Beal College’s Health Information Technology Program Welcomes a New Director

Beal College’s Newest Program Director Connie Elliott

Beal College is please to welcome its newest faculty member, Connie Elliott, RHIA, CHP. Connie is the new Program Director for Health Information Technology (HIT). Connie has an extensive background in the Health Information Management community on both the state and national level. Connie is the President of Maine Health Information Management Association (MeHIMA); her term began July 1st of this year. She is also the Director of Medical Records at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

“It is truly fitting to have her join the team here more officially, since she’s been an integral part of our HIT program from the beginning,” said Stephanie Parlee, Beal College’s Director of Education. As one of the original board members of the HIT program at Beal College, Connie’s guidance and expertise was vital in writing the curriculum. Connie’s next plan of action is to work on formalizing the accreditation process through the Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).

Health Information Technicians provide vital information to physicians and other allied health practitioners in an effort to improve medical care and control healthcare costs. Health information professionals are responsible for ensuring the quality of health records and healthcare data by verifying completeness, accuracy, and proper entry into computer systems. They also provide clinical information for research as a basis for planning and continuity of care and they utilize skills reliant upon knowledge of anatomy, physiology, disease processes and computer applications. Health information professionals work in hospitals, physician offices, skilled nursing facilities, clinics, mental health facilities and health insurance agencies.

According to the Department of Labor, 2008-2009 edition of the Occupational Outlook Handbook, “employment of medical records and health information technicians is expected to increase by 18 percent through 2016—faster than the average for all occupations—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.”

For more information about Beal College’s Health Information Technology program visit bealcollege.edu or call 800.660.7351 or 207.947.4591.