Healthcare Management

Welcome

Welcome to the Indian Hills Community College Medical Insurance Coding (MIC) program. The MIC program is four (4) terms, twelve (12) months in length. Upon successful completion of this program, a diploma will be awarded. The Medical Insurance Coding program is part of the Health Sciences Division. This division is led by the Associate Dean of Health Sciences, who reports to the Vice President, Learning and Engagement. The Medical Insurance Coding program has Program Faculty who report to the Associate Dean of Health Sciences.

The MIC Program Policy Manual is to serve as a handbook and a guide for all students enrolled in the Medical Insurance Coding program. It is a supplement to the Indian Hills Community College Student Handbook and College Catalog. Consequently, all policies and regulations from the IHCC Student Handbook and College Catalog are to be observed in addition to those outlined in the following pages.

We welcome you and want you to know we are here to assist you in every way possible. It is a privilege to have each of you in the Medical Insurance Coding program.

Indian Hills Mission, Vision and Values

Indian Hills Community College Mission

Indian Hills Community College changes lives by inspiring learning, diversity, social enrichment, and regional economic advancement.

Indian Hills Community College Vision

Indian Hills Community College is dedicated to empowering students and enriching communities, preparing leaders who are ready to tackle the challenges of tomorrow. 

Indian Hills Community College Values

Indian Hills Community College is committed to belonging, community, diversity, excellence, innovation, integrity, service and success.

Accreditation

Indian Hills Community College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, a member of the North Central Association, and the State of Iowa, Iowa Department of Education.

Healthcare Management Mission, Goals and Philosophy

Mission Statement

To provide a program of Medical Insurance Coding education that builds upon practical application and allows the student to acquire knowledge and skills necessary to excel in revenue management, medical coding, billing, and compliance.

Goals

• Coding Knowledge and Skills
• Coding Documentation
• Provider Queries
• Regulatory Compliance
• Information Technologies

Philosophy

Indian Hills Community College, as a community-centered institution, strives to meet the needs of all people for postsecondary education. The College believes every opportunity should be provided for each student to develop to their maximum potential so they might become a valuable citizen who contributes to our complex and ever-changing society.

We believe Medical Insurance Coding is an art and science with the primary focus of developing, using, and maintaining health information and coding diagnoses and procedures. We believe the medical coding professional must adhere to the patient’s right to privacy. We believe the best knowledge base for practice is a combination of general and technical education. Therefore, education in the Medical Insurance Coding program is based upon general education, health information principles, and a specialized technical body of knowledge and skills that focuses on the preparation of a specialized medical coding professional.

The faculty of the Medical Insurance Coding program believe learning is an individual and continuous process, the learning process results in a behavioral change that can be measured, and learning is facilitated and affected by motivation, self-discipline, and structured experience. We further believe the role of the instructor is to identify learning needs, guide the learner, and assist the learner in establishing an environment conducive to learning.

Program Learning Outcomes

The MIC curriculum has been designed to promote your learning and development so that, following completion of the Indian Hills Community College Medical Insurance Coding program, each graduate will be able to:

• Demonstrate proficiency in coding knowledge and skills for various practice settings.
• Understand ethical and legal principles in revenue management and regulatory compliance.
• Operate electronic health records (EHR), encoding, grouper, and computer-assisted coding (CAC) software.
• Develop an appreciation and awareness for professional growth and life-long learning.

Healthcare Management Curriculum

The MIC curriculum is designed as a progression with increasing complexity of each subsequent course. To view the full program curriculum, please visit the College Catalog & Student Handbook = Medical Insurance Coding.

Program Core Course Descriptions

To view the course descriptions, please click on the link below.

Healthcare Managment

• HIT 125 - Essentials of Health Records
• HIT 126 - Health Records Laboratory
• HIT 130 - Health Record Systems
• HIT 141 - Health Law and Ethics
• HIT 274 - Diagnostic Coding
• HIT 275 - Procedural Coding
• HIT 290 - Reimbursement Methods
• HIT 730 - Data Management Pathway HIT 731 - Revenue Management Pathway

Admission Criteria and Process

All students entering the Indian Hills Community College (IHCC) Health Sciences programs are required to submit the following documents:

• High school transcripts - may be unofficial copies; however, they must be sent from the school to IHCC.
• Approved placement exams for Health Science programs include ACT, SAT, or Accuplacer
  • Accuplacer results must be completed within two years prior to the program’s start term.
  • Students are only allowed to complete the Accuplacer exam three (3) times within a calendar year, with a minimum of two (2) weeks between exams.
  • ACT/SAT results must be completed within five (5) years prior to the program start term.
• Official College transcripts (if applicable) must be sent from the school to IHCC.
  • Grade Point Average (GPA) transferred in from an accredited higher education institution requires at least eight (8) cumulative college credit hours from one institution in order to be used for the screening process.

