Related job titles are: Medical Records Clerk, Health Information Clerk, Medical Records Technician, Office Manager, File Clerk, Medical Records Coordinator, Medical Records Analyst, Medical Records Director, or Coder.
How Much Does a Medical Records Technician Make? | Medical Records Technician Salary
The median yearly salary for medical records and health information technicians was $32,350 in May 2010 (the most recent data available). This median salary is simply the salary where half the employees earned more and half earned a lesser amount. Employees in the lower 10 percent had an annual salary less than $21,240, and those employees in the top 10 percent earned greater then $53,430.
What Does a Medical Records Technician Do? | Job Description
Medical Secretary is one of U.S. News and World Report "100 Best Jobs of 2013." Medical records and health information technicians organize and manage health information data by ensuring its quality, accuracy, accessibility, and security in both paper and electronic systems. They use various classification systems to code and categorize patient information for insurance reimbursement purposes, for databases and registries, and to maintain patients’ medical and treatment histories.
The increasing use of electronic health records (EHRs) will continue to change the job responsibilities of medical records and health information technicians. Technicians will need to be familiar with, or be able to learn, EHR computer software, follow EHR security and privacy practices, and analyze electronic data to improve healthcare information as more healthcare providers and hospitals adopt EHR systems.
How to Become a Medical Records Technician?
Medical records and health information technicians typically need a career college certificate to enter the occupation, although they may have an associate's degree. Many employers also require professional certification.
Most employers prefer to hire medical records and health information technicians who have professional certification. A medical records and health information technician can get certification from several organizations. Some organizations base certification on passing an exam. Others require graduation from an accredited program.
Medical Records Technician Classes and Courses | Degree Programs
Career college certificate and associate's degree programs in health information technology typically include courses in medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, health data requirements and standards, classification and coding systems, healthcare reimbursement methods, healthcare statistics, and computer systems. Applicants to health information technology programs increase their chances of admission by taking high school courses in health, computer science, math, and biology.
Medical Records Technician Jobs | Who is Hiring?
Employment of medical records and health information technicians is expected to increase by 21 percent from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all occupations. The demand for health services is expected to increase as the population ages. An aging population will need more medical tests, treatments, and procedures. This will also mean more claims for reimbursement from private and public insurance. Additional records, coupled with widespread use of electronic health records by all types of healthcare providers, should lead to an increased need for technicians to organize and manage the associated information in all areas of the healthcare industry.
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