7 Jobs You Can Get With a Health Information Management Degree

computer with files and folders

The health information management (HIM) field has been around for decades—but what HIM encompasses today is a far cry from what the field looked like during its infancy back in the 1920s. From medical records documented in paper form and manually filed by “records librarians” to the streamlined electronic health records (EHR) systems utilized in today’s digital landscape, health information has come a long way.

Just as our steady advancements in technology pave the way for all kinds of new possibilities when it comes to medical treatment, our evolving digital capabilities also call for a range of health information management jobs to maintain the necessary balance of healthcare knowledge and tech prowess. If you’re curious about working in HIM, consider the following seven career options you could potentially pursue with a degree in the field. 

What is health information management?

A patient’s health information data can include everything from symptoms and diagnoses to procedures and outcomes. In perusing one person’s health information records, for example, you may come across past lab results, X-rays, clinical notes from previous visits and more. 

Health information management is the process by which different professionals create, handle, store, and execute that data.

Professionals who work HIM jobs accomplish an overarching goal of ensuring a patient’s health records are complete, accurate and continually protected. They are highly trained in the latest information management technology and maintain a working understanding of healthcare environments, from large hospital systems to private practices. 

Why is health information management important?

The HIM field is centered on the belief that proper documentation of patient records results in reduced medical errors, lower costs and improved patient care outcomes.

Medical records can prove helpful on an individual basis to evaluate a patient’s health status over time. But they can also serve an important purpose as a part of a larger data set to understand how a population’s health has changed and how particular medical interventions can impact healthcare outcomes. 

Serving as a bridge that connects clinical, operational and administrative functions, HIM pros work in a variety of settings and in a number of different job roles—so let’s dive in to what they are.

7 Health information management jobs to consider

To help you gain a clearer understanding of what HIM jobs would be like, we used job posting analysis software to examine more than 5,600 job postings and identify some of the more common job titles seeking candidates with a Health Information Management Bachelor’s degree.1

1. Health information manager

Working as a health information manager, you would be responsible for maintaining and ensuring the security of all patient records and data. Professionals in this sphere are tasked with staying up to date with consistently evolving information technology, overseeing medical recordkeeping teams, ensuring departmental compliance with laws relating to health information systems, tracking trends and auditing data for accuracy.

2. Medical coder

A type of health information technician, medical coders are typically responsible for reviewing all patient information for issues like preexisting conditions, so the data can be coded properly. They are then tasked with assigning appropriate diagnoses and procedure codes for patient care, population health statistics and billing purposes. In fact, medical coders work as a sort of a liaison between the healthcare providers and the billing offices.

3. Data analyst

In general, a data analyst in healthcare studies and compiles medical data. Their expertise in computer-based applications empowers these professionals to identify insights from medical data regarding ways to improve patient care. By tapping into patient health data, analysts are able to gauge the effectiveness of certain treatments or determine the impact of cost-saving efforts and patient safety initiatives.

4. Outpatient coding compliance auditor

Medical record audits are a key way healthcare organizations seek to improve their clinical documentation and improve the financial health of the medical provider. Working as a medical coding compliance auditor, you'd be responsible for performing such audits, which include a review of clinical documents, physician billing records, coding records and administrative data. These reviews can help identify coding mistakes, billing issues and other important financial factors.

5. Clinical documentation specialist

Professionals who pursue a career as a clinical documentation specialist have a variety of different core job duties to look forward to. One aspect of this career includes managing clinical trial and service documents. Clinical documentation specialists also maintain charts, medical records, and reports, solving any issues involving documentation along the way. Another pivotal duty within this role is ensuring that both accuracy and quality are maintained among medical coders, doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff within their organization.

6. Clinical systems manager

Not to be confused with a clinical manager, it may be more helpful to think of this role as the computer systems administrator of the clinic. They are responsible for updating and maintaining computer systems used in healthcare. While general tech skills are key, this job will also require specialized knowledge about healthcare-specific hardware, software and networks. This role can be an excellent option for someone with a background in information technology and would like to apply their skills in a healthcare setting.

7. Medical research analyst

While this job title did not appear in our analysis of job postings, it is an intriguing option to remember for those who have an interest in research. Medical research analysts typically work with a team conducting medical studies and clinical trials. Using their scientific, medical, analytical and even financial knowledge, these healthcare professionals work with physicians and scientists to coordinate clinical research studies. This can include identifying patients, tracking inventory, collecting data, overseeing protocols and even acting, at times, as a liaison between supervising physicians and research sponsors.

Ready to get started in a health information career?

If you’re interested in health information management jobs and you’re something of a technology aficionado, the opportunities within the HIM sector are sure to pique your interest. The seven careers outlined above offer a true-to-market sampling of the many opportunities that await.

Can you envision yourself succeeding in one of these career paths? If you’re eager about the prospect and hungry to learn more about your options, then head over to our Health Information Management Bachelor’s degree page for more information. 

