Health information technicians review medical charts to make sure information is complete, develop special reports, and also assign special diagnosis codes to the medical information for insurance reimbursement and data collection purposes.
Health information technicians perform data collection and analysis that doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers need to do their job well. They work in health care settings such as hospitals, clinics, health maintenance organizations (HMO’s), public health agencies, home health care agencies, and nursing homes. They assist health information administrators in the review and maintenance of medical records, retrieving and compiling data from records to develop various reports, and assist in proper storage, maintenance and retrieval of medical records. They work with computers and often in file rooms. They typically work a scheduled 40-hour week.
Education: 2-4 years
Patient Interaction: Low
Physical Activity: Low
Salary: $36,174
Job Growth: Medium
Medical Transcriptionist (MT)/Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT)
Medical Coding Specialist/Certified Coding Specialist (CCS)
Health Science Librarian (HSL)
Health Information Technician/Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT)
Health Information Administrator/Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA)
High school students should study health, biology, communication and computers. Formal training is required, usually through a 2-year program at a community or vocational/technical college where students earn their associate degree. Upon completion of training in one of these two accredited programs, students can earn the designation Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) by passing a national exam provided by the AHIMA. Many employers choose to hire technicians with the accreditation RHIT.
Chippewa Valley Technical College
Fox Valley Technical College
Gateway Technical College
Herzing University – Brookfield
Herzing University – Kenosha
Herzing University – Madison
Lakeshore Technical College
Marquette University
Medical College of Wisconsin
Mid-State Technical College
Milwaukee Area Technical College
Moraine Park Technical College – Fond du Lac
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
Rasmussen College – Appleton Campus
Rasmussen College – Green Bay Campus
Rasmussen College – Wausau Campus
Southwest Wisconsin Technical College
University of Wisconsin – Green Bay
University of Wisconsin – La Crosse
University of Wisconsin – Marshfield
University of Wisconsin – Parkside
University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point
Waukesha County Technical College
Western Technical College
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College – Ashland
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College – New Richmond
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College – Rice Lake
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College – Superior
American Health Information Management Association
233 N. Michigan Ave., 21st Floor
Chicago, IL, 60601-5809
312/233-1100 or 800/335-5535
www.ahima.org
American Medical Informatics Association
4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 500
Bethesda , MD, 20814
301/657-1291
www.amia.org
Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education
233 N. Michigan Ave.
21St Floor
Chicago, IL, 60601-5800
312/233-1100
cahiim.org/
Health Care Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
33 West Monroe Street, Suite 1700
Chicago, IL, 60603-5616
312/664-4467
www.himss.org
Number Employed in 2014 (Wisconsin): 3,960
Number Employed in 2014 (U.S.): 188,600
Expected Employment in 2024 (U.S.): 217,600
Percent Employment Growth (2014-2024): 15%
Expected Annual Openings: 7,120
Median Salary in 2014 (Wisconsin): $36,174
Salary information is located at Career One Stop
Wisconsin AHEC Health Careers Information Center provides the most current salary information available from CareerOneStop. CareerOneStop will have a lapse between when the information is gathered and when it is released.
Feedback, questions or accessibility issues: [email protected]
© 2021 NE WI Area Health Education Center www.newahec.org. | Privacy Notice