| What is Health Information Technology? |
Health Information Management Technology involves the processing of all types of health information, and focuses on legal, accreditation, licensure and certification standards. HIMT involves reimbursement, facility planning, marketing risk management, utilization management, quality assessment and research. Graduates may work in hospitals, doctor’s offices, for healthcare vendors, or government and non-profit agencies. Learn more about the career at www.ahima.org.
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| Length of Program |
4-6 semesters (not including prerequisite courses) |
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Semester Program Begins
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Fall and Spring semesters; mostly day courses, some evening and online.
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| General Admission Application Process |
- Apply to Gwinnett Technical College at www.gwinnetttech.edu, submit all transcripts from high school and previous college work, and take the ACCUPLACER test if required (You must be accepted into Gwinnett Tech prior to applying to a program of study.)
- Applicants are initially accepted into the Interdisciplinary Studies degree program while completing the required prerequisite courses
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| Program Application Process |
- All applicants are required to submit a Health Information Management Technology program packet by the file completion deadline. The Health Information Management Technology program packets are available online at http://www.gwinnetttech.edu/enrollment/forms-documents/
- For Fall semester admission, the program application and all prerequisites must be completed by July 24.
- For Spring semester admission, the program application and all prerequisites must be completed by November 16.
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| Prerequisite Courses |
All of the following: |
| (Minimum 2.5 GPA) |
- Composition and Rhetoric-ENGL 1101,
- College Algebra-MATH 1111,
- Medical Terminology-ALHS 1090,
- Anatomy and Physiology I with Lab-BIOL 2113 and BIOL 2113L*
- Anatomy and Physiology II with Lab-BIOL 2114 and BIOL 2114L*
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| Additional Required Courses |
One of the following: |
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One of the following:
- Introduction to Humanities-HUMN 1101,
- Art Appreciation-ARTS 1101, Music Appreciation-MUSC 1101 or
American Literature-ENGL 2130
- Human Disease - MAST 1120 (Effective Fall 2021 this course is no longer a requirement)
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First Year Experience Seminar-FYES 1000 preferred that it is taken prior to program start date but can be taken during the first semester in the program.
*Courses may not be more than 5 years old at time of program application
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| Competitive Admissions |
Admissions for the Health Information Technology program is based on a minimum 2.5 GPA.
GPA is calculated using all attempts of prerequisite courses. Applicants who have completed their prerequisites are accepted into the program on a first come, first served basis.
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| For more information, contact: |
Joshua Vejar, program support specialist jvejar@gwinnetttech.edu, 678-226-6404. |
| For admission and enrollment, contact: |
Enrollment Support Center in Building 100 at the Lawrenceville campus or Building A at the Alpharetta-North Fulton campus or email at healthteam@GwinnettTech.edu.
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Quick Facts
| 2020 Median Pay |
$44,090 per year/$21.20 per hour |
| Entry level education |
Associate of Applied Science degree |
| Number of jobs, 2020 |
341,600 |
| Job Outlook, 2020-2029 |
8% (Faster than average) |
Nature of the Work
Medical records and health information technicians, commonly referred to as health information technicians, organize and manage health information data by ensuring that it maintains its quality, accuracy, accessibility, and security in both paper files and electronic systems. They use various classification systems to code and categorize patient information for insurance reimbursement purposes, for databases and registries, and to maintain patients’ medical and treatment histories.
Duties
Health information technicians typically do the following:
- Review patients’ records for timeliness, completeness, accuracy, and appropriateness of data
- Organize and maintain data for clinical databases and registries
- Track patient outcomes for quality assessment
- Use classification software to assign clinical codes for insurance reimbursement and data analysis
- Electronically record data for collection, storage, analysis, retrieval, and reporting
- Maintain confidentiality of patients’ records
Health information technicians document patients’ health information, including their medical history, symptoms, examination and test results, treatments, and other information about healthcare services that are provided to patients. Their duties vary by employer and by the size of the facility in which they work.
