Manage health informationSome technicians specialize in areas like management, research, quality,
risk analysis, clinical trials and moreYou must abide by confidentiality requirementsA two-year program is a good way to start
The job market for medical records technicians in the U.S. is hot
and will likely stay that way at least until 2008, says the Occupational Outlook
Handbook. Darrell King is chair of the health information technology program
at Vincennes University. He says grads of his program have a 100 percent placement
rate right now.
Medical records technicians are members of the health-care team. They manage
health records and health information services in hospitals and other places.
In the U.S., medical records technicians are sometimes called health record
professionals, health information technicians or accredited record technicians.
A medical record contains all the important information about a person's
health history. It includes medical conditions, illnesses, treatments, X-rays,
lab tests and more. All health-care professionals who work with a patient
contribute to the medical record.
Medical records technicians work with confidential records. They must abide
by confidentiality requirements.
Technicians work with computers to capture, manage and analyze data. They
might be asked to maintain, update or search large databases in order to generate
statistics. Management can use those statistics for health-care planning,
budgeting and so on.
Some medical records technicians specialize in areas like management, research,
quality, risk analysis, clinical trials and more. Others specialize in coding.
Laurie Kenward is the coordinator of a health information services program.
She says technicians use an international system of coding. "It identifies
diseases, medical conditions, procedures and treatments by a specific code,"
she says.
Medical records technicians may work in a variety of places. Here are some
examples:
- Hospitals
- Government agencies
- Educational institutions
- Community health clinics
- Law offices
- Insurance companies
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Primary care agencies
- Nursing homes
- Long-term care facilities
Even within hospitals, medical records technicians might work in many different
areas. These could include health records, admitting, quality management,
research and statistics, information systems, utilization management and risk
management.
Many medical records technicians work 40-hour weeks, Monday to Friday.
However, shift work may be required in certain settings.
Kenward says people with disabilities could do the job if they had the
ability to enter information into a computer. "I have known technicians with
hearing impediments, degenerative diseases such as MS, and also people who
used a wheelchair for mobility."
In the U.S., many coders and transcribers are working from home. Since
most records are electronic, the person can log on to the hospital's computer
system from their home computer and retrieve necessary files.
"It is excellent part-time or full-time work for people who have young
children at home or for seniors who do not want to commute to work," says
Darrell King. He is chair of the health information technology program at
Vincennes University. It's not necessary to live in the same city as the hospital.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) says that there were 92,000 health
information technicians in 1998. About 40 percent of those jobs were in hospitals.
The OOH says jobs for health records technicians will increase much faster
than average through 2008.
King agrees. "We expect to see 47,000 vacancies by 2005," he said. "Right
now, 100 percent of our grads get placements."
He adds that the growth of the profession is due to the increase in tests,
procedures and treatments that are examined by third parties such as courts
and insurance companies.
The OOH says health information technicians made an average of $20,590
in 1998. The low end of the range was $14,150 and the high end was $31,570.
A survey conducted by the American Health Information Management Association
(AHIMA) in 1997 indicates that accredited health information technicians had
an average salary of $30,500.
"Salary depends on location and on supply and demand," says King. He adds
that many hospitals and health employers in the U.S. are offering signing
bonuses to medical records technicians.
King says many qualified and experienced medical records technicians are
working as private consultants. They can earn $500 to $1,000 a day helping
hospitals get their medical records completed.
RegionAverage Annual EarningsAverage Hourly EarningsU.S. National$81,870$39.36RegionOutlook2008 Workforce2008 to 2018 Growth RateU.S. NationalIncreasing172,54020.33%
Darrell King is chair of the health information technology program at Vincennes
University. He says that a two-year program is a good way to start. Four-year
degree programs and master's programs are available. However, these train
people for management jobs, and many employers are looking for technicians
to do the work.
Sometimes hospitals promote medical records clerks to technician positions,
but this is becoming increasingly uncommon.
"I recommend that people get a two-year program first and get some experience.
Often, the employer will help pay for your four-year degree later," says King.
King also points out that some universities, including Vincennes, are offering
distance education programs so people can learn from home while working at
other jobs or while tending to children.
"This is a very good method for older workers to get their accreditation
training, or for young people to work while they learn the profession," he
adds.
The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) website
offers links to colleges and universities in the U.S. that offer training
programs that are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied
Health Education Programs.
Those who qualify can pursue voluntary certification from AHIMA. Exams
are held four times a year. "Many employers prefer to hire medical records
technicians with the AHIMA certification," says King.
High school students interested in pursuing a career in this field should
study biology, chemistry, health and especially computers. "Mathematics and
English are important also," says King.
Here is a sample of related training:
Vincennes University
Health Information Technology Program
1002 North First St.
Vincennes
,
IN
47591
USA
Internet
:
http://www.vinu.edu/him
Governor's State University
Health Administration Program
University Park
,
IL
60466
USA
Internet
:
http://www.govst.edu/users/ghp08r0/hlad1.htm
Associations
American Health Information Management Association
2150-233 North Michigan Ave.
Chicago
,
IL
60601-5800
USA
E-mail
:
info@ahima.org
Internet
:
http://www.ahima.org/
American Association for Medical Transcription
100 Sycamore Ave.
Modesto
,
CA
95354-0550
USA
Internet
:
http://www.aamt.org/scriptcontent/index.cfm
Publications
Journal of AHIMA
Internet
:
http://www.ahima.org/journal/index.html
Links
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