About PHIT4DC
Public Health Informatics and Technology courses are foundational and highly experiential, providing students with specialized within-degree training, certification training, or short-term fellowship training in public health informatics and technology.
What do the various courses under PHIT cover?
OHIT partnered with Howard University to extend the course and its offerings, at no cost (currently), to USVI residents. The course covers:
- Core historical and current legislative aspects of both public health and health information technology
- Current and relevant knowledge into public health informatics
- Introductory aspects of clinical informatics, including electronic medical and health record systems (Drawing both from adapted curricular elements from the Office of the National Coordinators national curriculum)
- Newer topics relevant to interoperability and population health management coding and payment
Who is it for?
The course’s content targets relevant future health professional groups by providing them with skills in population health management.
Methodology
Hands-on labs using:
- eClinicalWorks: the predominant electronic health records system used in primary care in Washington DC- combined with access to a demonstration environment for the state designated health information exchange system
- CRISP Shared Services (CSS): Students will practice cross-referencing CSS as a public data utility using created patient profiles in the EHR. CRISP DC is the designated health information exchange (HIE) serving the District of Columbia. The CRISP DC HIE is a way of instantly sharing health and social determinants information among multiple healthcare entities and across varied and disparate digital record systems.
Professional skills and identity formation as PHIT professionals will also be embedded in the course with topics in project management, communication, and cultural competency. The course will also include real-time group projects that will provide hands-on application of the knowledge and skills taught throughout this course.
Lastly, students will participate in an accelerated two-week Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) CAHIMS training boot camp, which will provide them with the opportunity to receive the certification.
PHIT Courses being Offered Spring 2025
VADSTI - Virtual Applied Data Science Training Institute
The Howard University Research Centers in Minority Institutions and the Public Health Informatics Technology for District of Columbia (PHIT4DC) program is pleased to announce VADSTI 4.0, Spring 2025 Training Series to the Howard University community of researchers and district residents. The goal is to enhance data science capability and application by providing training in the foundations of programming and critical data analytic skills for planning and conducting research involving big data pertinent to biomedical and minority health and health disparities research. This Spring Training Series is project-based and will cover topics including AI and ML, Data Exploration and Visualization, Natural Language Processing, and Large Language Models among others.
Introduction to Revenue Cycle Management
This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of Revenue Cycle Management (RCM), providing students with a clear understanding of how the revenue cycle operates within clinical practice. Students will learn the key stages of the revenue cycle process—from patient registration to final payment—and explore best practices for ensuring timely reimbursement, maintaining the financial health of healthcare organizations, and adhering to regulatory requirements.
Through this 15-week virtual course, participants will gain valuable insights into the role of RCM in healthcare operations and its impact on both clinical and financial outcomes. The course is designed for those interested in pursuing or advancing careers in healthcare administration, billing, and finance.
By the end of the course, students will be equipped with practical knowledge and skills to support the financial integrity and compliance of healthcare organizations.
PHIT4DC Experiential Course
The Public Health Informatics and Technology for DC (PHIT4DC) course is a foundational and highly experiential course that provides students with specialized within-degree training, certification training, or short-term fellowship training in public health informatics and technology. It covers both core historical and current legislative aspects of both public health and health information technology. The course also provides new knowledge into public health informatics as well as introductory aspects of clinical informatics drawing both from adapted curricular elements from the Office of the National Coordinators national curriculum as well as newer topics relevant to interoperability and population health management.
The course’s content targets relevant future health professional groups by providing them with skills in population health management. This will be done by providing hands-on labs using:
1. eClinicalWorks: the predominant electronic health records system used in primary care in Washington DC- combined with access to a demonstration environment for the state designated health information exchange system
2. CRISP: Students will practice cross-referencing CRISP as a public data utility created patient profiles in the EHR. CRISP DC is the designated health information exchange (HIE) serving the District of Columbia. The CRISP DC HIE is a way of instantly sharing health and social determinants information among multiple healthcare entities.
Professional skills and identity formation as PHIT professionals will also be embedded in the course with topics in project management, communication, and cultural competency. The course will also include real-time group projects that will provide hands-on application of the knowledge and skills taught throughout this course.
