Metropolitan Community College s4

Metropolitan Community College

Class Syllabus – Fall 2009/2010

CLASS IDENTIFICATION

TITLE: Introduction to Insurance
PREFIX/SECTION:HIMS 1410-WW
CREDIT HOURS: 3.0 quarter hours
CLASS BEGINS/ENDS:08-29-2009 to 11-16-2009
WITHDRAWAL DATE:10-31-2009
CLASS LOCATION: Online through ANGEL at http://angel.mccneb.edu
MEDICAL RESOURCE: www.onelook.com

CONTACT INFORMATION

INSTRUCTOR NAME: Mary M. Cantwell, RHIT, CPC, CPC-I, CPC-H, RMC
OFFICE LOCATION: Elkhorn Campus
OFFICE TELEPHONE: (402) 289-1360
TOLL-FREE NUMBER: 1-800-228-9553 (Use only during instructor's MCC office hours.
Identify yourself as an online student and give the operator your instructor's office number.)
FACSIMILE: (402) 289-1423
OFFICE HOURS: by appointment
EMAIL ADDRESS:
CELL PHONE: (402) 689-0146
EMAIL COURSE ADDRESS: Use the ANGEL internal course mail
FACULTY WEB SITE: http://ctva.mccneb.edu/jchess
ACADEMIC AREA: Information Technology and E-Learning
DEAN’S TELEPHONE: (402) 457-2660

COURSE INFORMATION

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course is an introduction to health insurance and reimbursement. The student is introduced to the health insurance field, managed health care, legal and regulatory issues, as well as reimbursement methodologies. The student learns why coding is imperative for proper reimbursement from insurance companies as well as why medical necessity is imperative for proper reimbursement. Various types of private and governmental health, disability, and liability insurance will be explored in detail while focusing on claim form instruction, billing and collection practices, and reimbursement guidelines, including the audit and appeals process. The student completes HCFA claim forms and applies basic Medicare and Medicaid rules, commercial insurance regulations, and regulations or workers’ compensation claims.

COURSE PREREQUISITES: HIMS 1120

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Introduce health information management concepts common to allied health

professionals.

2. Describe characteristics of health care delivery and settings in the United States.

3. Delineate career opportunities for health information management professionals.

4. Describe types of patient records, including documentation issues associated

with each.

5. Describe numbering and filing systems and record storage and circulation methods.

6. Explain indexes, registers, and health data collection.

7. Introduce legal aspects of health information management.

8. Provide an overview of coding and reimbursement issues.

9. Discuss communication, motivation, work design, and group thinking.

REQUIRED & SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS:

·  TITLE: Understanding Health Insurance: A Guide to Billing and Reimbursement
Workbook that accompanies textbook Ninth Edition, ISBN# 13-978-1-4180-6706-6

·  EDITION: Current

·  AUTHORS: Rowell and Green

·  PUBLISHER: Delmar Learning

·  Optional: Medical Dictionary (Tabor's, Stedman's, Dorland’s

·  Resource Website: www.onelook.com and http://ctva.mccneb.edu/jchess

·  verify the text title, edition, and other bookstore items at www.efollett.com/

COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS:
The computer you use for MCC online courses must be able to run one of the ANGEL-compatible web browsers listed on the Browser Support Page: http://www.mccneb.edu/online/browsers.asp.

SOFTWARE/FILE SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
Metropolitan Community College uses Microsoft products as part of its standard software and encourages students to do the same. You may save word-processed documents for file attachments in Microsoft Word .doc or .docx format. If your software does not allow either of these, then save files in Rich Text Format (.rtf).

CLASS STRUCTURE:
There are three things that you as a student must accept before enrolling in an online or hybrid course. If you dislike computer technology, you should not take an online course. You must be willing to learn the technology necessary to access online and web information, be willing to communicate with classmates and faculty online, and you have to be committed to doing assignments online. Because Metro's online courses use the ANGEL learning management system to deliver course content and learning activities and allow interaction between students and faculty, you will need to learn how to upload and download files, post to a discussion board, use the student drop box, and take online quizzes and timed tests. You will also have to be able to manage your time to produce assignments by the due date.