Admission criteria to the MIC program requires a 2.00 GPA from either high school or college and one of the following test scores: Accuplacer Next Generation Composition score = 720, ACT = 14 or SAT 780.

High School Evaluation Policy

Students wishing to enroll in a Health Sciences program at Indian Hills Community College must submit a copy of their high school transcripts. If a student has completed high school outside of the United States, they must have their documents evaluated by a Foreign Credential Evaluation company. An official evaluation report must be submitted directly from the evaluation company to Indian Hills Community College. High School evaluation reports must state the student has the equivalent of a U.S. high school diploma. Also, students should be aware we must have a grade point average (G.P.A.) to use for the screening process. This G.P.A. must come either from the completed evaluation report or from an accredited educational institution within the United States.

Registration Process

Registration typically begins four (4) weeks before the end of the term. Registration dates are published yearly and are specified on the Instructional Timelines Calendar. Students are encouraged to register online using the course schedule provided by the Health Sciences Division. General education courses are specified on the program schedule. The Arts and Sciences division makes general education courses available to all students (despite the program major) two weeks after registration begins. Therefore, students must register for general education courses as soon as possible. Course numbers and section numbers are identified on the course schedules to assist students.

Safety / On-Campus & Off-Campus

On-Campus

At Indian Hills Community College, the safety and security of our students, faculty, and staff are always a priority. Safety and the prevention of accidents are the responsibility of faculty, staff, and students. Everyone on campus is encouraged to use all available resources and information, as well as common sense decisions, to help foster a safe environment. Refer to the college catalog, student handbook, and appropriate signage posted throughout the campus for policies and procedures regarding safety on campus. If an accident or injury occurs while on the Indian Hills campus, it will be immediately reported to a member of the staff or faculty. Emergency care will be provided on campus until emergency medical services arrive. Potential safety hazards will also be reported to the staff or faculty. IHCC Campus Security – Please call 641.683.5300    http://www.indianhills.edu/about/security.php

Off-Campus

While attending off campus activities and professional experiences, health and safety policies and procedures of the facility will be observed. If an accident or injury occurs during an off campus activity or professional experience, it will be immediately reported to the course instructor and staff at the facility, so the appropriate procedures may be followed. Students participating in off campus activities are responsible for their own health care, medical treatment, and any associated costs resulting from illness, injury, or emergency situations. The program and institution do not assume financial responsibility for medical expenses incurred during off campus experiences and activities. Students are strongly encouraged to maintain personal health insurance coverage.

Professional Liability Insurance

Indian Hills Community College maintains professional liability coverage for students in the Health Sciences Division. This coverage includes the Medical Insurance Coding students. Clinical sites are provided a copy of the “Certificate of Liability Insurance” form annually at the time of the clinical site agreement review.

Professional Experience

The purpose of the professional experience is to allow the student to experience the flow of patient health information and to apply the knowledge and skills acquired thus far in their studies. Refer to the Professional Experience Manual for a complete description of the professional experience and a detailed discussion of student responsibilities during the professional experience.

Professional Association Medical Coding/Health Information Meetings - Students enrolled in the MIC program are encouraged to attend regional/state medical coding/health information meetings. Up to 10 hours of attendance may be credited to the  online professional experience component as outlined in the Professional Experience Manual. Professional Associations often allow students to attend for free or at a nominal registration rate, discounted for students.

Medical Insurance Coding Professional Experiences are scheduled as follows:

Dress Code

As a Medical Insurance Coding student, the student represents the school and the profession of Medical Coding, it is imperative certain standards be met and a dress code followed. Generally, students may use their own judgment in attire, but must adhere to codes of decency. While visiting a healthcare organization or at an on-site professional experience, students will be expected to have appropriate business casual attire and are required to abide by any organization dress code requirements. Any student who chooses to disregard the dress code will be verbally warned once. The second infraction will warrant a written warning. A third infraction will result in suspension from the clinical site on that same day with a conference to be held with program faculty and clinical instructor. Non-compliance with the dress code may result in the student being dismissed from the program.

To assist students in determining what business casual and a code of decency may encompass, please refer to the below components.

