Medical Coding And Records

Job Popularity in Metro Areas for Medical Records And Health Information Technicians

The map below shows some metro areas where the profession is more popular, compared to the size of the population, than in the rest of the country. A table below the map shows job popularity and salaries across the US.

(Also see our complete career descriptions list.)

Metro Areas Rated for Popularity (as of 2007) for:
Medical Records And Health Information Technicians

Listed below are metro areas ranked by the popularity of jobs for Medical Records And Health Information Technicians relative to the population of the city, as of 2007.

Clicking on each city's name takes you to a detailed career profile for that city, providing the number of jobs, salaries, amount of training required, and more, for hundreds of job types.

Career Stories for Medical Records And Health Information Technicians

The inside stories from people actually working in the field.
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All Types

• Health Information Associate

  Job Title: Health Information Associate

  Education: AS in Health Information

  Previous Experience: I have worked in the healthcare field for 15 years starting with Certified Nurse Assistant, then continuing to Licensed Vocational Nurse and then completing my degree and initiating a career in Health Information

  Job Tasks: I research, retrieve and assemble physicians' orders, nursing notes and other medical records into patients' charts, and help in the storage and retrieval of medical records maintained by the clinic. I also retrieve and reconcile patient encounter forms with clinic notes, and I sometimes edit encounter information in our health information system (our computer system) as necessary, as well as sort encounter forms by service.

  I also review health information and encounter forms for completeness, consistency, accuracy and compliance with HIPAA (privacy) regulations, department procedures and other standards. I also enter coded medical data into the computer system and select diagnoses and procedure codes from computer-based coding systems.

  I need to have a working knowledge of several different medical coding systems to get my work done. I learn additional coding systems while on the job.

  I create reports regarding patient diagnoses, treatments, and other relevant health information for management review. My job sometimes involves additional reporting tasks such as loggin, tracking, updating and reconciling productivity sheets, clinic tracers, referrals, encounter forms, patient visits and diagnosis records, and provider reports. I also make sure that cases of communicable diseases have been properly reported to the Health Department, or reports as directed by the immediate supervisor.

  Best and Worst Parts of the Job: The best part of the job is the job demand. The healthcare industry is always in search of professional and experienced personnel. I have found that another interesting aspect of the job is that I am constantly required to put forth mental effort to solve situations that arise . It keeps me on my toes and keeps my mind alert constantly.

  Job Tips:
  1. Always try to further your education and knowledge of the field

  2. Never stop learning. Learn from other people and don't be afraid to ask for help.

  3. Make medicine and learning a life long commitment.

  4. You must have compassion and understanding to enter and stay in the healthcare field.

  5. If you enjoy helping people then you will enjoy working in healthcare.

• Medical Coding Analyst At An Insurance Company

  Job Title: Medical Coding Analyst At An Insurance Company

  Education: Certification in medical coding

  Previous Experience: I worked in a medical practice for 18 years doing medical coding for insurance claims.

  Job Tasks: We are a company that provides a medicare advantage (replacement) policy. I review medical charts daily to assure proper diagnostic coding is submitted to our company for claims.

  I travel throughout Iowa for about 6 months of the year, the rest of the time, I work via the internet. This is what I do for 40 hours or more every week. Any paperwork, appointment making, etc. is done by a "specialist" in the company. I travel throughout the state of Iowa and often into other adjoining states, going to practices to review records on site. This does mean that I live out of a suitcase at times, but it's not that bad. A lot of my trips are "daytrips".

  I do fit into the schedule an occasional 1-2 hour conference call to keep my continuing education credits up to date, and do attend a weekly meeting for anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour via a conference call.

  We wear company issue shirts and slacks so wardrobe is not a big part of your budget. I am responsible for reviewing a minimum of 400 charts a week. Sounds like alot, but it's only 80 a day.

  My direct supervisor(s) are not in the office I work out of, so much communication is done through e-mails and phone calls. A weekly check-in call to my supervisor is required at the end of each working day. The pay is salaried, but 40 hours of work is required. After years in a medical practice, this is a breath of fresh air!

  Best and Worst Parts of the Job: Traveling in the winter is the worst part, second to traveling in serious rainstorms. The best part is that I work on my own, with little supervision for the most part. I have quotas to meet weekly which if not met creates a lack of trust, so you meet them!

  Job Tips:
  1. Get experience by starting out in a physicians office. It helps to know the works of a practice.

  2. After about a year in a practice, get your certification in coding. Often times the practice will pay for this if you agree to stay another year.

  3. Don't be afraid to venture into the insurance field, the rewards, (including the pay) are much better than at a physician's office.

  Additional Thoughts: This is a relatively new field within insurance companies. You are not an auditor, but a reviewer. The need is great in the midwest, especially southwestern Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and the Dakotas.

Most Popular Industries (as of 2007) for:
Medical Records And Health Information Technicians

Industries representing at least 1% of total jobs for the occupation.