Health Information Technician: Duties & Job Market

by Kara Wahlgren

If you're intrigued by medicine and meticulous about bookkeeping, you may find success as a health information technician. Health information technicians prepare and maintain the records for a wide variety of medical facilities.

Duties of a health information technician
Reliable record-keeping is essential to every medical office, and health information technicians ensure that all paperwork is as accurate as possible. Health information technicians are responsible for processing patient information, reviewing records, transcribing medical reports, and keeping all records secure. At an advanced level, health information technicians may develop systems for storing records and oversee entry-level techs.

Where to find health information technician jobs
Although health information technicians rarely deal directly with patients, you'll find them behind the scenes in nearly every medical office. Hospitals, physicians, nursing care facilities, outpatient care centers, insurance companies, and public health departments all need health information technicians to record and maintain medical records.

Health information technician programs
Many two-year colleges offer associate's degree programs for health information technicians. In addition, employers may prefer candidates who are certified by the American Health Information Management Association as Registered Health Information Technicians (RHIT). In order to get certified, aspiring health information technicians must complete an accredited associate's degree program before taking AHIMA's written exam.

Demand for health information technician jobs
Accurate medical records are vital, thanks to strict insurance policies. And federal legislation now requires medical records to be stored electronically, so medical offices will need health information technicians to enter patient information into databases. That all translates into more jobs - the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects that opportunities for health information technicians will grow by 18 percent between 2006 and 2016. Organized job-seekers who know their medical jargon will find ample job prospects as a health information technician.