National
| Median wages (2008) |
$14.71 hourly, $30,610 annual |
| Employment (2006) |
170,000 employees |
| Projected growth (2006-2016) |
Faster than average (14% to 20%)
|
| Projected need (2006-2016) |
76,000 additional employees |
29-2071.00 - Medical Records and Health Information Technicians
Compile, process, and maintain medical records of hospital and clinic patients in a manner consistent with medical, administrative, ethical, legal, and regulatory requirements of the health care system. Process, maintain, compile, and report patient information for health requirements and standards.
Sample of reported job titles:
Medical Records Clerk, Health Information Clerk, Medical Records Technician, Office Manager, File Clerk, Medical Records Coordinator, Medical Records Analyst, Medical Records Director, Receptionist, Coder
Tasks
- Protect the security of medical records to ensure that confidentiality is maintained.
- Review records for completeness, accuracy and compliance with regulations.
- Retrieve patient medical records for physicians, technicians, or other medical personnel.
- Release information to persons and agencies according to regulations.
- Plan, develop, maintain and operate a variety of health record indexes and storage and retrieval systems to collect, classify, store and analyze information.
- Enter data, such as demographic characteristics, history and extent of disease, diagnostic procedures and treatment into computer.
- Compile and maintain patients' medical records to document condition and treatment and to provide data for research or cost control and care improvement efforts.
- Process and prepare business and government forms.
- Process patient admission and discharge documents.
- Assign the patient to diagnosis-related groups (DRGs), using appropriate computer software.
back to top
Tools & Technology
Tools used in this occupation:
| Medical charting systems components or accessories — Barcode attachment equipment |
| Microfiche or microfilm viewer components or accessories — Microfiche viewing machines; Microfilm viewing machines |
| Postal scales |
| Scanners — Flat-top scanners |
| Special purpose telephones — Multi-line telephone systems |
Technology used in this occupation:
| Accounting software — Billing software; NDCMedisoft software; QMSoftware Receivables Management; Siemens Soarian Financials |
| Data base user interface and query software — EAD Systems software; Microsoft Access; O-HEAP software; Purkinje Dossier |
| Document management software — Fox Meadows Accent Data Manager; Hyland Software OnBase; IDX Systems Patient Chart Tracking; SoftMed ChartReserve |
| Medical software — eClinicalWorks software; STAT! Systems QD Clinical; Visionary Medical Systems Visionary OFFICE PM; Welford Chart Notes |
| Voice recognition software — Cyber Records MediChart Express; ScanSoft Naturally Speaking; Speech recognition software; Voice dictation software |
