Career Opportunities in Health Information Technology

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment is on the rise for those with a health information technician degree; technicians with a strong background in medical coding will be in particularly high demand. Health care facilities have had some difficulty attracting trained and experienced workers due to the recent integration of electronic health care records. Many with an online health information technology degree have not been trained to implement their knowledge and skills in a technologically advanced domain. In addition, changing government regulations and the augmentation of managed care have resulted in increased amounts of paperwork involved in filing insurance claims. Learn about our other online allied health degrees.

The field itself involves the evaluation and organization of medical records that are generated every time a patient receives health care. A health information technician degree prepares individuals to check records for completeness and accuracy, assembling patients' health information electronically for statistical reports and studies. Health information technicians also implement and facilitate programs that tabulate and analyze collected data for the purpose of improving patient care, better controlling cost, providing documentation for legal action, and conducting research. Some technicians specialize in one aspect of health information, while others supervise clerks and transcribers. Often, a health information administrator manages the medical records department, though some facilities place credentialed health information technicians in that management role. Actual duties vary by type and size of facility.

Most health information technicians obtain an associate degree from a career college or community college. Curriculum varies from one institution to the next, but generally covers: anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, healthcare legality, computer science, and coding and abstraction of data. Most employers prefer to hire Registered Health Information Technicians (RHIT) who have passed a written examination endorsed by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Experienced health information technicians may go on to specialize in coding, particular Medicare coding. Some schools offer certification in coding as part of the health information technician associates degree, but most coding and registry skills are learned on the job. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, median annual earnings of health information technicians were $28,030 in May of 2006, with the middle 50 percent earning between $22,420 and $35,990.

With the high tech needs in this area, it is hoped that colleges will update their curricula so health information technology graduates in the coming months and years will be trained to satisfy high-tech market needs.