What does a Health Information Manager do?
Health information managers (registered record administrators, accredited record technicians and certified coding specialists) are professionals who secure, analyze and integrate a variety of health care and financial data used to evaluate patient care, plan health care activities and help providers.
What might a Health Information Manager do in a work day?
Registered Record Administrator (RRA):
- interacts with medical, financial and administrative staff to interpret data for patient care, research, statistical reporting and planning.
- protects the privacy of patients’ health information.
Accredited Record Technician (ART):
- examines medical records for accuracy.
- reports patient data for reimbursement.
- creates disease registries for researchers.
Certified Coding Specialist (CCS):
- assigns a code to each diagnosis and procedure found in a patient’s record.
- reports codes to insurance companies to pay for a patient’s medical expenses.
Developing a Career as a Health Information Manager
Health information personnel may work in hospitals, clinics, HMOs, insurance companies, law firms, consulting firms, physician offices, nursing homes, health data organizations and other settings.
How much salary do Health Information Managers make?
Annual Mean Wage
$39,130
How do I become a Health Information Manager?
Students interested in health information careers should take high school courses in business, computer science, physiology, math, biology, English and chemistry.
Registered record administrators must earn a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college program and pass a certification exam.
Accredited record technicians must complete an associate degree from an accredited college program or through the American Health Information Management Association’s Independent Study Program and by passing a credentialing exam. Certified coding specialists must have a high school diploma, on-the-job-training, a coding education from seminars or college classes and pass a certification program.
Where else can I learn about becoming a Health Information Manager?
Professional Associations:
Virginia Health Information Management Association
213 S. Jefferson Street
Suite 900
Roanoke, VA 24011
(540) 224-6836
www.vhima.org
American Health Information Management Association
233 N. Michigan Avenue
21st Floor
Chicago, IL 60601-5809
(312) 233-1100
www.ahima.org
The Professional Association of Health Care Coding Specialists
218 E. Bearss Avenue #354
Tampa, FL 33613
(888) 708-4707
www.pahcs.org
