Health Records Technology

Overview

Health records technology programs prepare people to keep and protect patient records. Some programs are called medical records technology or health information technology.

Students learn how to set up records and enter data. They also learn to maintain privacy and quality in health records.

Health records technology programs include topics such as:

Medical terminology
Medical transcription
Data entry
Data security
Medical coding

Schools

Many community colleges offer certificate and associate degree programs in health records technology. A certificate program usually takes a year of full-time study. A certificate qualifies students to work as an assistant or clerk in health records technology. An associate degree program usually takes two years of full-time study to complete.

A few colleges and universities offer bachelor's degree in health records technology. A bachelor's degree usually takes about four years of full-time study.

See schools that offer this program.

Related Educational Programs

Related Careers

Careers Directly Related to this Program of Study

Health Information Technicians

Other Careers Related to this Program of Study

Program Admission

You can prepare for this program by taking courses in high school that prepare you for college. This typically includes four years of English, three years of math, three years of social studies, and two years of science. Some colleges also require two years of a second language.

Below is a list of high school courses that will help prepare you for this program of study:

Algebra
Anatomy and Physiology
Biology
Business Computer Applications
General Computer Applications
Health Education
Healthcare Occupations
Introduction to Business
Medical and Clerical Assisting
Psychology
Recordkeeping
Sociology

Typical Course Work

Program Courses

This program typically includes courses in the following subjects:

Clinical Coding and Classification Systems
Computer Applications
Healthcare Data Collection and Analysis
Healthcare Data Content and Structure
Healthcare Statistics
Introduction to Health Information Systems
Medical Billing Administration
Medical Legal Aspects
Medical Records Transcription
Medical Terminology
Pathophysiology
Quality Assessment
Reimbursement Methodologies

Some programs offer clinical practicum opportunities where you can apply your knowledge and skills in a variety of health records settings. You could help verify and organize health records in a hospital, a nursing home, a physician's clinic, or even an insurance company. Whatever the setting, you benefit from the guidance and direct supervision of an experienced health records technician or administrator.

Things to Know

When you graduate from an accredited program in health records technology, you can take a national certification exam.

You may have to get liability insurance before starting a clinical practicum.

If you want to pursue health records technology in greater depth, you can consider bachelor's or master's degree work in health records administration.