Although health information technicians do not provide direct patient care, they work regularly with registered nurses and other healthcare professionals. They meet with these workers to clarify diagnoses or to get additional information to make sure that records are complete and accurate.
The increasing adaptation and use of electronic health records (EHRs) will continue to change the job responsibilities of health information technicians. Technicians will need to be familiar with, or be able to learn, EHR computer software, follow EHR security and privacy practices, and analyze electronic data to improve healthcare information.
Health information technicians can specialize in many aspects of health information. Some work as medical coders, sometimes called coding specialists, or as cancer registrars.
Medical coders typically do the following:
- Review patient information for preexisting conditions, such as diabetes, so patient data can be coded properly
- Assign appropriate diagnoses and procedure codes for patient care, population health statistics, and billing purposes
- Work as a liaison between the healthcare providers and billing offices
Cancer registrars typically do the following:
- Review patients’ records and pathology reports to verify completeness and accuracy
- Assign classification codes to represent the diagnosis and treatment of cancers and benign tumors
- Conduct annual follow-ups to track treatment, survival, and recovery
- Compile and analyze cancer patient information for research purposes
- Maintain facility, regional, and national databases of cancer patients
Work Environment
Medical records and health information technicians held about 341,600 jobs in 2020. The largest employers of medical records and health information technicians were as follows:
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Hospitals; state, local, and private
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37%
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Offices of physicians
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15%
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Administrative and support services
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5%
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Professional, scientific, and technical services
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5%
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Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities)
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3%
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Medical records and health information technicians typically work in offices and may spend many hours in front of computer monitors. Some technicians may work from home.
Most health information technicians work full time. In healthcare facilities that are always open, such as hospitals, technicians may work evening or overnight shifts.
Important Qualities
Analytical skills. Health information technicians must understand and follow medical records and diagnoses, and then decide how best to code them in a patient’s medical records.
Detail oriented. Health information technicians must be accurate when recording and coding patient information.
Integrity. Health information technicians work with patient data that are required, by law, to be kept confidential. They must exercise discretion and a strong sense of ethics when working with this information in order to protect patient confidentiality.
Interpersonal skills. Health information technicians need to be able to discuss patient information, discrepancies, and data requirements with other professionals such as physicians and finance personnel.
Technical skills. Health information technicians must use coding and classification software and the electronic health record (EHR) system that their healthcare organization or physician practice has adopted.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Most employers prefer to hire health information technicians who have certification, or they may expect applicants to earn certification shortly after being hired. A health information technician can earn certification from several organizations. Certifications include the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) and the Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR), among others.
Some organizations base certification on passing an exam. Others require graduation from an accredited program. Many coding certifications also require coding experience in a work setting. Once certified, technicians typically must renew their certification regularly and take continuing education courses.
Employment
Medical records and health information technicians held about 341,600 jobs nationally in 2020. About 36 percent of jobs were in hospitals. Health information technicians work at a number of healthcare providers such as offices of physicians, nursing care facilities, outpatient care centers, and home healthcare services. Technicians also gain employment outside of healthcare facilities, such as in federal government agencies. Employment of medical records and health information technicians is expected to increase by 11 percent, faster than the average for all occupations through 2029. Employment growth will result from the increase in the number of medical tests, treatments, and procedures that doctors perform.
Earnings
The median annual wage nationally of medical records and health information technicians was $44,090 in May 2020. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $28,800, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $73,370.
Job Outlook
Employment of health information technicians is projected to grow 8 percent from 2020 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. The demand for health services is expected to increase as the population ages.
How to Become a Health Information Management Technologist
Health information technicians typically need a postsecondary certificate to enter the occupation, although some may need an associate’s degree. Certification is often required. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Medical Records and Health information Technicians, on the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-records-and-health-information-technicians.htm
The Gwinnett Technical College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.
Lisa Richardson, Section 504/ADA, Title IX and Equity Coordinator, Building 100, Room 708, 678.226.6691, lrichardson@gwinnettTech.edu
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