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Appl Clin Inform 2024; 15(04): 778-784
DOI: 10.1055/a-2368-3514
Special Topic on Teaching and Training Future Health Informaticians

Characteristics of U.S. Baccalaureate Health Informatics Programs

Authors

  • Katie A. McCarthy 

    1   Sullivan School of Business and Technology, Carroll University, Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States

  • Christina Eldredge 

    2   School of Information, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States

  • Fatima Mercado

    1   Sullivan School of Business and Technology, Carroll University, Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States

  • Anya Wong

    3   College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States

  • Rohan Gajjar

    4   School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States
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Abstract

Background Health informatics (HI) is a growing field of study, yet sparse data are available on the characteristics of undergraduate HI programs in the United States. The lack of a central location for U.S. HI undergraduate program data has led to a gap in information to support current efforts to promote academic standards in the field and attract potential students.

Objectives The objective of this study was to perform an environment scan of colleges and universities within the United States and Puerto Rico to identify undergraduate programs in HI including majors, minors, and undergraduate-level certificates.

Methods Potential institutions offering HI programs were identified from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the Commission for Accreditation of Health Informatics and Health Information Management Education (CAHIIM), the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA), the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), and the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Publicly available materials for these institutions were reviewed, and data were captured for identified HI programs including geographic location; college or school in which the program was offered; type of degree (if applicable); program title; total credits to complete the program; delivery format; and source of data.

Results A total of 83 HI programs were identified from 60 institutions and 26 states. The primary finding of this environment scan was that inconsistencies exist among U.S. HI undergraduate programs including variations in offering college/school, title of program, number of credits required, delivery formats, CIP codes, and the type of information published on university/college websites.

Conclusion This environment scan was a first step in exploring the characteristics of undergraduate HI programs within the United States. Further research is needed on the curricular similarities and differences among the programs, the administrative methods of these interdisciplinary programs, and the information most needed by current and potential undergraduate students.


Keywords

clinical informatics - workforce - accreditation - process improvement

Background and Significance

To date, sparse data are available on the characteristics of undergraduate health informatics (HI) educational programs in the United States. Given the field's multidisciplinary nature, the existing academic programs vary in their degree title, college and department location within an academic institution, and their degree requirements. These inconsistencies and the lack of a central location for HI program data in the United States have led to a gap in information to support current efforts to promote academic standards in the field.

As early as 1994, the literature describes examples of proposed HI curriculum tracks within degrees for baccalaureate-level education.[1] Nursing programs have integrated several HI competencies within their undergraduate curriculums to prepare their students for their future career paths, which may include graduate degrees in nursing informatics.[2] [3] Furthermore, programs in health care administration, health care management, computer science, public health, and information science have HI tracks within degree majors.

Over the past decade, significant work has been done by professional organizations in HI to create standards for HI education. This work began in 2015 with the development of the HI graduate-level foundational domains and the corresponding accreditation standards at this level, which was a collaborative project between the Commission for Accreditation of Health Informatics and Health Information Management Education (CAHIIM) and the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA).[4] [5] More recently, the gap in standards for undergraduate education was addressed as the AMIA Academic Forum Baccalaureate Educator Community (BEC) published “The foundational domains and competencies for baccalaureate health informatics education” in 2023.[6] Also in 2023, the CAHIIM released accreditation standards and an application process for undergraduate HI programs.[7]

However, there is a gap in data necessary to examine the overall number and variation in HI program settings, focus areas, and major requirements. Berner et al list approximately 19 programs in their textbook on education in HI.[8] However, no comprehensive list of current programs and their characteristics is available. This is likely due to the challenges of compiling such a list, which includes the interdisciplinary nature of the field where HI programs may exist within multiple majors and/or colleges within universities.

