Health Unit Coordinator

1. Define and recognize business etiquette and professionalism in the workplace and exhibit these skills in class interactions and communications such as e-mail and the discussion board.
2. Show basic keyboarding competency.
3. Utilize software applications necessary for business office operations including file management, e-mail, calendaring, search engines, word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software.
4. Use medical practice management software (scheduling, billing, and insurance) to enter front office, clinical care, and coding information, as well as claim forms, financial policies, and collections.
5. Define legal and ethical standards and principles of patient confidentiality within the healthcare community and as defined by federal, state, and local guidelines and regulations and recognize what the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is and the consequences for non-compliance with the law.
6. Understand the history and standards of electronic health records and utilize electronic health records software.
7. Identify and define prefixes, roots, and suffixes to develop a vocabulary of medical terms and abbreviations. Identify major body structure and functions that reinforces knowledge of basic anatomy and physiology.
   
   

The Health Unit Coordinator (HUC) is responsible for coordinating non-clinical operations and facilitates communication between staff, patients, families and care providers, and between the unit and other departments.

Potential locations for employment include hospitals, nursing homes, medical clinics, insurance companies, private physician practices, public health clinics, rehab centers, and more. The HUC role involves a wide range of responsibilities that vary based on the medical setting.

A HUC must possess professionalism in both appearance and interaction with others as well as provide exceptional customer service to patients and visitors. They must demonstrate the ability to work quickly in a fast-paced patient care setting and work accurately and efficiently with attention to details while maintaining patient confidentiality. HUCs must be able to utilize computer software including Electronic Health Records software, possess knowledge of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) rules and patient confidentiality requirements, and knowledge of medical terminology as used in health information. They must also demonstrate excellent organizational and communication skills with ability to focus on keeping effective work flow. Possessing strong interpersonal skills and attributes of a team player are a must for a Health Unit Coordinator position.

Wage information is available from the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Program Sequence 

Some courses in this program may require a prerequisite. Please see course descriptions for more details.

Students can choose to complete the Health Unit Coordinator (HUC) program part-time. Part-time students will take longer to complete their program than students who follow the full-time sequence. Because every course may not be offered each semester, it is important for part-time students to reach out to their faculty advisor for help in planning their long-term, part-time course sequence.

Below, new students can find the first semester part-time course options. After the first semester, work with your faculty advisor to plan future semesters. 

First Semester Course Options

ADSC 1003, COMM 1055, COMP 1002,

View Course Schedule

Options differ depending on whether you plan to start in the fall or spring semester.

Students must earn a cumulative 2.0 GPA or higher to be eligible for graduation from this program.

Medical Office Specialist
AAS degree

Medical Coding Specialist
diploma

Medical Receptionist
diploma