You will need to:

·  Check your course Website at least four times a week for announcements, course information, new discussion postings, and assignments.

·  Complete assignments on time and send them in at least 4 hours before the actual time due to allow your instructor adequate time to review your work and provide feedback.

·  Demonstrate effective time management skills. Set up a study schedule and stick with it to help you avoid falling behind in the class.

·  Contact your instructor by course email well in advance of due dates as you may need to wait 48 hours for a response to your questions.

For your online course you should follow the instructions below to be sure you do not miss any activities in the module. Go through the Table of Contents, and be sure to go through all six pages of Module 1. Be sure to watch the links at the top of each page in the module. It is important that you get the link to any supplemental materials. It is also important that you read the lecture page carefully. For each module you have the following assignments:

· 1. Reading assignment

· 2. Self-test

· 3. Lecture page

· 4. Mail question and Discussion question on Learning Activities page

· 5. Homework assignments on the Assignments link

· 6. The timed Chapter test on the Quizzes link (which is a final activity to test your mastery of the material)

The activities in this course are included to help you not only learn a new language—medical terminology—but also to retain that information. When you first log into the course, it is essential that you go to the START HERE materials for guidance in beginning this online course.

RESPONSE TIME:
Faculty will respond within 48 hours, Monday through Friday, to student emails concerning course content, learning activities, and private matters appropriate for discussion within the teacher-student relationship. Posting of feedback and grades for major assignments is addressed under Assessment of Student Work.

ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT WORK

TYPES OF ASSESSMENTS/ASSIGNMENTS:
Online courses meet the same criteria for academic rigor and qualified faculty. Online courses promote active independent learning. Online courses combine the best features of on-campus instruction with the best features of online learning to promote active independent learning. Students are required to participate in all online activities in a timely manner. This does not mean there is less work in an online course than a traditional on-campus course. It means the same amount of work but most of the work is produced and submitted online. Students assume most of the responsibility for their own learning.

Methods of Assessing Student Progress:

·  A module will be assigned each week, and each module contains Learning Objectives, Learning Materials, Learning Activities, Assessments, and Overview. Homework activities will be assigned each week. You will use your computer to participate in online learning activities, homework assignments, discussion, research projects, and assessments.

·  Each module will include a reading assignment as well as review of supplemental resources.

·  Each module contains at least one Discussion question. You earn up to 20 points per Discussion Question if your responses are thorough and comprehensive. Generally, you

must cite your resources in order to receive maximum points.

Criteria for Determining Final Course Grade:

The course consists of a total of 2,395 points. The scores can be viewed using the Report feature of ANGEL’S Gradebook. The final grade will be determined by a student’s performance in the following areas: Discussion, Homework Assignments, Chapter Assessments, Reports, and Pronunciations. All assignments are required throughout the course, though not all may be graded.

Drop Box 1500 points
Research Project 100 points
Discussion 200 points
Quizzes 595 points

Final 100 points

Assessment Procedures:

Students MUST complete all module activities within the due dates. Students must complete each timed test during the availability period. There will be no retakes of tests. Test dates are firm. Students must pay close attention to the availability periods for tests and assignments. If a student struggles with the timed tests, he/she may contact the instructor, and arrangements may be made to transfer to a traditional or hybrid section (if available).

Late Assignments:

Assignments must be submittedwhen due. Pay close attention to the deadlines listed on the course calendar. No late assignments are accepted.

Research Assignments:
Follow this criteria for all research assignments in this course:

ü Use a 12 Point font; Arial or Times New Roman, double space

ü Use APA format for citing references - You can use this link to help you with APA style: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

ü Respond to each point of the assignment

ü Use spell check and grammar check

ü Margins: Top/Bottom = 1 inch, and Right/Left = 1 inch

ü Information on correct bibliographical format can also be obtained from handouts available at Metro’s Writing Centers. This policy supports the importance Metropolitan Community College places on students giving credit to their sources and avoiding academic plagiarism. If the appropriate documentation of sources is incorrect or incomplete, no credit will be given for the sources. Instructors may use an instructional tool, turnitin.com, to verify a student’s sources and confirm that students are conveying the research material in their own words. If it is discovered by utilizing turnitin.com that a student’s research paper contains 25% or higher of directly quoted material, the student will not receive credit for that research project.

