What Does it Take to Be a Medical Records or Health Information Technician?
Career Description Compile, process, and maintain medical records of hospital and clinic patients in a manner consistent with medical, administrative, ethical, legal, and regulatory requirements of the health care system. Process, maintain, compile, and report patient information for health requirements and standards in a manner consistent with the healthcare industry’s numerical coding system.
Life As a Medical Records or Health Information Tech: What Do They Do?
- Compile and maintain patients’ medical records to document condition and treatment and to provide data for research or cost control and care improvement efforts.
- Train medical records staff.
- Process and prepare business or government forms.
- Retrieve patient medical records for physicians, technicians, or other medical personnel.
- Protect the security of medical records to ensure that confidentiality is maintained.
- Assign the patient to diagnosis-related groups (DRGs), using appropriate computer software.
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Skills Needed to be a Medical Records or Health Information Tech
Medical Records and Health Information Technicians state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Related Job Titles
- Severity of Illness Coordinator
- Medical Record Specialist
- Medical Records Supervisor
- Medical Scribe
- Medical Records Clerk
Is There Going to be Demand for Medical Records and Health Information Technicians?
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 206,300 jobs in the United States for Medical Records or Health Information Technician. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 13.5% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 27,800 new jobs for Medical Records or Health Information Technician by 2026. There will be an estimated 15,800 positions for Medical Records or Health Information Tech per year.
The states with the most job growth for Medical Records or Health Information Tech are Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. Watch out if you plan on working in Rhode Island, Illinois, or Mississippi. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Medical Records or Health Information Tech Salary
The typical yearly salary for Medical Records and Health Information Technicians is somewhere between $26,550 and $66,260.
Medical Records and Health Information Technicians who work in New Jersey, District of Columbia, or Connecticut, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Medical Records and Health Information Technicians in different U.S. states.
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $36,470 |
| Alaska | $50,250 |
| Arizona | $40,800 |
| Arkansas | $34,610 |
| California | $51,880 |
| Colorado | $49,340 |
| Connecticut | $51,400 |
| Delaware | $45,390 |
| District of Columbia | $53,430 |
| Florida | $41,340 |
| Georgia | $39,080 |
| Hawaii | $50,940 |
| Idaho | $39,400 |
| Illinois | $45,800 |
| Indiana | $42,350 |
| Iowa | $41,190 |
| Kansas | $39,070 |
| Kentucky | $38,130 |
| Louisiana | $37,430 |
| Maine | $39,030 |
| Maryland | $50,460 |
| Massachusetts | $50,740 |
| Michigan | $41,100 |
| Minnesota | $50,060 |
| Mississippi | $35,300 |
| Missouri | $42,460 |
| Montana | $39,500 |
| Nebraska | $40,430 |
| Nevada | $43,100 |
| New Hampshire | $43,120 |
| New Jersey | $54,020 |
| New Mexico | $38,520 |
| New York | $47,420 |
| North Carolina | $39,740 |
| North Dakota | $43,380 |
| Ohio | $43,980 |
| Oklahoma | $38,140 |
| Oregon | $48,390 |
| Pennsylvania | $41,320 |
| Rhode Island | $47,990 |
| South Carolina | $41,040 |
| South Dakota | $40,170 |
| Tennessee | $43,050 |
| Texas | $41,950 |
| Utah | $42,150 |
| Vermont | $42,480 |
| Virginia | $43,590 |
| Washington | $46,160 |
| West Virginia | $39,430 |
| Wisconsin | $41,810 |
| Wyoming | $42,090 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Medical Records and Health Information Technicians
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Medical Records and Health Information Technicians may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Web browser software
- Microsoft Access
- Data entry software
- Email software
- Word processing software
- Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Project
- Microsoft Visio
- Structured query language SQL
- Microsoft Dynamics
- SAS
- Microsoft Visual Basic
- IBM SPSS Statistics
- Microsoft SQL Server
- R
Becoming a Medical Records or Health Information Tech
What education is needed to be a Medical Records or Health Information Technician?
How many years of work experience do I need?
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References:
Image Credit: Staff Sgt. Jerilyn Quintanilla via Public domain
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