Are you interested in working in the health care industry, but don't want to be on the front line? If so, perhaps you should consider becoming a health informatics specialist. A health informatics specialist takes patient information and transcribes it into a digital format. These professionals also coordinate, store, and maintain computerized medical records. As a result, their efforts help doctors, patients, hospitals, and insurance companies work together more efficiently and effectively.
Why Should I Get Into the Health Information Management Field?
With the increase in baby-boomers retiring from the workforce, health informatics specialists are in high demand. Since records are moving over from paper to electronic, any new health informatics specialist needs to be able to understand the guidelines for billing and coding, as well as securing patients’ electronic profiles. Through the patients’ electronic medical record(s), the following operations can be accomplished:
- Validating providers’ diagnoses
- Improving health information exchange between electronic medical record platforms
- Improving quality of care to patients through querying for specificity needed for claim submissions.
The demand for health informatics specialists has changed and is providing a great career path for tech savvy individuals who want to help people from a non-clinical side of health care.
What Are the Advantages of Becoming a Health Informatics Specialist?
Some of the advantages of becoming a HIM technician includes:- They help the health care industry lower costs
- They help lower malpractice claims
- They make a median pay of $39,180
- The job outlook for HIM technicians is up 13%
- Qualified HIM technicians are currently in high demand
What's Jobs Can I Get From Hocking's HIM Program?
Students who decide to enroll in Hocking College’s Associate of Applied Science in Healthcare Informatics program will make themselves available to the following jobs:
- Health information technology specialist/manager
- Health information technology implementation specialist
- Clinical application support manager
- Health information technology project manager
How Can I Enter This Field?
Hocking College offers an Associate of Applied Science in Healthcare Informatics program. Applicants can receive the hands-on training they need to go from student to graduate in only four semesters. Those interested in the program can contact the Program Manager, Jade Cover, by email at coverj@hocking.edu or by phone at (740) 753-6417.
