What Does A Medical Record and Health Information Technician Do (including Their Typical Day at Work)

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Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Medical Records Technicians

Medical Records Technicians 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 in a manner consistent with the healthcare industry's numerical coding system.

Salary
$48270
Becoming One
Medium
Education
No degree required
Job Satisfaction
Job Growth

Personality


What they do

Medical Records Technicians 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 in a manner consistent with the healthcare industry's numerical coding system.

  • Assign the patient to diagnosis-related groups (DRGs), using appropriate computer software.
  • Protect the security of medical records to ensure that confidentiality is maintained.
  • Review records for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with regulations.
  • Process patient admission or discharge documents.

Typical day

On a daily basis, Medical Records Technicians manage the department or supervise clerical workers, directing or controlling activities of personnel in the medical records department. They protect the security of medical records to ensure that confidentiality is maintained.

  • Plan, develop, maintain, or operate a variety of health record indexes or storage and retrieval systems to collect, classify, store, or analyze information.
  • Assign the patient to diagnosis-related groups (DRGs), using appropriate computer software.
  • Compile and maintain patients’ medical records to document condition and treatment and to provide data for research or cost control and care improvement efforts.
  • Identify, compile, abstract, and code patient data, using standard classification systems.
  • Review records for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with regulations.

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Medical Records Technicians also prepare statistical reports, narrative reports, or graphic presentations of information, such as tumor registry data for use by hospital staff, researchers, or other users. They may also process and prepare business or government forms.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Medical Records Technicians release information to persons or agencies according to regulations. They might also develop in-service educational materials.

In addition, they consult classification manuals to locate information about disease processes.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them compile medical care and census data for statistical reports on diseases treated, surgery performed, or use of hospital beds.

To some Medical Records Technicians, it is also their responsibility to retrieve patient medical records for physicians, technicians, or other medical personnel.

What is the job like

Job satisfaction

High

Is this job meaningful

High

71% said they were satisfied with their job and 58% said they found their job meaningful.


Anonymous
An acute care hospital

I’m a Clinical Documentation Integrity Nurse. I work remotely for an acute care hospital doing chart reviews.

My typical day

8 hours days, 5 days a week. Reviewing charts for physician documentation and quality.

Pros

  • I absolutely love the commute, bed to desk takes about 5 minutes with a pit stop for coffee. I am also able to save thousands of dollars and time now that I don’t have a commute. There is nothing better than working in a home office with your dog all day. I love that at the end of my day I close my computer and I’m already home.

Cons

  • Sedentary work. When I worked in the ER I was used to never sitting down and constantly being on the move, it’s been quite an adjustment being strapped to a desk for my current role. I’ve had to be better about intentionally getting out for walks and mountain bike rides.
  • Sometimes I miss direct patient care, but I’m building an entirely different skill set in my new role. I know if I ever return to the bedside I will be a better nurse for the knowledge I’ve gained.
  • Isolation. It gets lonely sometimes working from home, especially since I was used to a busy and loud unit. Luckily, I’m fairly introverted and am content to work by myself most days.

Pros

Suitable for people who like to follow routines.

Suitable for people who value relationships between co-workers and customers and want to work in a friendly non-competitive environment.

This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors.

It is not too difficult to get into this career. Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for this career.

Normal working hours (40 hours per week).

Cons

Not suitable for people who like to work with designs.

Salary is below average.

How much do they make

Average salary

$48270 per year

Average hourly wage

$23 per hour

Entry-level Medical Records Technicians with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $28,800 to $34,810 per year or $14 to $17 per hour.

Salary by experience Annual Hourly
Highest (Top 10%) $73,370 $35
Senior (Top 25%) $57,840 $28
Median $44,090 $21
Junior (Bottom 25%) $34,810 $17
No experience (Bottom 10%) $28,800 $14

This table shows the top 10 highest paying industries for Medical Records Technicians based on their average annual salary.

Salary by industry Annual Hourly
Junior Colleges $89220 $42.90
Federal Executive Branch $57690 $27.74
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services $56010 $26.93
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools $55950 $26.90
Insurance Carriers $54970 $26.43
Scientific Research and Development Services $54950 $26.42
Management of Companies and Enterprises $52700 $25.34
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services $52410 $25.20
Educational Support Services $51650 $24.83
Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services $51490 $24.75

View more salary by industries here.

Where can they work

Where can Medical Records Technicians work? Here is a table showing the top 10 largest employers of Medical Records Technicians including the average salary in that industry.

Employers Total Employed Annual Salary Hourly Wages
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 108650 $50940 $24.49
Outpatient Care Centers 51750 $44850 $21.56
Offices of Physicians 46220 $43080 $20.71
Management of Companies and Enterprises 15030 $52700 $25.34
Federal Executive Branch 9810 $57690 $27.74
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 9330 $42810 $20.58
Office Administrative Services 8850 $47600 $22.89
Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services 6220 $44850 $21.56
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 5280 $48010 $23.08
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 4720 $55950 $26.90

What is the work day like

Working hours

Less than 40 hours
23%

40 hours
66%

More than 40 hours
11%

Working schedule

100%

0%

0%

Email

How often do you use email in this job?