Key Components of Business Casual and Code of Decency:

• Tops: Blouses, button-down shirts, sweaters, turtlenecks, and smart knit tops.
• Bottoms: Khakis, chinos, dress slacks, dress pants, and knee-length or midi skirts.
• Layering: Blazers, sport coats, and cardigans are highly recommended to elevate the look.
• Footwear: Closed-toe shoes are standard, including loafers, Oxfords, ballet flats, mules, and boots. Shoes should be practical walking shoes, closed-toe, closed back, and have non-slip soles.
• Accessories & Grooming: Simple, minimal jewelry and belts. Jewelry will be kept to a minimum and consistent with the clinic’s expectations.
  • Appropriate undergarments will be worn. Clothes will be clean, neatly pressed and free of odor.
• Hygiene: Students will be clean, free of body odor, and have well-trimmed fingernails.
  • Hair color and makeup will be conservative in nature. Hair color is to be normally occurring in nature. Long hair will be pulled back. Beards and mustaches will be neatly trimmed.

Professional Conduct

Students in the Medical Insurance Coding program must conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times. Inappropriate conduct will result in a conference with program faculty and clinical instructor. Behavior deemed unprofessional may lead to dismissal from the program.

Required Healthcare Training Courses

Students in the Health Sciences Division are required to complete the following courses:

• Dependent adult and child abuse (renewed every 3 years)
• HIPAA training (renewed yearly)
• Bloodborne pathogen training (renewed yearly)

Dependent Adult and Child Abuse Training

Faculty and students in the Health Sciences Division are required to complete state-approved dependent adult and child abuse mandatory reporter training. Students in the Health Sciences Division are required to become certified as dependent adults and child abuse reporters. This requirement is met by completing the training program for dependent adult and child abuse with information on the following content areas: Iowa law, probable reasons, recognition, and reporting process.

HIPAA and Bloodborne Pathogen Training

Faculty and students in the Health Sciences Division are required to complete HIPAA and Bloodborne Pathogen training modules that are in MyHills under Health Career Certifications. MIC students will be automatically enrolled within these training courses.

Minor Consent Policy [for Background Checks & Drug Test Screening]

• Any minor student under the age of 18 must abide by the criminal background checks and drug screen policy specific to their program of study.
• A parent or legal guardian of a student under the age of 18 must sign an acknowledgment of receipt of a copy of this policy.
• Those students who are minors under the age of 18 must obtain parental/legal guardian consent.
• Lack of consent for testing will disqualify the minor from continued clinical participation and participation in the Program.

Criminal and Abuse Background Checks

National and State criminal and dependent adult-child abuse checks are required of every student preparing to enroll in an Indian Hills Community College Health Sciences program. The cost of the required checks is the responsibility of the student/applicant. MIC students are required to purchase a package profile through ViewPoint and complete the background checks through ViewPoint.

The Criminal and Dependent Adult-Child abuse background check procedure is established to meet the requirements for the partnerships between the College and the clinical facilities and sites; and the student’s eligibility for employment in such healthcare organizations. Students who have a criminal history and are cleared to participate in an IHCC Health Sciences academic program are still responsible for working with their professional licensing or certification board for determination if they are eligible to sit for that profession’s licensure or certification. Students are required to have a background check prior to beginning any clinicals of the Health Science Programs. Students are responsible for assuming responsibility for the fee. Results may affect the student’s ability to participate in clinical experiences and continue in the Health Science Programs.

The Background Check will include the following items:

• Residency history
• Social Security verification
• 7 year county criminal history
• Iowa Adult and Child Abuse Registry checks
• Nation-wide record indicator and Sex Offender Registry check
• Nation-wide healthcare fraud and abuse scan

NON-NURSING MAJORS National/State Background Check

Students who enroll in a non-nursing Health Sciences program are required to purchase a package from ViewPoint that includes a National Background Check and the Iowa Adult and Child Protective Services check:

• Follow the instructions for creating an account and submitting info for a background check. Complete student health information (physical, immunizations, etc.) is uploaded by the student. A student with an existing ViewPoint from another Indian Hills Community College Health Sciences program may contact ViewPoint’s Customer Service to transfer the profile to the current program. If the existing ViewPoint profile is from a different school, it will not transfer to Indian Hills Community College. In this case, a new ViewPoint profile for the current program must be purchased.
• Falsification of medical records will result in disciplinary action, which may include dismissal from the Program.
• The background check must be completed prior to starting the program or as directed by the program director for special circumstances.  Students who fail to complete the required checks will not be able to attend laboratory or clinical.
• Students who change from one IHCC Health Sciences program to another without a term between may use the first program’s check ONLY if it is no more than 12 months since the initial check was run.
• Students who complete a Health Sciences program and have more than one term before the next program start will need to have the check repeated, no matter how long ago the first check was completed.
• Students also have the responsibility to inform the Program Director if they have an arrest and conviction after entering the program.

More information will be available within orientation or upon request from the Program Director.

The below criteria is used to determine whether a student is eligible to participate in an Indian Hills Community College Health Sciences program: