job outlook for registered health information technician

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Home » Career Education Planning » Health Science Careers » Medical
Records & Health Information Technicians

Medical Records & Health Information Technicians
================================================

Medical Records and Health Information Technicians

Did you know that medical records and health information technicians
are projected to be one of the fastest growing occupations? What
career education do you need in medical terminology, anatomy and
physiology, legal aspects of health information, coding and
abstraction of data or statistics? Use the information below to
discover what career opportunities are available for medical records
technicians and the training and education paths you can take.

Learn more in the career education information listed below:

• Job Description

• Working Conditions

• Employment

• Education, Training & Qualifications

• Job Outlook

• Salary Expectations

• Related Occupations

• Associations, Resources & Accreditation

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Overview

Medical records and health information technicians are projected
 to be one of the fastest growing occupations.

High school students can improve chances of acceptance into a
 medical record and health information education program by taking
 anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, and computer courses.

Most technicians will be employed by hospitals, but job growth
 will be faster in offices and clinics of physicians, nursing
 homes, and home health agencies.

Job Description

Every time health care personnel treat a patient, they record what
they observed, and how the patient was treated medically. This record
includes information the patient provides concerning their 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.

Medical records and health information technicians begin to assemble
patients' health information by first making sure their initial
medical charts are complete. They ensure all forms are completed and
properly identified and signed, and all necessary information is in
the computer. Sometimes, they communicate with physicians or others to
clarify diagnoses or get additional information.

Technicians assign a code to each diagnosis and procedure. They
consult classification manuals and rely, also, on their knowledge of
disease processes. Technicians then use a software program to assign
the patient to one of several hundred "diagnosis-related groups," or
DRG's. The DRG determines the amount the hospital will be reimbursed
if the patient is covered by Medicare or other insurance programs
using the DRG system. Technicians who specialize in coding are called
health information coders, medical record coders, coder/abstractors,
or coding specialists. In addition to the DRG system, coders use other
coding systems, such as those geared towards ambulatory settings.

Technicians also use computer programs to tabulate and analyze data to
help improve patient care, control costs, for use in legal actions, in
response to surveys, or for use in research studies. Tumor registrars
compile and maintain records of patients who have cancer to provide
information to physicians and for research studies.

Medical records and health information technicians' duties vary with
the size of the facility. In large to medium facilities, technicians
may specialize in one aspect of health information, or supervise
health information clerks and transcriptionists while a medical
records and health information administrator manages the department.
In small facilities, a credentialed medical records and health
information technician sometimes manages the department.

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Working Conditions

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.

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

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Employment

Medical records and health information technicians held about 136,000
jobs in 2000. About 4 out of 10 jobs were in hospitals. The rest were
mostly in nursing homes, medical group practices, clinics, and home
health agencies. 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 hire technicians to
supervise data collection from health care institutions and to assist
in research.

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Education, Training & Qualifications

Medical records and health information technicians entering the field
usually have an associate degree from a community or junior college.
In addition to general education, coursework includes medical
terminology, anatomy and physiology, legal aspects of health
information, coding and abstraction of data, statistics, database
management, quality improvement methods, and computer training.
Applicants can improve their chances of admission into a program by
taking biology, chemistry, health, and computer courses in high
school.

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.

Most employers prefer to hire Registered Health Information
Technicians (RHIT), who must pass a written examination offered by
AHIMA. To take the examination, a person must graduate from a 2-year
associate degree program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation
of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) of the American Medical
Association. Technicians trained in non-CAAHEP accredited programs, or
on the job, are not eligible to take the examination. In 2001, CAAHEP
accredited 177 programs for health information technicians.
Technicians who specialize in coding may also obtain voluntary
certification.

Experienced medical records and health information technicians usually
advance in one of two ways - by specializing or managing. Many senior
technicians specialize in coding, particularly Medicare coding, or in
tumor registry.

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 is usually an administrator, with a bachelor's degree in
medical records and health information administration.

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Job Outlook

Job prospects for formally trained technicians should be very good.
Employment of medical records and health information technicians is
expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations
through 2010, due to rapid growth in the number of medical tests,
treatments, and procedures which will be increasingly scrutinized by
third-party payers, regulators, courts, and consumers.

Hospitals will continue to employ a large percentage of health
information technicians, but growth will not be as fast as in other
areas. Increasing demand for detailed records in offices and clinics
of physicians should result in fast employment growth, especially in
large group practices. Rapid growth is also expected in nursing homes
and home health agencies.

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Salary Expectations

Median annual earnings of medical records and health information
technicians were $22,750 in 2000. The middle 50 percent earned between
$18,700 and $28,590. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $15,710,
and the highest 10 percent earned more than $35,170. Median annual
earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of medical
records and health information technicians in 2000 were as follows:

Nursing and personal care facilities $23,760

Hospitals $23,540

Offices and clinics of medical doctors $21,090

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Related Occupations

Medical records and health information technicians need a strong
clinical background to analyze the contents of medical records.
Workers in other occupations requiring knowledge of medical
terminology, anatomy, and physiology without physical contact with the
patient are medical transcriptionists and secretaries and
administrative assistants.

Return to top

Associations, Resources & Accreditation

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

American Health Information Management Association

Return to top

Source:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational
Outlook Handbook, 2002-03 Edition, Medical Records and Health
Information Technicians, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/

Return to top

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