Health information clerks manage medical records in a hospital or other healthcare setting. Read on to learn about the duties and responsibilities, educational requirements, and salary statistics for health information clerks.
Duties and Responsibilities
As a health information clerk, also known as a medical records clerk, you are responsible for compiling, coding, organizing, and evaluating patient medical records. You use a variety of different indices, classification systems, and storage retrieval systems to organize medical records so that they can quickly and efficiently be retrieved when needed. You will also check medical records and charts for correctness and completeness. Other common job tasks include creating a new medical record or chart for newly-admitted patients and closing records upon a patient's discharge.
You work with doctors to make sure that records are processed in a timely manner. You will be expected to possess working knowledge of routine medical practices and procedures so that you can accurately record them. Because some record keeping will be in a digital format, you are also expected to have knowledge of computers and software programs related to organizing and maintaining medical records.
<h3 id="section---ImportantFactsAboutThisOccupation">Important Facts About This Occupation</h3><p></p><table border="1"><tr><td> Similar Occupations </td><td> Medical Transcriptionist, Medical/Health Service Manager</td></tr>
<tr><td> Key Skills </td><td> Integrity, interpersonal, detail oriented, and technical skills</td></tr>
<tr><td> Work Environment </td><td> Office setting; typically requires several hours spent at a desk/computer</td></tr>
<tr><td> Continuing Education </td><td> Required to maintain professional certification</td></tr>
</table><h3 id="section---EducationRequirements">Education Requirements</h3><p>A postsecondary certificate is typically the minimum education requirement for many medical record and health information clerk positions. These programs provide instruction in health records management, healthcare delivery systems, medical terminology, and healthcare laws. Completion of such a program could provide an advantage in securing employment in a competitive job market.
</p><p>Certification is not required to work in the field. However, a Registered Health Information Technician credential from the American Health Information Management Association may be attractive to employers. To earn this credential, you must have an associate's degree in health information management.
</p><h3 id="section---SalaryStatisticsAndEmploymentOutlook">Salary Statistics and Employment Outlook</h3><p>According to <i>PayScale.com</i>, based on information gathered in January 2023, the majority of medical records clerks earned $11.73-$18.70 per hour. <i>PayScale.com</i> also reported that most medical records clerks with less than one year of professional experience earned $10.69-$17.78 per hour, while most of those with 20 years or more years of experience earned $13.50-$22.22 per hour.
</p><p>The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the median annual salary earned by medical records and health information technicians, including health information clerks, was $46,660 in May 2021. The BLS additionally projected that the employment of such technicians should increase by about 7% between 2021 and 2031, a rate faster than the average predicted for all occupations.</p>
