Medical Record Technicians

In any hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, permanent records are created and maintained for all the patients treated by the staff. Each patient's medical record describes in detail his or her condition over time. Entries include illness and injuries, operations, treatments, outpatient visits, and the progress of hospital stays. Medical record technicians, also known as medical records and health information technicians and health information management technicians, compile, code, and maintain these records. They also tabulate and analyze data from groups of records in order to assemble reports. They review records for completeness and accuracy; assign codes to the diseases, operations, diagnoses, and treatments according to detailed standardized classification systems; and post the codes on the medical record. They transcribe medical reports; maintain indices of patients, diseases, operations, and other categories of information; compile patient census data; and file records. In addition, they may direct the day-to-day operations of the medical records department. They maintain the flow of records and reports to and from other departments, and sometimes assist medical staff in special studies or research that draws on information in the records. There are approximately 215,500 medical records technicians employed in the United States.

Salary Range

$25,000 to $75,000

Minimum Education Level

Associate's Degree

Certification/License

Recommended

Outlook

Much Faster than the Average

Personality Traits

Hands On

Organized

Technical

Career Ladder

Medical Record Administrator or Consultant

Experienced Medical Record Technician

Entry-Level Medical Record Technician