 | | Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition
U.S. Department of Labor | Bureau of Labor Statistics | Bulletin 2600
Medical Records and Health Information Technicians
...USDOL Article Continued
| Training,
Other Qualifications, and Advancement |
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Experienced medical records and health information technicians usually advance
in one of two ways—by specializing or managing. Many senior technicians specialize
in coding, particularly Medicare coding, or in cancer registry. Most coding and registry
skills are learned on the job. Some schools offer certificates in coding as part
of the associate degree program for health information technicians, although there
are no formal degree programs in coding. For cancer registry, there were 11 formal
2-year certificate programs in 2005 approved by the National Cancer Registrars Association
(NCRA). Some schools and employers offer intensive 1- to 2-week training programs
in either coding or cancer registry. Once coders and registrars gain some on-the-job
experience, many choose to become certified. Certifications in coding are available
either from AHIMA or from the American Academy of Professional Coders. Certification
in cancer registry is available from the NCRA.
In large medical records and health information departments, experienced technicians
may advance to section supervisor, overseeing the work of the coding, correspondence,
or discharge sections, for example. Senior technicians with RHIT credentials may
become director or assistant director of a medical records and health information
department in a small facility. However, in larger institutions, the director usually
is an administrator with a bachelor’s degree in medical records and health
information administration.
Medical records and health information technicians held about 159,000 jobs in
2004. About 2 out of 5 jobs were in hospitals. The rest were mostly in offices of
physicians, nursing care facilities, outpatient care centers, and home health care
services. Insurance firms that deal in health matters employ a small number of health
information technicians to tabulate and analyze health information. Public health
departments also hire technicians to supervise data collection from health care institutions
and to assist in research.
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