Therefore, this study team, in partnership with the AMIA Academic Forum BEC, began an environment scan to assess the current state of baccalaureate-level HI programs in the United States. Environmental scans are used in business settings to determine current factors affecting an organization's mission by using a systematic process of analyzing available data.[9] In addition, environment scans have been performed to assess programs and curricula in Canadian military colleges, medical education, and interprofessional education.[10] [11] [12]


Objectives

The aim of this study is to perform an environment scan of colleges and universities within the United States and Puerto Rico to identify specifically undergraduate programs in HI including majors, minors, and undergraduate-level certificates. Although associate- and master's-level programs are available, this study focused on those within undergraduate baccalaureate-level degree programs that may pursue CAHIIM accreditation for HI. In addition, the scan methodology was designed to mirror the investigation a potential student may complete when searching for an undergraduate HI program.


Methods

To begin the environmental scan, the study team reviewed data from five sources: the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), CAHIIM, the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA), the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), and the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

NCES conducts annual surveys to gather information from every college, university, and technical and vocational institution in the United States.[13] This collection of surveys, known as the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), uses Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes to track and report fields of study within higher education.[14] We identified three CIP codes related to informatics: 11.0104 (Informatics), 11.0401 (Information Science/Studies), and 51.2706 (Medical Informatics).[15] Using these CIP codes, a list of institutions to be included in the environment scan was generated from the 2021 survey data (which was the latest survey data available at the time of this study).

In addition to IPEDS data, the study team reviewed data from accreditation organizations. Although no list of baccalaureate-level accredited HI programs existed at the time of this environment scan, two organizations accredited programs that could be related to HI. CAHIIM maintains a list of accredited baccalaureate-level health information management programs, and AUPHA maintains a list for health care administration programs.[16] [17] Therefore, lists of these accredited programs were identified as second and third sources for identification of institutions to include in the environmental scan.

Finally, for the fourth and fifth sources, the team reviewed informatics-related institutions listed on the HIMSS and AHIMA Web sites.18,19

From these sources, the study team created a list of institutions with the potential to have baccalaureate-level HI programs. Using this list, publicly available resources such as websites and academic catalogs/bulletins were reviewed for each institution to determine undergraduate HI certificates, minors, and majors being offered. By focusing on these publicly available resources, the team mirrored the information that potential students would access prior to contacting institutions for additional information, visiting campus, etc.

To be included as a “health informatics program” for this undergraduate-level environment scan, the program needed to be an undergraduate major, minor, or certificate; have “informatics” in the title of the program, emphasis, track, or concentration; and have “health” or health-related term(s) (such as “clinical” and “nursing”) within the title of the program. For example, included programs would be “clinical informatics,” “nursing informatics,” “information systems with a health informatics concentration,” or “healthcare services and informatics administration.” Excluded programs would be “machine learning informatics,” “healthcare data analytics,” or “informatics.”

For each program identified, data were captured including geographic location (U.S. Census Region, U.S. Census Division, and state); college or school in which the program was offered; type of degree (if applicable); title of the program; total credits to complete the program; delivery format; and source of data (such as links to websites or academic catalogs).

Throughout the study, the team maintained a shared spreadsheet for data collected, as well as a data management plan to support the consistency of data collection. In addition, the team met regularly to discuss questions and concerns, and to update the data management plan with needed clarifications based on study team consensus. Once the data were collected, Microsoft Excel was used for data analysis.


Results

Lists of institutions to include within the environment scan were obtained from IPEDS, CAHIIM, and AUPHA in September 2023. Lists of institutions from HIMSS and AHIMA were obtained in May 2024. From these sources, 436 institutions were identified, representing 47 states, District of Columbia (DC), and Puerto Rico. No institutions were identified from Alaska, Rhode Island, or Wyoming. Data collection occurred from September 2023 through June 2024.

During the environment scan, 83 HI programs were identified from 60 institutions and 26 states (a complete list of these programs can be obtained by contacting the corresponding author). Of these, 50 (60%) were majors, 17 (20%) were minors, and 16 (19%) were certificates. Forty-two (51%) of these programs were in the South; 18 (22%) in the Northeast; 14 (17%) in the Midwest; and 9 (11%) in the West. New York and Florida had the largest number of programs (8), followed by Texas (7), Alabama (6), and Pennsylvania (6). See [Fig. 1] below for the distribution of programs nationally and [Supplementary Appendix A] (available in online version) for the number of programs by state.

