Health information technician www.indeed.com/q-Registered-Health-Information-Technician-jobs.html
The first job title associated with the title is a health information technician. A health information technician is usually posted in a medical facility for example a hospital. A health information technician’s work involves going through medical charts and ensuring that they have been filled completely and accurately. They are also responsible for generating reports from the medical charts, which is important in patient care. They also work under health information managers to gather, analyze, and manage health data. After generating reports, this information is used to ensure proper patient care. Their work is mainly computer based and therefore, has little or no interaction with patients. However, their roles are very important in the health industry. Data is useless if no meaningful information can be generated from it. Health information technicians work together with health information system administrators to gather data, categorize the data, and generate reports, which are useful from it.
As mentioned, health information technicians work mainly with computers and have little interaction with patients. The credentials for the job usually include an associate degree with state certification. The associate degree is usually information technology or computer science based focusing on health.
The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) regulates professionals in this job. The certification offered is Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT). This is a certification offered to professionals holding this job. In order to qualify for this certification, a health information technician must have an associate’s degree and pass the RHIT exam. The exam requires them to show they are able to verify whether medical forms are completed accurately. They must also be able to enter the information into a computer system. The professionals must also show they are able to use a computer program to generate reports from this data.
Medical coder www.indeed.com/q-Medical-Coder-l-Dallas,-TX-jobs.html
The second job is a medical coder. A medical coder’s job is the link between the healthcare side and the business side of the healthcare facility. A medical coder is usually stationed in a hospital.
The work of the medical coder involves receiving medical reports from physicians. The medical coder then reviews the records to ensure that they are complete and accurate. The medical coder then translates the reports into numeric codes. The numeric code is a standard that is used throughout the healthcare industry. Different diagnosis and treatments all have their unique codes. The medical coder ensures that each report is translated accurately into the required codes. Changing a physician’s report into codes is very important. It is a form of analyzing the report.
The individual report by a physician may be difficult to understand. A medical coder translates the report into codes, which are easily understandable. This helps in gathering information and statistics. This job is particularly important when claiming financial re-imbursements from the government or from insurance companies. The insurance companies do not have time to go through every physician’s report. They however rely on the reports and statistics generated by a medical coder.
The qualifications for this job usually require an associate’s degree or a certificate in medical coding. A medical coder’s position is usually used as an entry point into health IT industry. Many people use it as a stepping-stone for more lucrative careers in the industry.
This field is regulated by the American Academy of Professional Coders. The certification they give is known as Certified Coding Associate (CCA). This entry-level qualification requires an individual to pass an exam. This certification proves that the individual can work in the medical coders’ field.
Both these jobs like many in the healthcare industry require a passion for healthcare. It is important that the individual be interested in all things to do with health and information technology. In addition to having passion in the healthcare industry, a successful healthcare information employee must possess the following skills, must pay attention to detail, have good organization skills, and be able to keep track of large amounts of information. A healthcare information worker must pay attention to detail. In the healthcare industry, the little details make a lot of difference (Safian, 32). A wrongly filled form could mean wrong treatment. The worker must be able to look at the fine details and recognize any problems early. Because they deal with large amounts of data, the worker must also be well organized. This is important so that they can work efficiently. This goes together with being able to keep track of large amounts of information. They must know where all the information is for fast retrieval when needed (Malec, 21).
These two positions interested me because they are considered as entry-level positions. The qualifications needed are not too stringent meaning that many people can qualify for these positions. Since they do not involve direct interaction with the patients, courses are available online that can help a person to get these jobs (Haddock, Robert, and Robert, 67). Once in these positions, an individual can also use them as a launch pad for more lucrative careers in the industry. AHIMA certifications are recognized throughout the whole country. This allows a person with AHIMA qualifications to seek employment opportunities in any state throughout the whole country (Safian, 54).
Work Cited:
Indeed.com. "Registered Health Information Technician Jobs." Registered Health Information Technician Jobs, Employment | Indeed.com. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.indeed.com/q-Registered-Health-Information-Technician-jobs.html>.
Indeed.com "Medical Coder Jobs in Dallas, TX." Medical Coder Jobs, Employment in Dallas, TX. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.indeed.com/q-Medical-Coder-l-Dallas,-TX-jobs.html>.
Safian, Shelley. Essentials of Healthcare Compliance. Cengage Learning, 2009. Print
Malec, Brian, et al., eds. Careers in Health Information Technology. Springer Publishing Company, 2014. Print
Haddock, Cynthia Carter, Robert A. McLean, and Robert C. Chapman. Careers in healthcare management: how to find your path and follow it. Health Administration Press, 2002. Print
