health information technology job outlook

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Job Outlook for:

Medical Records and Health Information Technicians
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This Job Outlook and Career Forecast covers:

Health information technicians; Coders; Registrars, tumor; Tumor
registrars; Medical coders; Abstractors; Medical record coders;
Technicians and technologists

Highlights For Medical Records and Health Information Technicians

Employment is expected to grow faster than average.

Job prospects should be very good; technicians with a strong
 background in medical coding will be in particularly high demand.

Entrants usually have an associate degree.

This is one of the few health occupations in which there is little
 or no direct contact with patients.

Nature of the Work For Medical Records and Health Information
Technicians

Every time a patient receives health care, a record is maintained of
the observations, medical or surgical interventions, and treatment
outcomes.

This record includes information that the patient provides concerning
his or her symptoms and medical history, the results of examinations,
reports of x rays and laboratory tests, diagnoses, and treatment
plans. Medical records and health information technicians organize and
evaluate these records for completeness and accuracy.

Technicians assemble patients’ health information, making sure that
patients’ initial medical charts are complete, that all forms are
completed and properly identified and authenticated, and that all
necessary information is in the computer. They regularly communicate
with physicians and other health care professionals to clarify
diagnoses or to obtain additional information. Technicians regularly
use computer programs to tabulate and analyze data to improve patient
care, better control cost, provide documentation for use in legal
actions, or use in research studies.

Medical records and health information technicians’ duties vary with
the size of the facility where they work. In large to medium-size
facilities, technicians might specialize in one aspect of health
information or might supervise health information clerks and
transcriptionists while a medical records and health information
administrator manages the department. (See the statement on medical
and health services managers elsewhere in the Handbook.) In small
facilities, a credentialed medical records and health information
technician may have the opportunity to manage the department.

Some medical records and health information technicians specialize in
coding patients’ medical information for insurance purposes.
Technicians who specialize in coding are called health information
coders, medical record coders, coder/abstractors, or coding
specialists. These technicians assign a code to each diagnosis and
procedure, relying on their knowledge of disease processes.
Technicians then use classification systems software to assign the
patient to one of several hundred “diagnosis-related groups,” or DRGs.
The DRG determines the amount for which the hospital will be
reimbursed if the patient is covered by Medicare or other insurance
programs using the DRG system. In addition to the DRG system, coders
use other coding systems, such as those required for ambulatory
settings, physician offices, or long-term care.

Medical records and health information technicians also may specialize
in cancer registry. Cancer (or tumor) registrars maintain facility,
regional, and national databases of cancer patients. Registrars review
patient records and pathology reports, and assign codes for the
diagnosis and treatment of different cancers and selected benign
tumors. Registrars conduct annual followups on all patients in the
registry to track their treatment, survival, and recovery. Physicians
and public health organizations then use this information to calculate
survivor rates and success rates of various types of treatment, locate
geographic areas with high incidences of certain cancers, and identify
potential participants for clinical drug trials. Public health
officials also use cancer registry data to target areas for the
allocation of resources to provide intervention and screening.

Work environment. Medical records and health information technicians
work in pleasant and comfortable offices. This is one of the few
health-related occupations in which there is little or no direct
contact with patients. Because accuracy is essential in their jobs,
technicians must pay close attention to detail. Technicians who work
at computer monitors for prolonged periods must guard against
eyestrain and muscle pain.

Medical records and health information technicians usually work a
40-hour week. Some overtime may be required. In hospitals—where health
information departments often are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week—technicians may work day, evening, and night shifts.

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Job Training / Job Education Requirements For
Medical Records and Health Information Technicians

Medical records and health information technicians entering the field
usually have an associate degree from a community or junior college.
Many employers favor technicians who have become Registered Health
Information Technicians (RHIT). Advancement opportunities for medical
record and health information technicians are typically achieved by
specialization or promotion to a management position.

Education and training. Medical records and health information
technicians generally obtain an associate degree from a community or
junior college. Typically, community and junior colleges offer
flexible course scheduling or online distance learning courses. (See
the Sources of Education, Training, and Financial Aid section of the
Handbook for more information regarding community and junior
colleges.) In addition to general education, coursework includes
medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, legal aspects of health
information, health data standards, coding and abstraction of data,
statistics, database management, quality improvement methods, and
computer science. Applicants can improve their chances of admission
into a program by taking biology, math, chemistry, health, and
computer science courses in high school.

Certification and other qualifications. Most employers prefer to hire
Registered Health Information Technicians (RHIT), who must pass a
written examination offered by the American Health Information
Management Association (AHIMA). To take the examination, a person must
graduate from a 2-year associate degree program accredited by the
Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information
Management Education (CAHIIM). Technicians trained in
non-CAHIIM-accredited programs or trained on the job are not eligible
to take the examination. In 2007, there were about 245 CAHIIM
accredited programs in Health Informantics and Information Management
Education.

Some employers prefer candidates with experience in a health care
setting. Experience is valuable in demonstrating certain skills or
desirable qualities. It is beneficial for health information
technicians to possess good communication skills, as they often serve
as a liaison between health care facilities, insurance companies, and
other establishments. Accuracy is also essential to technicians
because they must pay close attention to detail. A candidate who
exhibits proficiency with computers will become more valuable as
health care facilities continue to adopt electronic medical records.

