Health Information Specialist

Duties and Responsibilities:

          Medical records and health information technicians, commonly referred to as health information technicians, organize and manage health information data. They ensure its quality, accuracy, accessibility, and security in both paper and electronic systems. They use various classification systems to code and categorize patient information for insurance reimbursement purposes, for databases and registries, and to maintain patients’ medical and treatment histories.

Salary:

          $37,710 per year

Education:

          In order to find an entry-level position, aspiring health information management specialists need to be familiar with basic medical vocabulary and insurance coding techniques. Most employers hire candidates that have earned an associate's degree in health information management. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008 there were over 200 schools in the United States accredited to offer such a program through the Commission for Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). Courses in these programs focus on topics that include medical terminology, anatomy, medical coding, statistics and database security.

Reflection:

          I don’t really think I would like to be a health information specialist because it doesn’t seem to be an interesting job. But it was nice to find out what exactly they do for their job.