GRADING POLICY:
The instructor will make every effort to evaluate submitted assignments within a week. The timed chapter tests are graded immediately. Other assignment grades can be viewed through the REPORT tab; then select Grades; then press RUN. Final grades will be entered through Metro’s on-line grading system (WebAdvisor).

ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING PROGRAM:
Metropolitan Community College is committed to continuous improvement of teaching and learning. You may be asked to help us to accomplish this objective. For example, you may be asked to respond to surveys or questionnaires. In other cases, tests or assignments you are required to do for this course may be shared with faculty and used for assessment purposes.

USE OF STUDENT WORK:
By enrolling in classes offered by Metropolitan Community College, the student gives the College license to mark on, modify, and retain the work as may be required by the process of instruction, as described in the course syllabus. The institution shall not have the right to use the work in any other manner without the written consent of the student(s).

INSTRUCTOR’S EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS

ATTENDANCE/PARTICIPATION POLICY:

Attendance, active participation, and timely submission of assignments affect learning and grading in this course. To remain eligible for financial aid, students are responsible for meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress standards.

Students who attend no class meetings up to and including the Section Census Data published in the Class Schedule at www.mccneb.edu/schedule/ may be disenrolled from the class. There is no appeal for this disenrollment. A student who fails to meet class attendance expectations may receive a final grade mark of FX, indicating an absence-related failure, or a failing (F) grade.

STUDENT WITHDRAWAL:

If you cannot participate in and complete this course, you should officially withdraw by calling Central Registration at 402-457-5231 or 1-800-228.9553. Failure to officially withdraw will result in either an attendance-related failure (FX) or failing (F) grade. The last date to withdraw is noted in the CLASS IDENTIFICATION section of this syllabus.

COMMUNICATION EXPECTATIONS:
When you communicate with others in this course, you must follow the Student Code of Conduct (http://www.mccneb.edu/catalog/studentinformation.asp), which calls for responsible and cooperative behavior. Please think critically, ask questions, and challenge ideas, but also show respect for the opinions of others, respond to them politely, and maintain the confidentiality of thoughts expressed in the class. You may also wish to review information at http://www.albion.com/netiquette/.html.

ACADEMIC HONESTY STATEMENT:
Nationally there have been increased incidences of cheating and plagiarism among the college and university student population. Although any case of cheating is cause for concern, it is an especially egregious violation in the medical and healthcare training fields. Patients trust their healthcare team with the most personal medical concerns and expect healthcare team members (including health information management personnel) to be competent and skilled in their area of expertise. This cannot be achieved if cheating or plagiarism is taking place during the educational process. Cheating of any kind in this field is an ethical violation and cannot be tolerated. In the healthcare community there is no room for individuals who are willing to compromise ethics for expediency.

Students are reminded that materials they use as sources for classwork may be subject to copyright protection. Additional information about copyright is provided on the library website at http://www.mccneb.edu/library or by your instructor. In response to incidents of student dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism, etc.), the College imposes specific actions that may include receiving a failing grade on a test, failure in the course, suspension from the College, or dismissal from the College. Disciplinary procedures are available in the Advising/Counseling Centers or at http://www.mccneb.edu/procedures/V-4_Student_Conduct_and_Discipline.pdf.

PLAGIARISM:

In an instructional setting, plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its source. This definition applies to textual material published in print or online, to manuscripts, and to the work of other student writers. The purpose of the learning assignments in this course is to encourage students not simply to recycle information but to investigate and analyze its sources.

To promote ethical use of source materials and integrity in students’ written work, Metropolitan Community College subscribed to Turnitin.com, a service that provides document source analysis in order to detect plagiarism. Students enrolled in this course agree that all required work may be submitted by the Instructor to Turnitin.com. In an effort to assure that documents are written in an original “from scratch” format by the student, no more than 20% of a document may contain quoted material. If a student plagiarizes in excess of 20% of a document, that activity will receive a zero. A second submission in the course indicating plagiarism in excess of 20% will result in failure of the course.