1Burning-Glass.com (analysis of 5,619 job postings that require a bachelor’s degree in Health Information/Medical Records Administration/Administrator, Jan. 01, 2019 – Dec. 31, 2019)

About the author

Hannah Meinke

Hannah Meinke is a writer at Collegis Education. She enjoys helping people discover their purpose and passion by crafting education and career-related content on behalf of Rasmussen University.

hannah meinke headshot

Related Content

Related Content

This piece of ad content was created by Rasmussen University to support its educational programs. Rasmussen University may not prepare students for all positions featured within this content. Please visit www.rasmussen.edu/degrees for a list of programs offered. External links provided on rasmussen.edu are for reference only. Rasmussen University does not guarantee, approve, control, or specifically endorse the information or products available on websites linked to, and is not endorsed by website owners, authors and/or organizations referenced. Rasmussen University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

logo-accreditation-acen logo-accreditation-ccne chart-credential-laddering-associates-bachelors-masters 0 Credits90 Credits180 Credits48 CreditsStart HereHIGH SCHOOL GRADSStart HereTRANSFER STUDENTSStart HereSECOND DEGREE PURSUERSEnd HereASSOCIATE'S DEGREEStart HereMASTER'S DEGREEPURSUERSEnd HereBACHELOR'S DEGREEEnd HereMASTER'S DEGREE chart-credential-laddering-associates-bachelors 0 CreditsStart HereHIGH SCHOOL GRADSStart HereTRANSFER STUDENTS90 CreditsStart HereSECOND DEGREE PURSUERSEnd HereASSOCIATE'S DEGREE180 CreditsEnd HereBACHELOR'S DEGREE chart-credential-laddering-msn chart-credential-laddering-nursing-programs chart-credential-laddering-nursing DNPMSNRN to BSNLPN to RN BridgeAccelerated BSNProfessional Nursing ADNPractical Nursing DiplomaPre-LicensurePost-Licensure icon-colored-outline-bank icon-colored-outline-certificate icon-colored-outline-circle-dollar-sign icon-colored-outline-folder-search icon-colored-outline-hand-heart icon-colored-outline-head-blocks icon-colored-outline-head-cog icon-colored-outline-head-heart icon-colored-outline-health-plus-leaves icon-colored-outline-hospital icon-colored-outline-lifelong-learning icon-colored-outline-light-bulb-analytics icon-colored-outline-location-pin icon-colored-outline-maginify-glass icon-colored-outline-magnifying-glass icon-colored-outline-monitor-healthcare icon-colored-outline-monitor-paper-search icon-colored-outline-nurse-rays icon-colored-outline-padlock-shield icon-colored-outline-person-presenter-screen icon-colored-outline-scales icon-colored-advance icon-colored-arrows-cross-curve icon-colored-briefcase-star icon-colored-build icon-colored-bulb-analytics icon-colored-certificate icon-colored-continual-development icon-colored-duo-chatbox icon-colored-folder-mortarboard icon-colored-forward-ribbon icon-colored-gears-clock icon-colored-globe-pen icon-colored-growth icon-colored-hand-bubble icon-colored-hand-stars icon-colored-hands-gear icon-colored-head-blocks icon-colored-head-cog icon-colored-health-plus-leaves icon-colored-hospital-building icon-colored-laptop-cbe-skyscraper icon-colored-laptop-checkmark icon-colored-laptop-webpage icon-colored-location-map icon-colored-location-pin icon-colored-monitor-paper-scan icon-colored-mortarboard-dollar icon-colored-national icon-colored-people-chat-bubbles icon-colored-person-cheer-star icon-colored-person-laptop-checkboxes icon-colored-person-screen-instructor icon-colored-person-whiteboard icon-colored-phone-chatbox icon-colored-police-light icon-colored-prep icon-colored-presenter icon-colored-regional icon-colored-save-time icon-colored-shirt-hat icon-colored-skyscraper icon-colored-state icon-colored-student-centered icon-colored-support icon-colored-world-experience icon-triangle-arrow-up-plant icon-triangle-calendar-pencil icon-triangle-clock-rotating-arrows icon-triangle-display-gears icon-triangle-hand-right-speech-bubble icon-triangle-laptop-coding-brackets icon-triangle-mortarboard icon-triangle-paper-ribbon icon-triangle-person-cheer-star icon-triangle-person-juggle icon-triangle-triple-people-chat-bubble ras-logo-flame ras-logo-horizontal ras-logo-stacked icon-modality-campus icon-modality-field icon-modality-online icon-modality-residential icon-social-facebook-square-colored icon-social-facebook-square icon-social-facebook icon-social-google-plus-square icon-social-google-plus icon-social-instagram icon-social-linkedin-square-colored icon-social-linkedin-square icon-social-linkedin icon-social-pinterest-p icon-social-twitter-square icon-social-twitter icon-social-youtube-play-colored icon-social-youtube-play icon-arrow icon-bank icon-camera icon-filter icon-general-chart icon-general-connect icon-general-degree icon-general-discuss icon-general-email icon-general-find icon-general-hat icon-general-heart icon-general-laptop-building icon-general-laptop icon-general-leader icon-general-map icon-general-money icon-general-paperwork icon-general-people icon-general-phone icon-general-speak-out icon-head-heart icon-info-circle icon-mail-forward icon-mglass icon-play-solid icon-quote-mark-left icon-quote-mark-right icon-scales icon-share-square-o icon-simple-chat icon-simple-desktop icon-simple-find icon-simple-hamburger icon-simple-phone icon-spinner icon-tag icon-testimonial-quotes icon-util-checkbox-white icon-util-checkbox icon-util-checked-white icon-util-checked icon-util-chevron-down icon-util-chevron-left icon-util-chevron-right icon-util-chevron-up icon-util-circle-arrow-down icon-util-circle-dot icon-util-language-switch icon-util-loading icon-util-open-window-button icon-util-open-window-link icon-util-pdf-button icon-util-pdf-link icon-util-refresh icon-util-x rebrand-arrows