Career descriptions: Medical records & health information technician

Medical records and health information technicians organize and evaluate patient records for completeness and accuracy.
This includes information that the patient provides concerning symptoms and medical history; results of examinations; reports of X-rays; and laboratory tests, diagnoses and treatment plans. Medical records technicians assemble a patient’s health information and make sure the patient’s initial medical charts are complete. They regularly communicate with physicians and other healthcare professionals to clarify or to obtain additional information.

Medical records and health information technicians entering the field usually have an Associate degree from a community college or career 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
* Computer science

Students interested in a medical records technician career can improve their chances of admission into a program by enrolling in biology, chemistry, health and computer science courses during high school.

Medical records and health information technicians’ duties vary with the size of the facility where they work. Medical records technicians usually work 40-hour weeks. Some overtime may be required. This is one of the few health occupations with little or no direct contact with patients. Because accuracy is essential in their jobs, technicians must pay close attention to detail. Technicians who work at computer monitors for prolonged periods must guard against eyestrain and muscle pain.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were about 159,000 medical records and health information technician jobs in 2004. Employment in this field should grow much faster than average through the year 2014. The rapid growth in the number of medical tests, treatments and procedures will increase demand for medical records and health information technicians.

On average, medical records technicians earned between $20,650 and $32,990 in 2004. The highest 10 percent earned more than $41,760.