Turner appointed SWGTC program head [Thomasville Times-Enterprise, Ga.]

Nov. 25--THOMASVILLE -- Southwest Georgia Technical College (SWGTC) recently named Frances Turner as the primary instructor for its new Health Information Technology (HIT) Program. Turner has much experience, not only in Health Information Management, but also as an instructor at SWGTC, where she has taught various classes over the past 19 years.

"The HIT program offered locally at the Southwest Georgia Technical College will benefit our community by offering opportunities for new careers to our residents. The HIT program will especially benefit the health care community in that these graduates will be familiar with emerging technologies, health care regulations and continuing change in the healthcare environment," stated Turner.

Turner joins the college with more than 40 years of experience working in Health Information Management. She has worked at John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital since 1971 and was named the director of the Health Information Management/Quality Assurance Department in 1991. She has served on the Georgia Health Information Management Executive Board as well as on the South Georgia Health Information Management Board of Directors. Her credentials include Registered Health Information Administration(RHIA), Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR), Certified Coding Specialist (CCS), and Certified Professional Health Quality (CPHQ) just to name a few.

"I am extremely pleased to have Ms. Turner as the primary instructor for our new Health Information Technology (HIT) program. She has served as an adjunct instructor at SWGTC since 1992, continually demonstrating an unwavering commitment to the College and to student success. Our students are very fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from someone with such a wealth of HIT experience and such enthusiasm for the HIT career track," commented Carla Barrow, dean of Academic Affairs.

The Health Information Technology (HIT) program is a sequence of courses designed to provide students with the technical knowledge and skills necessary to process, maintain, analyze, and report health information data according to legal accreditation, licensure, and certification standards for reimbursement, facility planning, marketing, risk management, utilization management, quality assessment, and research. Program graduates will develop leadership skills necessary to serve in a functional supervisory role in various components of the health information system. This program is perfect for people who want to contribute to quality patient care from "behind the scenes". These

individuals who specialize in this area will also enjoy working with healthcare professionals and computer technology. This program can be completed in five semesters and graduates will be awarded with an Associate of Applied Science degree.

The U.S. Department of Labor projects 20 percent growth for medical records and health information technicians between 2008 and 2018. This growth can be attributed to the many technological advances being made in health care. Most healthcare providers are in the process of transitioning medical records from paper to electronic, which leads to the imminent need for trained health information technologists in the medical field.

Health information technicians work at a number of healthcare providers such as physicians' offices, nursing care facilities, outpatient care centers, and home healthcare services. Technicians also may be employed outside of healthcare facilities, such as in federal government agencies. In addition to job growth, numerous openings will result from the need to replace medical record and health information technicians who retire or leave the occupation permanently.

For more information on the Health Information Technology program please contact Glenda Hatcher at (229) 225-5081.

Spring semester 2012 starts Jan. 4, 2012.

Southwest Georgia Technical College is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia.

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