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Career in Health Information Management

Find out about health information management training, careers and salary.

Start a Career in Health Information Management

A career in health information management puts you at the center of the exploding fields of health care and technology. As a health information management professional, you are the expert on patient data that doctors, nurses and other health-care providers rely on to perform their jobs. By maintaining, collecting and analyzing health information, your work makes an important contribution to the delivery of high quality care.

 
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What You'll Do in a Health Information Management Career

career in health info management

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Health information managers design and manage health information systems to ensure they meet medical, legal and ethical standards. Depending on their title or work setting, specific job responsibilities vary. Some typical responsibilities include the following:

  • Collecting and analyzing patient data
  • Ensuring that patients' medical records are complete and accurate
  • Ensuring records are only available to those directly involved with a patient's care
  • Managing and maintaining databases
  • Designing, generating and analyzing reports for administrators and physicians

Job Titles

Based on their skills, level of education and interests, health information managers may hold a variety of titles. With a bachelor's degree, these may include the following:

  • Department director 
  • System manager
  • Data quality manager
  • Chief privacy officer
  • Consultant or teacher

With an associate's degree, titles may include the following:

  • Health data analyst 
  • Insurance claims analyst
  • Records technician specialist
  • Clinical coding specialist
  • Physician practice manager
  • Patient information coordinator.

Accredited health information managers enjoy a broad selection of job opportunities and options for professional growth. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), health information managers hold jobs in one of the 20 fastest growing fields in the U.S.

 
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Health Information Management Workplace

Health information managers work in a multitude of settings throughout the health-care industry:

  • Hospitals 
  • Physician's offices
  • Home health agencies
  • Nursing homes
  • Public health offices
  • Insurance companies

Education and Training

Accredited health information management programs are offered at more than 200 colleges and universities across the U.S., and many programs offer online health information management degrees. Health information managers must complete either an associate's or bachelor's degree program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education.

Licensing and Certification

After completing a two- or four-year program, candidates for employment will need to successfully complete a certification exam to validate their competence. Depending on education level, candidates can seek one of two credentials in the field:

  • Those who have completed a bachelor's degree program typically pursue the Registered Health Information Administrator or RHIA credential. In addition to a four-year degree, this certification requires successful performance on the RHIA certification exam.
     
  • Those who have completed an associate's degree program pursue the Registered Health Information Technician or RHIT credential, which also requires passing an exam. RHITs are health information technicians who ensure the quality of medical records by verifying their completeness, accuracy and proper entry into computer systems. RHITs often specialize in coding diagnoses and procedures in patient records for reimbursement and research.
 
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Health Information Management Salary

Competitive salaries await health information managers and technicians. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2010 survey report, managers boast a median annual salary range of $65,650 – $109,490. Those with an associate's degree and technician status can earn between $25,570 – $42,170. Because of the great diversity of work settings, job titles, education levels and certifications, health information management salaries are extremely variable.

 

On top of strong earnings potential, health information managers can expect to be in high demand as the health sector expands to keep up with an aging population and advances in medicine and technology.

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