Once a week
10%

Every day
67%

Telephone

How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

Once a week
17%

Every day
65%

Group discussions

How often do you have group discussions in this job?

Once a week
24%

Every day
60%

Public speaking

How often does this job require you to do public speaking?

Never
68%

Once a year
25%

Once a month
6%

Once a week
0%

Every day
0%

Level of competition

How much competitive pressure is in this job?

Not competitive at all
60%

Slightly competitive
2%

Moderately competitive
35%

Highly competitive
3%

Extremely competitive
0%

What is the work environment like

Office-style environment

Indoors in an environmentally controlled condition

Never
14%

Once a year or more
0%

Once a month or more
0%

Once a week or more
0%

Every day
86%

Warehouse-style environment

Indoors in a non-controlled environmental condition such as a warehouse

Never
89%

Once a year or more
1%

Once a month or more
4%

Once a week or more
0%

Every day
6%

Outdoors

Outdoors exposed to all weather conditions

Never
100%

Once a year or more
0%

Once a month or more
0%

Once a week or more
0%

Every day
0%

Outdoors – Under Cover

Outdoors but under cover (e.g. structure with roof but no walls)

Never
100%

Once a year or more
0%

Once a month or more
0%

Once a week or more
0%

Every day
0%

How to become one

Difficulty to become one

Medium
You will need previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience. Most careers in this difficulty category require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an Associate’s degree, and one or two years of on-the-job training. Similar careers include Travel Agents, Agricultural Technicians, Court Reports, and Medical Assistants.

Required level of education

What level of education do you need to perform the job?

Less than a High School Diploma
0%

High School Diploma or equivalent
48%

Post-Secondary Certificate
11%

Some College Courses
21%

Associate’s Degree or similar
20%

Bachelor’s Degree
1%

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate
0%

Master’s Degree
0%

Post-Master’s Certificate
0%

First Professional Degree
0%

Doctoral Degree
0%

Post-Doctoral Training
0%

Relevant majors

No majors found

Relevant work experience

How much related work experience do you need to get hired for the job?

None
12%

1 month
9%

1 to 3 months
1%

3 to 6 months
3%

6 months to 1 year
40%

1 to 2 years
20%

2 to 4 years
14%

4 to 6 years
2%

6 to 8 years
0%

8 to 10 years
0%

Over 10 years
0%

On The Job Training

How much on the job training do you need to perform the job?

None or short demonstration
1%

1 month
40%

1 to 3 months
31%

3 to 6 months
14%

6 months to 1 year
4%

1 to 2 years
5%

2 to 4 years
4%

4 to 10 years
1%

Over 10 years
0%

Should you become one

Best personality type for this career

The Organizer

People with this personality type likes to follow set procedures and routines. They prefer working with data and details more than with ideas.

The Builder
29%

People with The Builder personality type likes practical and hands-on work. They prefer working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.


The Thinker
14%

People with The Thinker personality likes to work with ideas that require an extensive amount of thinking. They prefer work that requires them to solve problems mentally.


The Artist
14%

People with The Artist personality likes to work with designs and patterns. They prefer activities that require self-expression and prefer work that can be done without following a clear set of rules.


The Helper
33%

People with The Helper personality type likes to work with people and in teams. They prefer work that allows them to build relationships with others.


The Leader
52%

People with The Leader personality likes to start and work on projects. They also like leading people and making many decisions.


The Organizer
100%

People with The Organizer personality type likes to follow set procedures and routines. They prefer working with data and details more than with ideas.


You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tend to like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

They also like starting up and carrying out projects. They like leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk-taking and often deal with business.

Take this quiz to see if this is the right career for you.

Work Values

Which values are the most important to a person’s satisfaction for this job?

Achievement
43%

You are someone who is results oriented. You prefer work that allows you to utilize your skills and abilities while at the same time giving you a sense of accomplishment.

Working Conditions
45%

You are someone who values job security, steady employment, and good working conditions. You also prefer work that keeps you busy all the time with something different to do every day.

Recognition
43%

You are someone who values job advancement and leadership roles. You prefer work that receives recognition for the work you do and jobs that are looked up to by others in the company and your community.

Relationships
76%

You are someone who likes to provide a service to others. You prefer a work environment where you can work with your co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Support
67%

You are someone who values a company that stands behind their employees. You prefer a work environment where everyone is treated fairly and is being supported by the company.

Independence
52%

You are someone who likes to work on your own and make your own decisions. You prefer work that requires little supervision and are allowed to try out your own ideas.

FAQ


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