PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Health Care Revenue Cycle and Data Analytics (HCRCDA) certificate program will enhance students’ understanding of medical coded data and its impact on health care revenue integrity, health care data analytics, and health care research. Students can apply this knowledge to effectively analyze and evaluate available medical coded data in an actual practice setting. All required courses are offered online.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
3.0 GPA or higher
A minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for the last degree earned.
Applicants must meet one of the two requirements:
- Eligible for admission to the Graduate School at Ohio State University as evidenced by:
- A baccalaureate or professional degree (or equivalent foreign credential) from an accredited higher education institution earned by the expected entry date into the certificate program.
- Submission of TOEFL or IELTS scores for international applicants and those who have held the status of U.S. permanent resident for less than one year from the first day of the first term of enrollment and are not currently an Ohio State graduate student.
- Currently enrolled as a degree-seeking student in a graduate program at The Ohio State University.
Additional Requirement:
Applicants must have prior education in a health care field or experience working in health care.
Online Application
Applicants currently enrolled as a degree-seeking student in a graduate program at The Ohio State University must complete a Graduate Intra-University Transfer application. All other applicants must complete a graduate application. Applicants are required to submit all required supplemental documents. Application instructions can be found here.
THE HCRCDA PROGRAM BEST SUITS
- Medical and health care managers, including medical group practice managers and reimbursement managers.
- Health care providers interested in learning more about clinical documentation and coded information and their relationship to revenue, research, and compliance.
- Information technology or quality staff in health care settings.
- Graduate students in health and rehabilitation sciences, engineering, business, computer science, or nursing.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
- Health Care Data Analyst
- Health Care Application Coordinator
- Health Care Administration
- Medical Officer Manager
- Health Care Quality Manager
- Health Care Research Specialist
- Graduate school opportunities (Clinical and research)
- Job promotion/transition opportunities
APPLICATION DEADLINES
Applications are accepted for the autumn semester each year. The application deadline for Autumn 2025 is May 1, 2025, for domestic students and April 1, 2025, for international students. The program will begin August 26, 2025.
CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS
To obtain the certificate, a student must successfully complete four required courses (12 credit hours) with a minimum C- grade required for each course. Students must also maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA in the graduate certificate program. Due to the nature of the program, transfer or EM credit cannot meet any certificate course requirements. Additionally, fifty percent of the certificate coursework must be distinct from current graduate degree coursework. Undergraduate sections of the required coursework cannot be applied to the graduate certificate.
Before enrolling in the last required course, an Application for Certificate Completion must be submitted via GradForms to formally receive the certificate at the end of the semester of course completion. Students who complete the graduate certificate program are not eligible to participate in graduation ceremonies, except if they also graduate from a degree-seeking program the same semester. All certificate students will e mailed a completion document in the form of a certificate after the semester of completion.
CERTIFICATE COURSEWORK
The program can be completed part-time in as little as two semesters. HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT & SYSTEMS 5610 and HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT & SYSTEMS 5551 are prerequisites to HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT & SYSTEMS 5661. HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT & SYSTEMS 5700 should be taken after the completion of the other three courses. Course offerings are subject to change.
HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT & SYSTEMS 5610 Medical Coding for Clinical Practice (3 credits)
An introduction to the concepts, principles, and applications of various health information coding classification systems used in various health care settings. There is a strong emphasis on using and understanding the International Classification of Diseases – 10th edition – Clinical Modification and Procedure Coding System, computerized encoding systems for ICD-10-CM/PCS and HCPCS. Students will understand the importance of data quality to ensure efficiency and accuracy.
Offered: Autumn, First Session
HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT & SYSTEMS 5551 Health Care Reimbursement for Practitioners (3 credits)
This course will introduce the health care practitioner to healthcare reimbursement and introduce medical billing and an overview of a variety of payment systems. The course will discuss prevalent retrospective and prospective models for reimbursement used in today’s health care environment. It will examine the current alternative payment models utilized by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) and commercial payers and provide an overview of CMS oversight of claims payment and the role auditing plays in practice or facility revenue cycle.
Offered: Autumn, Second Session
HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT & SYSTEMS 5661 Applied Health Care Analytics (3 credits)
The course will discuss how analytics are used in operational performance improvement, quality improvement, productivity assessment, value-based care initiatives, and health care research. It requires using commonly used statistical methods, including descriptive and inferential statistics, and creating charts and graphs. The data sets utilized in this course include ICD-10-CM/PCS and CPT code sets. This course facilitates the use of data to inform clinical practice, and the work in this class builds toward undertaking an individual project.
Offered: Spring, First Session
HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT & SYSTEMS 5700 Project in Health Information Management and Systems (3 credits)
Students apply theoretical knowledge acquired from the certificate program to a project that closely resembles what would be done in a realistic work environment.
Offered: Spring, Second Session
The graduate program curriculum provides a foundation of education on medical coding and healthcare data analytics. Courses in the certificate program equip students with theoretical and practical knowledge, enabling them to analyze and evaluate available medical-coded data effectively in an actual practice setting. This program can be completed within two semesters with continuous enrollment or longer at a desired pace.
International applicants should be aware that countries may or may not regulate distance education provided to students in their jurisdiction or require foreign higher education institutions to comply with distance education regulations. At this time, The Ohio State University cannot guarantee that an academic program meets curriculum requirements in your country.
Ohio State academic programs are designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure and certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure and certification and state licensing board contact for online programs and for on-campus programs.
Questions?
Contact the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at 614-292-1706 or HRSGraduateStudentServices@osumc.edu
Degree requirements and course offerings are subject to changes.
Last updated on: July 2024