Certification and advancement. Experienced medical records and health
information technicians usually advance in one of two ways—by
specializing or by moving into a management position. Many senior
technicians specialize in coding, in cancer registry, or in privacy
and security. Most coding and registry skills are learned on the job.
A number of schools offer certificate programs in coding or include
coding as part of the associate degree program for health information
technicians, although there are no formal degree programs in coding.
For cancer registry, there are a few formal 2-year certificate
programs approved by the National Cancer Registrars Association
(NCRA). Some schools and employers offer intensive 1- to 2-week
training programs in either coding or cancer registry.

Certification in coding is available from several organizations.
Coding certification within specific medical specialty areas is
available from the Board of Medical Specialty Coding and the
Professional Association of Healthcare Coding Specialist (PAHCS). The
American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) offers three distinct
certification programs in coding. The AHIMA also offers certification
for Certified Healthcare Privacy and Security because of growing
concerns for the security of electronic medical records. Certification
in cancer registry is available from the NCRA. Continuing education
units are typically required to renew credentials.

In large medical records and health information departments,
experienced technicians may advance to section supervisor, overseeing
the work of the coding, correspondence, or discharge sections, for
example. Senior technicians with RHIT credentials may become director
or assistant director of a medical records and health information
department in a small facility. However, in larger institutions, the
director usually is an administrator with a bachelor’s degree in
medical records and health information administration.

Hospitals sometimes advance promising health information clerks to
jobs as medical records and health information technicians, although
this practice may be less common in the future. Advancement usually
requires 2 to 4 years of job experience and completion of a hospital’s
in-house training program.

Employment

Medical records and health information technicians held about 170,000
jobs in 2006. About 2 out of 5 jobs were in hospitals. The rest were
mostly in offices of physicians, nursing care facilities, outpatient
care centers, and home health care services. Insurance firms that deal
in health matters employ a small number of health information
technicians to tabulate and analyze health information. Public health
departments also employ technicians to supervise data collection from
health care institutions and to assist in research.

Job Outlook / Job Forecast

Employment is expected to grow faster than average. Job prospects
should be very good; technicians with a strong background in medical
coding will be in particularly high demand.

Employment change. Employment of medical records and health
information technicians is expected to increase by 18 percent through
2016—faster than the average for all occupations—because of rapid
growth in the number of medical tests, treatments, and procedures that
will be increasingly scrutinized by health insurance companies,
regulators, courts, and consumers. Also, technicians will be needed to
enter patient information into computer databases to comply with
Federal legislation mandating the use of electronic medical records.

New jobs are expected in offices of physicians as a result of
increasing demand for detailed records, especially in large group
practices. New jobs also are expected in home health care services,
outpatient care centers, and nursing and residential care facilities.
Although employment growth in hospitals will not keep pace with growth
in other health care industries, many new jobs will, nevertheless, be
created.

Cancer registrars should experience job growth. As the population
continues to age, the incidence of cancer may increase.

Job prospects. Job prospects should be very good. In addition to job
growth, openings will result from the need to replace technicians who
retire or leave the occupation permanently.

Technicians with a strong background in medical coding will be in
particularly high demand. Changing government regulations and the
growth of managed care have increased the amount of paperwork involved
in filing insurance claims. Additionally, health care facilities are
having some difficulty attracting qualified workers, primarily because
employers prefer trained and experienced technicians prepared to work
in an increasingly electronic environment with the integration of
electronic health records. Job opportunities may be especially good
for coders employed through temporary help agencies or by professional
services firms.

Job Demand Forecast

Projections data from the National Employment Matrix

Occupational title

SOC Code

Employment, 2006

Projected
employment,
2016

Change, 2006-16

Detailed statistics

Number

Percent

Medical records and health information technicians

29-2071

170,000

200,000

30,000

18

PDF

zipped XLS

NOTE: Data in this table are rounded. See the discussion of the
employment projections table in the Handbook introductory chapter on
Occupational Information Included in the Handbook.

Earnings / Compensation

Median annual earnings of medical records and health information
technicians were $28,030 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent earned
between $22,420 and $35,990. The lowest 10 percent earned less than
$19,060, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $45,260. Median
annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of
medical records and health information technicians in May 2006 were:

General medical and surgical hospitals

$29,400

Nursing care facilities

28,410

Outpatient care centers

26,680

Offices of physicians

24,170

Related Occupations

Medical records and health information technicians need a strong
clinical background to analyze the contents of medical records.
Medical secretaries and medical transcriptionists also must be
knowledgeable about medical terminology, anatomy, and physiology even
though they have little or no direct contact with patients.

Additional Information

Information on careers in medical records and health information
technology, and a list of accredited training programs is available
from:

American Health Information Management Association, 233 N.
 Michigan Ave., Suite 2150, Chicago, IL 60601-5800. Internet:
 http://www.ahima.org

Information on training and certification for medical coders is
available from:

American Academy of Professional Coders, 2480 South 3850 West,
 Suite B, Salt Lake City, UT 84120. Internet: http://www.aapc.com

Information on cancer registrars is available from:

National Cancer Registrars Association, 1340 Braddock Place Suite
 203, Alexandria, VA 22314. Internet: http://www.ncra-usa.org

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Jobs and Job Outlook for Medical Records and Health Information
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ONET Codes: 29-2071.00

SeqNum: 161

Courtesy of US Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics

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