STCC, Charter Oak State College sign transfer agreement for health information programs
From left, Leona Ittlemen, Dean of the School of Business and Information Technology at STCC, Dr. John B. Cook, STCC President, Ed Klonoski, Charter Oak State College President, and Dr. Shirley M. Adams, Charter Oak State College Provost sign a transfer agreement during a ceremony at Springfield Technical Community College.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – A newly signed agreement will allow students to seamlessly transfer from Springfield Technical Community College into Charter Oak State College’s Health Information Management online degree program, which prepares graduates to work in a rapidly growing field.
Professionals in health information management typically act as custodians of patient medical records, ensuring information is complete, accurate, protected and readily available to health-care providers when needed.
College presidents Dr. John B. Cook of STCC and Ed Klonoski of Charter Oak signed an articulation agreement during a ceremony at STCC’s Scibelli Hall on Thursday. Charter Oak State College is located in New Britain, Conn.
The agreement allows STCC graduates with an associate degree in Health Information Technology or in Medical Billing and Coding at STCC to transfer credits to Charter Oak’s Health Information Management baccalaureate program.
Klonoski said the partnership between STCC and Charter Oak addresses the needs of medical employers in New England.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Springfield Technical Community College on such an important workforce-relevant program,” Klonoski said. “Making credit transfer easy and seamless for students is what Charter Oak was created to do, and this transfer articulation agreement exemplifies our efforts to create opportunities for students to graduate with degrees that are aligned with workforce needs.”
Both STCC and Charter Oak’s degree programs are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).
We are thrilled to be partnering with Springfield Technical Community College on such an important workforce-relevant program.Ed Klonoski, President of Charter Oak State College
Dr. Cook said, “A bachelor's pathway is a tremendous asset for this program. Truth be told, this partnership was put into motion only this fall with STCC receiving accreditation by CAHIIM. I cannot thank our respective faculty and administrators enough for their hard work, especially knowing that CAHIIM accreditation opens up so many health career opportunities for students."
(Read more about STCC’s Health Information Technology degree program’s accreditation: www.stcc.edu/about-stcc/news/health-information-technology-degree-program-at-stcc-wins-accreditation-.html)
STCC’s associate-degree program prepares students to become Registered Health Information Technicians (RHIT). Graduates from Charter Oak’s baccalaureate program can become certified as Registered Health Information Administrators (RHIA).
Graduates with associate degrees who are certified RHITs can work as coding professionals. They typically are responsible for ensuring medical records are complete, accurate and entered properly into computer systems.
A graduate with a bachelor’s degree who is certified as an RHIA often manages patient data and works with electronic health records. Master’s degree programs also are available.
Graduates typically pursue careers with acute-care facilities including hospitals, but also ambulatory surgery centers, long-term care facilities including nursing homes, as well as mental health centers and medical practices.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for medical and health services managers, including those in health information management, are expected to grow 17 percent from 2014-2024, much faster than average for all occupations.
STCC student Santa C. Pagan, of Springfield, who is majoring in medical coding and billing, said she would like to transfer to Charter Oak.
Student Santa C. Pagan is majoring in medical billing and coding.
"I love the program because it broadened my view of the medical field," Pagan said. "It's going to help me help other people."
After the signing ceremony, workforce training organizations, representatives from Holyoke Community College and Greenfield Community College, and area employers, including Baystate Health, heard about an apprenticeship program for health information management professionals. The program is supported by a $15 million U.S. Department of Labor grant.
Deborah K. Green, executive vice president and chief innovation and global services officer for the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), provided details about the program.
Apprenticeships, which are paid positions that provide on-the-job learning, help bridge education and employment. The apprenticeship program helps prepare the next generation of HIM professionals and attracts new talent with the right education, skills and credentials, according to the AHIMA Foundation.
About Springfield Technical Community College
Founded in 1967 and located on 35 acres of the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, STCC is a major resource for the economic vitality of Western Massachusetts. As the only technical community college in Massachusetts, STCC, an Achieving the Dream Leader College, offers a variety of career programs unequalled in the state. STCC’s highly regarded transfer programs in business, engineering, liberal arts, science and technology continue to provide the most economical options for students pursuing a four-year degree. With an annual enrollment of more than 8,500 day, evening, weekend and online students, STCC is a vibrant campus rich in diversity.
For more information about STCC, visit www.stcc.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@S_T_C_C).
About Charter Oak State College
Founded in 1973, Charter Oak State College (www.CharterOak.edu) is Connecticut’s only public online college, offering associate and bachelor’s degree completion programs in high-demand fields including Health Information Management, Health Care Administration, Cyber Security and Business Administration. The College offers a Master of Science in Organizational Effectiveness and Leadership. Charter Oak is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and governed by Connecticut’s Board of Regents for Higher Education.
Media Contact:
Jim Danko, Coordinator of Media Relations
jdanko@stcc.edu, (413) 755-4812