Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars
Apply knowledge of healthcare and information systems to assist in the design, development, and continued modification and analysis of computerized healthcare systems. Abstract, collect, and analyze treatment and followup information of patients. May educate staff and assist in problem solving to promote the implementation of the healthcare information system. May design, develop, test, and implement databases with complete history, diagnosis, treatment, and health status to help monitor diseases.
Also known as: Applications Analyst, Cancer Registrar, Cancer Tumor Registrar, Certified Cancer Registrar, Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR), Clinical Analyst, Clinical Data Specialist, Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist (CDIS), ...
Annual Salary
Median annual wage (May 2024)
Job Outlook
Projected growth, 2024–2034 (Much faster than average)
What You'd Do
- Assign the patient to diagnosis-related groups (DRGs), using appropriate computer software.
- Compile medical care and census data for statistical reports on diseases treated, surgery performed, or use of hospital beds.
- Design databases to support healthcare applications, ensuring security, performance and reliability.
- Develop in-service educational materials.
- Evaluate and recommend upgrades or improvements to existing computerized healthcare systems.
- Facilitate and promote activities, such as lunches, seminars, or tours, to foster healthcare information privacy or security awareness within the organization.
- Identify, compile, abstract, and code patient data, using standard classification systems.
- Manage the department or supervise clerical workers, directing or controlling activities of personnel in the medical records department.
- Monitor changes in legislation and accreditation standards that affect information security or privacy in the computerized healthcare system.
- Plan, develop, maintain, or operate a variety of health record indexes or storage and retrieval systems to collect, classify, store, or analyze information.
- Prepare statistical reports, narrative reports, or graphic presentations of information, such as tumor registry data for use by hospital staff, researchers, or other users.
- Protect the security of medical records to ensure that confidentiality is maintained.
- Resolve or clarify codes or diagnoses with conflicting, missing, or unclear information by consulting with doctors or others or by participating in the coding team's regular meetings.
- Retrieve patient medical records for physicians, technicians, or other medical personnel.
- Train medical records staff.
- Write or maintain archived procedures, procedural codes, or queries for applications.
Technology & Tools
Software and tools commonly used in this role
In-Demand Technologies
Other Tools
Work Styles
Personality traits and work styles important for this career
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Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.