Health Informatics
About the Program
Back to Health Informatics
The School of Informatics at the IUPUI campus began offering the MS in Health Informatics in the Fall 2003 followed by the PhD in Informatics in the Fall of 2005. There has been considerable interest and enthusiasm for health care information technology to improve the quality, safety and cost-efficiency of modern day healthcare. This enthusiasm is driven by the recognition of the value that the electronic health/medical record (EHR/EMR) and health information exchange (HIE) across traditional business boundaries can potentially provide (Walker et al, Health Affairs, 2005). This program prepares the students to play key roles in the areas of computerized patient records, cost reimbursement, clinical decision support systems and integrated health information systems. IUPUI has joined the recently formed Academic Forum to promote Health/Medical Informatics as a discipline. This forum is facilitated by the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) and consists of a number of universities that offer MS and PhD degrees in Health/Medical Informatics.
- Teaching: Health Informatics (HI) uses information technology along with information management concepts and methods in the delivery of healthcare. The students entering this program have backgrounds in computer science, nursing, healthcare management, medicine, public health and health information administration.
- Research: The Health Informatics program has close ties and joint projects with the VA Medical Center, Regenstrief Institute, Clarian Hospital, Methodist Hospital and the School of Medicine. Current areas of research include electronic medical records, health data exchange, standards and terminology for health data, clinical decision support, consumer health informatics, technology to enhance patient safety, telehealth application development and implementation, cost reimbursement and integrated health information systems.
