COLUMBIA STATE'S NON-CREDIT MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION PROGRAM APPROVED BY THE ASSOCIATION FOR HEALTHCARE DOCUMENTATION INTEGRITY
Program to Use Curriculum Designed by Oak Horizons, Inc.

Columbia State Community College's Non-Credit Medical Transcription Program has been approved by the Approval Committee for Certificate Programs (ACCP), a joint committee established by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI), to approve medical transcription education certificate programs.

The ACCP approval committee is the process used by the AHDI to identify quality medical transcription education programs that have been evaluated by a peer review process against a minimum set of standards for entry-level medical transcription certificate programs.

"We are very pleased about ADHI's approval of our online non-credit Medical Transcription Program," said Ronald Beck, director of economic and work force development at Columbia State. "This approval confirms that our program meets established medical transcription educational standards."

The Non-Credit Medical Transcription program is a 905-hour intense comprehensive program that prepares individuals to be employable and achieve their financial goals. The program follows a curriculum that was developed by Oak Horizons, Inc., an industry leader in medical transcription training, education, and curriculum development.

According to statistics presented in the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-2009 edition, which is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for medical transcriptionists is projected to increase by 14 percent between 2006 and 2014-a rate that is considered to be faster than average for all occupations.

Approval of the program assures healthcare providers that graduates of the Medical Transcription Program at Columbia State have acquired the necessary job skills to be successful in an entry-level medical transcription position.

During the program, students gain knowledge of medical terminology and English grammar skills and medical knowledge base including anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, laboratory medicine, medical specialties and procedures, and medico legal requirements needed to ensure the privacy of patients' healthcare records.

Columbia State's Non-Credit Medical Transcription Program, which is an online course, began on Monday, September 14.

AHDI exists to set and uphold standards for education and practice in the field of medical transcription that ensure the highest level of accuracy, privacy, and security of healthcare documentation for the U.S. healthcare system in order to protect public health, increase patient safety, and improve quality of care for healthcare consumers.

For more information about the Non-Credit Medical Transcription program at Columbia State Community College contact the Center for Economic and Community Development at (931) 540-2659 or visit http://www.columbiastate.edu/Continuing-Education.
Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the sixth largest higher education system in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.