Employment Information & Opportunities

HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNICIANS

NATURE OF THE WORK
Health Information Technicians organize and evaluate health records for completeness and accuracy. They ensure that all forms are completed and properly identified and authenticated, and that all necessary information is recorded in either paper or electronic medium. They communicate with physicians and other healthcare professionals to clarify diagnoses or to obtain additional information. Technicians who specialize in coding are called Health Information Coders, Medical Record Coders, Coder/Abstractors, or Coding Specialists.

EDUCATION
Health Information Technicians entering the field usually have an associate degree from a community college or a junior college. Applicants can improve their chances of admission into a program by taking Anatomy and Physiology, Health, and Computer Science courses in high school.

JOB OUTLOOK FOR MEDICAL RECORD AND HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNICIANS
The fastest employment growth and a majority of the new jobs are expected in offices of physicians, due to an increase in demand for detailed records, especially in large group practices.

EARNINGS
Most HIT (Health Information Technology) graduates with an associate degree jump right in and earn $20,000 to $30,000 annually; these are just average figures - many HIT professionals report salaries average annual salaries from $30,000 to $49,000 per the American Health Information Management Association (www.ahima.org).

Employment Opportunities
Health Information Technology

Types of Employers

• Hospitals
• Physician’s Office
• Nursing Care Facilities
• Ambulatory Health Care Centers
• Home Healthcare Services
• Insurance Companies
• Public Health Departments
• Health Information Management (HIM) Consulting companies

Cancer Registrars
Types of Employers or Positions

• State Health Department
• National Institute of Health
• Acute Care Facilities
• Tumor Registrar
• Tumor Registrar Supervisor

Medical Coding
Types of Employers

• Physician Office
• Medical Insurance Companies
• Inpatient hospitals
• Outpatient healthcare facilities
• Private billing organizations

Medical Transcription
Types of Employers or Positions

• Medical administrative assistant
• Medical receptionist
• Medical secretary
• Medical transcriber
• Attorneys’ Offices