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What Does a Health Information Technologist Do?
The healthcare industry has been improved through technology. Now, doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals are able to use tech systems to track patient care, improving the treatment patients receive. However, these systems require health information technology (Health IT) professionals to ensure they remain useful and secure.
What Is Health Information Technology?
Health IT involves the design, use, management and maintenance of the systems healthcare professionals use each day. This includes the critical electronic medical record (EMR) which is a place to compile and analyze patient health information.
Health IT enables healthcare providers to easily track patient medical conditions and treatments to improve patient care. It also enables healthcare providers from various locations to have access to the same accurate medical data about each patient they treat.
Physicians can send electronic prescriptions, easily send medical documentation to specialists and more using simple, tech-based systems. As a result, health IT improves patient outcomes.
Responsibilities Depend on Which HIT Career Path You Choose
As a Health IT professional, you’ll be responsible for using, managing and maintaining these critical systems. Your specific responsibilities will depend on the career path you choose. And there are many career opportunities available:
- Medical Records Technician: As a medical records technician, you’ll be responsible for maintaining the patient medical record. This might include updating patient records, adding information to patient records or auditing patient records for accuracy.
- Certified Coding Associate: As a coding associate, you’ll code patient diagnoses and treatments into the patient record. You’ll also be responsible for coding these elements for insurance billing purposes.
- Cancer Registrar: Cancer registrars are tasked with collecting and reporting data regarding patients going through cancer treatment. As a result, you’ll play a critical role in cancer research.
- Health Information Technician: As a technician, your main duties will be to track, analyze and record patient care. You’ll also help doctors and other medical professionals access patient medical records. This may mean ensuring they have access to the electronic medical record or requesting records from other facilities and physicians.
To start a career in Health IT, you’ll need to attend an accredited Health IT program such as the one offered here through Cambridge.
Start Your Career in Health Information Technology With Cambridge
A career in Health IT is rewarding and full of opportunities. And our Health IT program is a great place to start. To learn more about the program or to get started today, give us a call at 877-206-4279 or send us a message.
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