HLTH 1015 Week 3 Health Information Role Profile Example

Role Profile: Health Information Technologist and Registered Health Information Administrator, Reported From the Sources That Define the Work

Student Name

Walden University

HLTH 1015: Exploring Your Path: Foundations Across Fields

Instructor Name

Month Day, Year

Role Profile: Health Information Technologist and Registered Health Information Administrator, Reported From the Sources That Define the Work

Why This Role and How It Is Reported

This profile describes health information work, the field responsible for the accuracy, privacy and use of patient health records. I chose it because it sits close to health services management, the field I have been exploring, and because classmates have described it in ways that did not match what I had read. The profile is written as reporting. Tasks, work settings, pay and outlook come from the federal occupational sources, the Occupational Outlook Handbook and O*NET. Entry requirements come from the organizations that set them: the accreditor of education programs and the association that awards the credentials. My own view of the role is held back until the last section, so a reader can judge the facts before reading my opinion.

What the Work Involves

The Occupational Outlook Handbook groups health information technologists with medical registrars and describes them as workers who develop, implement and maintain systems for health information, including systems that store and protect patient data, and who analyze clinical data for uses such as quality improvement and research (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d.). Medical registrars compile and maintain data for registries, such as cancer registries. O*NET lists typical work activities for the same occupation, including reviewing records for completeness and accuracy, maintaining the confidentiality of records, analyzing data and training staff in data entry and documentation (National Center for O*NET Development, n.d.).

The field also includes a separate occupation, medical records specialists, which covers coding and records work that often requires a postsecondary certificate or an associate degree. Classmates who described health information as only coding were describing this occupation, not the technologist or administrator role. The difference matters because the education, pay and daily work are not the same.

A Day in the Role

A typical day for an administrator-level role in a hospital might include reviewing a report of records that are missing physician signatures, meeting with a clinical department about a documentation problem that is causing claim denials, responding to a request for a patient's records under privacy rules, and checking data for a quality report due to a state agency. The Handbook's description of technologists and the O*NET task list both point to this mix of review, communication and analysis (National Center for O*NET Development, n.d.). For a medical registrar, the day is narrower and more focused on abstracting cases into a registry according to its rules. Both roles depend on careful attention to detail over long stretches, which the federal sources list among the most important qualities for the occupation, alongside analytical skills, integrity in handling confidential information and the ability to explain documentation rules to clinicians who may resist them.

Where the Work Happens

According to the Handbook, health information technologists and registrars work in hospitals, physicians' offices, government and other settings, and many work full time. Because much of the work is done in electronic systems, some positions allow remote work, although this depends on the employer and the role. The work is mainly at a computer, with frequent contact with clinicians about documentation and with information technology staff about systems, and less direct contact with patients than most clinical roles.

Entry Requirements and Who Sets Them

Entry requirements in this field come from three different places, and keeping them separate avoids a common confusion.

Education programs. Health information management programs at the associate, bachelor's and master's levels are accredited by CAHIIM, an independent body that reviews programs in health informatics and health information (Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education, n.d.). Accreditation matters because it determines eligibility for the main credentials.

Credentials. The American Health Information Management Association awards the Registered Health Information Technician credential, generally for graduates of accredited associate programs, and the Registered Health Information Administrator credential, generally for graduates of accredited bachelor's or master's programs, after they pass a certification exam (American Health Information Management Association [AHIMA], n.d.). Coding credentials are awarded separately.

Employers. Many employers require or prefer one of these credentials, especially for administrator roles, but this is an employer preference, not a legal license. Unlike nursing, health information work is generally not licensed by the states.

Pay and Outlook

The Handbook reports pay and projected employment for health information technologists and medical registrars, updated regularly. In the version I consulted, median pay for this group was well above the median for all occupations, and the projected rise in employment over the next ten years outpaced the average occupation (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d.). The Handbook notes that demand is linked to the growing use of electronic health records and the need to analyze health data. Because the figures change with each update, anyone using this profile should check the current Handbook page rather than rely on numbers copied here.

Pay for administrator roles with a bachelor's degree and the administrator credential is generally higher than pay for entry-level records positions, and moving into management, such as director of health information, often requires experience and sometimes a graduate degree.

My Assessment

Reading the sources changed my view in two ways. First, health information administration is more analytical than I expected; the Handbook's emphasis on data analysis and systems suggests the role is moving toward informatics. Second, it has a clearer entry path than health services management: an accredited bachelor's program leads directly to a credential exam, while management roles often require years of experience first.

Against that, the role offers less of the people work I enjoy. Most contact is with clinicians and records, not patients or front-line staff. My Week 2 self-assessment found that my strongest evidence was in solving recurring problems and training staff. Health information administration would use the first strength fully and the second partly, through training staff on documentation. It is a serious option, and I will compare it directly with health services management in Week 5.

Before that comparison, I plan to read two current job postings for each role in my area, to see which requirements employers actually list.

References

American Health Information Management Association. (n.d.). Certifications. https://www.ahima.org/certification-careers/certifications-overview/

Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education. (n.d.). About CAHIIM. https://www.cahiim.org/about-us

National Center for O*NET Development. (n.d.). 29-9021.00: Health information technologists and medical registrars. O*NET OnLine. https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-9021.00

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (n.d.). Health information technologists and medical registrars. Occupational Outlook Handbook. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/health-information-technologists-and-medical-registrars.htm