Medical Records & Health Information Technician Careers  In-Demand occupations are found in National High Growth industries. High Growth industries are economically critical, projected to add substantial numbers of new jobs, and are being transformed by technology and innovation.

Individuals in this occupation 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.

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Tasks*
  • Protect the security of medical records to ensure that confidentiality is maintained.
  • Process patient admission and discharge documents.
  • Review records for completeness, accuracy and compliance with regulations.
  • Compile and maintain patients' medical records to document condition and treatment and to provide data for research or cost control and care improvement efforts.
  • Enter data, such as demographic characteristics, history and extent of disease, diagnostic procedures and treatment into computer.
  • 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.
  • Manage the department and supervise clerical workers, directing and controlling activities of personnel in the medical records department.
  • Transcribe medical reports.
  • Identify, compile, abstract and code patient data, using standard classification systems.

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Tools & Technology*

Tools used in this occupation:

Medical charting systems components or accessories — Bar code attachment equipment; Electronic medical records EMR systems
Microfiche or microfilm viewer components or accessories — Microfiche viewing machines; Microfilm viewing machines
Postal scales
Scanners — Flat-top scanners
Special purpose telephones — Multi-line telephones

Technology used in this occupation:

Accounting software — Billing software; NDCMedisoft software; QMSoftware Receivables Management; Siemens Soarian Financials
Data base user interface and query software — Electronic medical record EMR software; Microsoft Access; Visionary Medical Systems OfficePM; Welford Chart Notes
Document management software — Fox Meadows Accent Data Manager; Hyland Software OnBase; SoftMed ChartLocater; SoftMed ChartReserve
Voice recognition software — Cyber Records MediChart Express; ScanSoft Naturally Speaking; Speech recognition software; Voice dictation software
Word processing software — Corel WordPerfect; Microsoft Word

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Knowledge*

Clerical — Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Computers and Electronics — Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.


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Skills*
Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Instructing — Teaching others how to do something.
Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

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Abilites*
Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

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Work Activities*
Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Interacting With Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Performing Administrative Activities — Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

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Work Context*
Telephone — How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Face-to-Face Discussions — How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
Contact With Others — How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
Letters and Memos — How often does the job require written letters and memos?
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks — How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job?
Freedom to Make Decisions — How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
Structured versus Unstructured Work — To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
Physical Proximity — To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people?

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Job Zone*
Title Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Overall Experience Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Job Training Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers.
Job Zone Examples These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include funeral directors, electricians, forest and conservation technicians, legal secretaries, interviewers, and insurance sales agents.
SVP Range (6.0 to < 7.0)
Education Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some may require a bachelor's degree.

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Interests*

Interest code: C

Conventional — Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Realistic — Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

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Work Styles*
Cooperation — Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Stress Tolerance — Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical.
Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Concern for Others — Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Independence — Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Adaptability/Flexibility — Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Initiative — Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Self Control — Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

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Work Values*
Relationships — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Working Conditions — Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.

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Wages & Employment*

National

Median wages (2005) $12.83 hourly, $26,690 annual
Employment (2004) 159,000 employees
Projected growth (2004-2014)  Faster than average (21-35%)
Projected need (2004-2014) 69,000 additional employees

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*All data pulled from O*Net Online on 8/15/2007

New Horizons is a computer training and medical billing certification center in Albany, NY, Charlotte, NC, Harrisburg, PA and Long Island - Commack & Westbury. This computer school & medical billing training school provides computer classes and courses towards certifications like Microsoft (MCDST, MCITP, MCPD, MCSA, MCSE, MCTS and MCAS/MCAP), American Academy of Professional Coders (CPC, CPC-H & CPC-P), Cisco (CCNA, CCNP, CCSP, CCVP, CCIE, CCIP, CCDA, CCDP), Citrix (CCA, CCEA, CCIA), CompTIA (A+, CDIA+, CTT+, e-Biz+, HTI+, i-Net+, Linux+, Network+, Project+, RFID+, Security+, Server+), Novell (CNA, CNE, Master CNE, CLP, CLE), Oracle (DBA, OCA, OCP, OCM) and the Project Management Institute (PMP, PgMPSM, CAPM)).



Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga Springs, Poughkeepsie New York

Burlington, Brattleboro, Rutland, Bennington, Vermont
Charlotte, Gastonia, Rock Hill, Concord, North Carolina

Springfield, Pittsfield, Western Massachusetts
Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg, Lancaster, York, Central Pennsylvania

Plattsburgh, New York
Long Island - Melville, Commack, Westbury, New York
Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Newport News, Hampton Roads, Virginia
Portland, Lewiston, Augusta, Bangor, Maine
Canada, Alberta, Calgary, British Columbia, Vancouver, Manitoba, Winnipeg, New Brunswick, Saint / St. John, Ontario, Ottawa, Toronto, Quebec, Montreal


Classes can also be taught in locations across the USA.

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