Medical Records and Health Information Technicians

Industry Basics:

A medical record and health information technician ensures secure recording of patient data such as: medical history, symptoms, reports (x-rays and laboratory tests), diagnoses, treatment plans and results of examinations. Medical records and health information technicians are responsible for organizing and evaluating records for completeness and accuracy.

Medical records and health information technicians’ responsibilities may vary with the size of the organization they work for. Certain medical enterprises may require medical records and health information technicians to be specialized in coding patients’ medical information for insurance purposes. Such technicians who specialize in coding are known as health information coders, medical record coders, coder/abstractors, or coding specialists.

Computer programs help technicians tabulate data and generate reports to analyze and improve patient care, develop cost effective budgets or use the date for research purposes. The data compiled by the medical record and health information technician or registrar is used by physicians to assess success rates of different types of treatment, identify regions with high incidences of certain diseases or identify patients who could qualify as potential participants for clinical drug trials.

Industry Outlook:

Job opportunities for medical records and health information technicians’ are expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations by 2014. The key reasons for the growth in jobs are attributed to:

• Growth in number of medical tests
• Increased scrutiny by health insurance companies
• Federal legislation mandates use of electronic patient data

Changing government regulations and increase in managed care services require high amount of paperwork while filing insurance claims and medical records and health information technicians will be required to compile and organize such data in an accurate and secure manner.

Designation and Roles:

The key designations held in this sector are:

• Medical records and health information technician: compile and organize data is a structured manner.
• Health information coders, Medical record coders, Coding specialists: code data for insurance purposes.
• Registrars: conduct annual follow-ups on all patients registered in the registry to monitor the treatment, survival, and recovery of patients.

Skill or Education Required:

Most health service organizations require a Registered Health Information Technicians (RHIT), who must have passed a written examination conducted by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). To be eligible for this 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).

Remuneration:

• In 2004, the average annual earnings (median value) of medical records and health information technicians were $25,590.
• The highest 10 percent earned more than $41,760
• The middle 50 percent earned between $20,650 and $32,990 and
• The lowest 10 percent earned less than $17,720

Conclusion:

• A medical record and health information technician ensures secure recording of patient data
• Job opportunities for medical records and health information technicians’ are expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations by 2014
• Most health service organizations require a Registered Health Information Technicians (RHIT), who must have passed a written examination conducted by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
• In 2004, the average annual earnings (median value) of medical records and health information technicians were $25,590.