April 21, 2008

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development calls them “hot jobs.” Now Fountainhead College of Technology is offering a cool program for people who want to take advantage of the growing role of technology in the health-care industry. The North Knoxville college got approval this month to add two associate’s degree programs and one certificate program in the health technology field. Fountainhead is now taking applications for the programs, which will start in May 2008.

The eight-month Medical Records and Coding Certificate will certify students to interpret and record data, file insurance claims, do medical billing and audit medical code, among other tasks. Credits earned may also be applied to one of two 16-month Associate of Occupational Science in Health Information Management degree programs. Fountainhead will offer two undergraduate Health Information Management degree programs: one with a concentration in Medical Coding, the other with a concentration in Health Information Technology.

“We found a need for a Health Information Management and Medical Coding Certificate when we looked at local and national job market needs in the health-care field, lack of training facilities in the North Knoxville area, and requests from Fountainhead students and graduates to diversify offerings,” said Fountainhead President Richard Rackley.

“Our management team conducted extensive research, collecting national statistics from the Department of Labor, the American Health Information Management Association and the National Center for Education Statistics. Local information was obtained from the Tennessee Department of Labor, job searches in local media and Internet postings. We also reviewed similar offerings at other area schools.” The college began looking at offering a health-related degree program early last year and got approval from the state in June, Rackley said. This month, the college received approval by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Technology to go forward.

In its “Hot Jobs to 2014” publication, the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development says job prospects in the field should be good. “Employment of medical records and health information technicians is expected to grow much faster than average for all occupations through 2014 because of rapid growth in the number of medical tests, treatments and procedures that will be increasingly scrutinized by health insurance companies, regulators, courts and consumers,” the department says on its Web site. “Also, technicians will be needed to enter patient information into computer databases to comply with Federal legislation mandating the use of electronic patient records.”

That legislation is anticipated to take effect in 2014. The department says that changing government regulations and the growth of managed care have increased the amount of paperwork involved in filing insurance claims, and “technicians with a strong background in medical coding will be in particularly high demand.” The majority of new jobs will be in physician offices (especially large group practices), with growth also expected in hospitals, home health care services, outpatient care centers and nursing homes and other residential-care facilities. “Health-care facilities are having difficulty attracting qualified workers, primarily because of the lack of both formal training programs and sufficient resources to provide on-the-job training for coders,” “Hot Jobs to 2014” notes. Rackley said the health information technology programs are a good fit for Fountainhead, which also offers associate’s degree programs in electronic technology and information technology.

In 2003, the college pioneered a bachelor’s degree program in Network Security and Forensics for this area. “We’re excited to be able to offer new career opportunities for our students, as well as to help staff a growing job market with qualified employees,” Rackley said. All graduates receive help with job placement. Initially, afternoon classes will be offered; night classes will be added as demand increases, Rackley said. Located in Fountain City, Fountainhead College was founded in 1947 and was formerly called “Tennessee Institute of Electronics.” It is one of two Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education, designated by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency, in Tennessee; the other is in Memphis. It is approved by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.

About Fountainhead College of Technology's (FCT) Center for Information Assurance & Cybersecurity Training (IACT)

Fountainhead College of Technology, formerly Tennessee Institute of Electronics, was founded in 1947 and is committed to using it resources to significantly contribute to efforts to secure the nation's critical infrastructure. In 1999 the college began offering an associate's degree in Information Technology with curriculum developed to include information security training. In 2002 the college began development of a baccalaureate degree in Network Security and Forensics; and in 2003 Fountainhead College of Technology became the first college in the southeast to offer a computer security focused baccalaureate degree. The mission of the IACT center is to develop and maintain a strong information assurance curriculum that adheres to national standards, and to also address the cybersecurity needs of the community by offering training and support for Fountainhead College of Technology students, staff, and faculty; local law enforcement; government agencies; and information technology professionals.

For more information, please visit the official IACT website at: http://www.iawire.org, or contact Casey Rackley, Program Coordinator at casey.rackley [at] fountainheadcollege [dot] edu.