Zoom
Fig. 1 Undergraduate health informatics programs in the United States.

Most programs were offered in colleges or schools related to medicine, health professions, or health science, as shown in [Table 1] below.

Table 1

Colleges/schools offering health informatics programs

Type of college/school

Examples

Number of programs

% of total

Medicine, health professions, health science

School of Health Professions; Department of Health Science; College of Nursing and Health Sciences

23

27.7

Computing or technology

School of Computing; School of Information and Computer Sciences; College of Science, Engineering and Technology

15

18.1

Informatics or information

College of Informatics; College of Information; Department of Biomedical Informatics

12

14.5

Business

College of Business and Information Systems; School of Leadership, Business, and Professional Studies; School of Business

7

8.4

Public health

School of Public Health; Department of Public Health

6

7.2

Arts and sciences

College of Arts and Sciences; Division of Arts, Sciences and Professional Studies

5

6.0

Natural or biological sciences

College of Applied and Natural Sciences; Biological Sciences

3

3.6

Unknown

Not provided

12

14.5

Total

83

The placement of these programs differed based on geographic location with technology-related colleges/schools being common in the Northeast; health sciences colleges/schools in the Midwest and South; and public health colleges/schools in the West.

The most common title for HI programs was health informatics (21 programs, 25%) followed by health informatics and information management (12 programs, 14%), and healthcare informatics (8 programs, 10%). A complete list of titles found in this study can be found in [Supplementary Appendix B] (available in online version).

CIP codes were found for only six programs (7%) including 51.0706 (Health Information/Medical Records Administration/Administrator), 51.2211 (Health Services Administration), 51.2706 (Medical Informatics), and 51.3899 (Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Other).

Majors

Of the 50 majors in HI, 31 unique titles were represented, and most majors (44 programs, 88%) were Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees. The most common major title was HI and information management (9 programs, 18%), followed by HI (7 programs, 14%). Titles for 20 majors (40%) were “informatics only” such as HI, health care informatics, biomedical informatics, or nursing informatics. Fourteen majors (28%) were combinations of HI and information management such as “health informatics and information management” or “health informatics and health information management.” Geographically, titles with HI and information management were most common in the South, Midwest, and West. Titles with informatics alone were most common in the Northeast.

From a credit perspective, majors required 67 to 128 semester credits to complete a degree, with 27 to 88 credits identified as major credits (23–73% of total credits).

Delivery formats for these majors varied with 12 programs offered in more than one delivery format. Most were offered on campus (23 programs), followed by online (18), and hybrid (9). Fourteen programs did not identify their delivery format.

Finally, CIP codes were publicly available for 5 (10%) of majors. Two of these programs used 51.2706 (Medical Informatics). The remaining programs used 51.2211 (Health Services Administration), 51.0706 (Health Information/Medical Records Administration/Administrator), and 51.3899 (Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Other).


Minors

Of the 17 minors in HI, “health informatics” or “healthcare informatics” were the most common titles (10 minors, 59%) across geographic regions. From a credit perspective, minors required 15 to 25 semester credits. Five minors had identified delivery formats (1 online, 4 on campus). No minors had publicly available CIP codes.


Certificates

Of the 16 certificates in HI, “health informatics,” “healthcare informatics,” and “health care informatics” were the most common titles (13 certificates, 81%) across geographic regions. From a credit perspective, certificates required 12 to 35 semester credits. Seven certificates had identified delivery formats (4 on campus only, 2 online only, and 1 offered hybrid and on campus). One certificate had a publicly available CIP code of 51.2706 (Medical Informatics).



Discussion

The primary finding of this environment scan is that inconsistency exists among undergraduate HI programs within the United States. Programs vary by offering college/school, title, number of credits required, delivery formats, CIP codes, and the type of information listed on their university or college website.

