Medical Record Technician

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Work Tasks

• Organize medical records of patients, i.e., medical histories, test results, and treatments
• Make sure medical charts are complete and entered into the database
• Give a code to each medical procedure done and enter Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRG) to see how much an insurance company will pay
• Use computers to analyze data on patient care, cut costs, and improve care
• Work for hospitals, medical group practices, nursing homes, clinics, insurance companies, law firms, accounting firms, and public health departments
• Work with patient records, classification systems, codes, files, reports, statistics, work schedules, clerical forms, computers, and computer programs

Salary, Size & Growth

• $41,500 average per year ($20.00 per hour)
• A large occupation (176,100 workers in 2010)
• Expected to grow rapidly (2.0% per year)

Education/Training

• Minimum for Entry: A 2-year degree in medical records technology
• Employers Prefer: Experience in a health-care setting and electronic record-keeping
• Skills/Courses: College courses include biology, chemistry, health, medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, legal aspects of health information, coding and abstraction of data, statistics, database management, quality improvement methods, and computerized record keeping.
• Certification/Licensing: Certification can be earned by completing a 2-year program and passing a test.