful trainees will receive 12 credits and a certification of professional achievement from Columbia University.

The program involves a practical, hands-on approach that addresses the national, legal, social, financial, and political environment that surrounds EHR implementation. Training includes both online and in-person instruction, for an average of eight hours per week. In addition, mandatory in-person sessions are held one day per month at Columbia University in New York City. For a flyer about the program click here, and to view slides from the information session in November, 2011, click here. For more information, please contact certificate@dbmi.columbia.edu