Based on this finding, only a few patterns could be identified among the programs. First, the interdisciplinary nature of HI is reflected in the types of colleges/schools offering these programs. Colleges/schools of health/medicine, computing/technology, and information/informatics were the top three types of colleges/schools to offer programs in HI. Second, most undergraduate HI majors are BS degrees, which may be explained by the fact that most of these majors are offered through health- or technology-related colleges/schools.

Finally, geographical location appears to have influenced the prevalence and titles of HI programs. For example, in the South, where most HI programs are located, programs are mostly offered by health-related colleges/schools, which may explain the use of titles that combine informatics and information management (such as HI and information management). In the Northeast, programs are mostly offered by technology-related colleges/schools, which may explain the use of titles that use informatics only (such as HI). These inconsistencies among undergraduate HI programs are significant and require further research and discussion.

While collecting data, the study team faced significant challenges in finding information about programs using publicly available websites and materials similar to what would be available to potential students. Every institution had a different approach for providing basic information such as programs offered, credits required, and delivery formats. These differing approaches, along with program title variation and location within the university (e.g., specific college), made it challenging to find information and compare programs and curricula. This finding is concerning, especially when considering potential students. Potential students are unlikely to have the same depth of understanding of higher education as the study team; therefore, they may be unaware HI programs exist nationally or within an institution. As the CAHIIM begins to accredit undergraduate HI programs, they may want to consider adding to the standards, which list the minimum basic information that must be posted on a program's Web site. Currently, accreditation requirements include posting the number of applicants and admissions per 12-month period; proportion of actual enrollees; time to completion; percent employed; and student satisfaction rate.[7] However, when attempting to search for and compare informatics programs, potential students may benefit from clear identification of the type of degree, degree title, college/school, and total credits required for degree and major.

Including the CIP code used for reporting may be helpful to researchers studying informatics programs. Based on this study, institutions are using a variety of CIP codes when reporting undergraduate HI programs. Although a CIP code exists for medical informatics (51.2706), programs may not be using this code, which hinders national data collection and reporting on an annual basis. To reduce this issue, the AMIA BEC should consider identifying a list of preferred informatics-related CIP codes. Next, regardless of accreditation status, institutions with HI programs should review the CIP codes used for their programs, and institutions developing programs should ensure appropriate CIP codes are assigned. Finally, programs should consider publishing the selected CIP code on publicly available websites and materials.

Limitations

Although the study team performed an extensive search, used five well-known sources, and used consistent methods and data management plan for this environmental scan, there are limitations to this study due to the scope of the project. First, institutions were identified from five sources (IPEDS, CAHIIM, AUPHA, HIMSS, and AHIMA), which may not have captured all institutions in the United States with HI programs. Programs within these institutions may have not been identified due to program title variation and using titles not meeting the inclusion criteria for this study. Second, if a program did not use one of the three identified CIP codes in the study inclusion criteria, this program may have not been captured in this scan.

Third, this scan was limited to publicly available information such as institution websites and academic catalogs/bulletins to mirror the access of potential undergraduate students. No additional data collection methods were used such as surveys or interviews, which may have limited the information (such as CIP codes) collected for this environment scan. In addition, publicly available information may not be the most current information (depending on the speed at which an institution or program updates websites, academic catalogs, etc.).

Fourth, the focus of this study was an initial environmental scan to identify undergraduate programs in HI and gather basic information such as geographic location; college or school in which the program was offered; type of degree (if applicable); program title; and total credits to complete the program. Additional data gathering for curricular differences, enrollment trends, categorization of specializations, etc. was outside of scope but should be strongly considered for future research studies.

Finally, manual data collection can be challenging and error-prone, which may have impacted some of the data collected and results for this environment scan. The team minimized this risk by having a detailed data management plan (which included a review process for collected data) and holding regular meetings to discuss questions and concerns, but errors could still exist with the dataset.


Future Research

This environment scan is a first step in exploring undergraduate HI programs within the United States. Further research is needed to determine the information most needed by potential undergraduate students interested in HI programs so that their needs are met by publicly available sources. In addition, research is needed to determine what information is correlated with increased student interest and program enrollment.

