 | Medical Records Administrator
/Accounting Specialist |
Who are medical records administrators, and what do they do?
Medical records administrator is a broad term that refers to many health
professionals who write down, organize and manage patient information into
medical records. Medical records administrators may also be called health
information technicians. Medical records clerks, medical records technicians
and medical transcriptionists are different kinds of medical records
administrators who each have specialized jobs and responsibilities. Overall,
these professionals work together in planning and managing health information
systems and databases within hospitals and clinics, including performing such
tasks as updating and analyzing medical records and preparing statistical
reports and studies.
What are some different types of medical records administrators?
Medical records clerks file, retrieve and manage
patient information and medical records. They assist doctors and other health
professionals in doctor’s offices, hospitals and other healthcare settings.
Health information coding specialists create and
manage the codes that refer to specific health diseases and conditions and
medical procedures. They work in doctor’s offices, hospitals and other
health settings.
Medical records technicians manage the records
departments within hospitals and clinics and are involved with analyzing
patients’ medical records and supervising medical transcriptionists, records
clerks and coding specialists. To become accredited as a medical records
technician, you must pass a national examination.
What kind of education and training is required?
You must complete high school or your GED and pass certain
college-preparatory classes, including English, math, typing and science.
Depending upon the type of administrator you’d like to be, you must finish
one to four years of school beyond high school in an educational training
program offered through a community college or technical or professional
school. Each degree or certification program in medical records administration
has different requirements for which classes and how much work experience you
must complete to be eligible for the program. Check with the school you’re
interested in to find out its requirements. Generally, the more education and
training you have, the better qualified you will be for more advanced
positions, such as that of a medical records technician. It’s best if you
choose an educational program that is approved by the Commission for the
Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. To become a registered
medical records administrator, you must pass a national registration
examination.
How do medical records administrators typically spend their work day?
As a medical records administrator, you will likely work in the medical
records or health information department of a hospital, health clinic,
doctor's office, nursing home or other healthcare organization. Or you may
work for an insurance company. During an average day, you may work with a
doctor in getting new information to add to a patient’s medical record;
assign codes to new medical treatments or procedures; research a medical
procedure that is just being developed; and prepare a report analyzing this
new procedure.
What does it take to be a good medical records administrator?
Do you enjoy want to work in an office managing important health
information? Then you may be interested in becoming a medical records
administrator. You should be patient, organized and detail-oriented. It’s
also helpful to enjoy working with computers and performing administrative
tasks such as filing and typing.
What are some health-related jobs that are similar to that of a medical
records administrator?
Health educator, health services administrator, health sciences librarian,
health writer/editor, medical assistant