Furthermore, future research could include identifying the themes and specializations within undergraduate HI programs, as well as differentiating programs in HI, health information management, and health care administration in ways that are meaningful for potential undergraduate students in these areas.

From a curricular perspective, further research is needed to compare the curricula within HI programs to published competencies and accreditation standards. In addition, work is needed to investigate curricular differences among HI, health information management, and health care administration undergraduate programs to determine the level of overlap and distinction. From an administrative perspective, research is needed to understand how the interdisciplinary nature of HI impacts programs for resources, faculty appointments, research opportunities, etc. For example, are joint appointments for faculty and staff common in HI programs? Do interdisciplinary programs face different challenges for resources, organizational support, etc. when compared with programs supported by single departments? Finally, until a more robust data collection and reporting process is available, this environment scan needs to be repeated on a regular basis to maintain currency and should consider other data collection options (such as surveys).



Conclusion

A growing number of HI programs exist at the baccalaureate level of colleges and universities in the United States. However, there is variation in program characteristics such as titles, required major and total program credits, degree types, CIP codes, and sponsoring college/school. The inconsistency in CIP code use may affect reporting. Additionally, there is regional variation in the number of programs offered with more programs offered in the South and Northeast in comparison to the Midwest and West. Further, there is a lack of consistency in the type of information available to prospective students, which could potentially affect student enrollment.


Clinical Reference Statement

As the workforce in health informatics continues to be in high demand, there is an increasing need for quality undergraduate programs to support student career paths. Currently, there is a gap in data on the state of baccalaureate-level educational programs in health informatics in the United States. This research addresses this gap and supports future work on undergraduate-level health informatics standards to support workforce demands.


Multiple-Choice Questions

  1. What data sources were used to identify institutions for inclusion within this environment scan?

    • IPEDS (NCES)

    • CAHIIM

    • AUPHA

    • All of the above

    Correct Answer: The correct answer is option d. Currently, no single “source of truth” dataset exists for identifying undergraduate programs in health informatics. Therefore, the authors of this study identified a U.S. federal government dataset (IPEDS) and two accrediting organization datasets (from CAHIIM and AUPHA) to identify organizations that could have undergraduate health informatics programs based on their existing offerings. Two additional sources (HIMSS and AHIMA Web sites) were also used.

  2. In the United States, which U.S. Census region has the most undergraduate health informatics programs?

    • Northeast

    • Midwest

    • South

    • West

    Correct Answer: The correct answer is option c. Based on the findings of the environmental scan, the South U.S. Census region has the most undergraduate health informatics programs (certificates, minors, and majors). 42 (51%) of these programs were located in the South.

  3. What was the primary finding of this environment scan of undergraduate programs in health informatics?

    • Information about health informatics programs is easy to find using publicly available information.

    • Inconsistency exists among undergraduate health informatics programs within the United States.

    • Most undergraduate health informatics programs can be found using the 51.2706 (Medical Informatics) CIP code.

    • Undergraduate health informatics programs are offered only by technology-related colleges or schools.

    Correct Answer: The correct answer is option b. The primary finding of this environment scan for undergraduate programs in health informatics is that a great deal of inconsistency exists among undergraduate health informatics programs within the United States. Programs vary by offering college/school, title, number of credits required, delivery formats, and CIP codes.



Conflict of Interest

C.E. currently serves on the CAHIIM Board of Directors and the AMIA Academic Forum Executive Committee. K.A.M. serves on the AMIA Baccalaureate Educators Community (BEC).

Acknowledgments

We thank the AMIA Baccalaureate Educators Community (BEC) members for supporting this project.

Protection of Human and Animal Subjects

Data used in this study are publicly available data.


Supplementary Material


Address for correspondence

Katie A. McCarthy, PhD
Sullivan School of Business and Technology, Carroll University
100 N. East Avenue, Waukesha, WI 53186
United States   

Publication History

Received: 18 March 2024

Accepted: 16 July 2024

Accepted Manuscript online:
17 July 2024

Article published online:
02 October 2024

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Fig. 1 Undergraduate health informatics programs in the United States.