Areas of Study
Course Type
Overview
Hours: 322 | CEUs: 32.2
Medical records and health information technicians are a rare breed. Their work is technical, but they bring a lot more to the table than tech knowledge. They’re also effective communicators with strong analytical skills. Here’s a brief look at what they’re day-to-day might look like:
- Reviewing patients’ records for timeliness, completeness, and accuracy.
- Tracking patient outcomes for quality assessment.
- Using classification software to assign clinical codes.
- Record data for collection, storage, analysis, retrieval, and reporting.
- Maintaining confidentiality of patients’ records.
This is one of the few jobs in which there’s no direct patient care. Most hours (about 40 per week) are spent sitting in front of a computer in an office setting.
We know financial security is a driving factor as you weigh your career options, so let’s talk about salary. Most health information technicians work full time and earn just over $45,240 a year, while more experienced pros earn about $70,000.
Key Concepts
This program covers everything you need to know to position yourself as an ideal candidate for nearly any medical records or HIT role:
- History of Medical Scribing: Medical scribing continues to evolve. We’ll fill you in on where the profession started, where it stands now, and where we expect it to be in the future.
- Functions of Electronic Health Records: Learn all about EHR—how they work, what they’re for, and why they’re valuable.
- Basic Body Systems: We’ll walk you through all the basic body systems and provide an overview of standard terminology.
- Communication Standards: Learn how to construct an accurate and organized HPI, which requires the use of medical terminology and appropriate phrasing as used in formal healthcare documentation.
Curriculum
Certified Healthcare Documentation Specialist Program Courses
Our 322-hour program outline is divided into 11 bite-sized courses that cover everything from the basics of coding to the importance of HIPAA compliance.
- Program Orientation: Certified Healthcare Documentation Specialist
- Law, Liability, and Ethics for Healthcare
- Comprehensive HIPAA
- Release of Information
- Comprehensive Medical Terminology
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Comprehensive Pharmacology
- Comprehensive Electronic Health Records
- Scribe Essentials
- Career Success in Healthcare
- Program Completion: Certified Healthcare Documentation Specialist
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the Certified Healthcare Documentation Specialist program take?
This program is designed to take 322 hours of study, which you can complete in as little as 12 months.
Are healthcare professionals in high demand?
CareerStep training programs are all focused in growing industries—particularly healthcare, which is expected to add upwards of 2.4 million jobs through 2029.*
How much do medical records and health information technicians make?
There’s a slight variation in salaries depending on specific locations, but the median wage comes in at just over $45,240 per year.
What do health information technicians do?
Health information technicians have a pretty incredible gig. In simple terms, they use technology to help healthcare providers improve care and lower costs, but the day-to-day routines are a lot more involved than you might think. Typical job responsibilities include tracking patient outcomes for quality assessment, using classification software to assign clinical codes for insurance reimbursement, and recording data for collection, storage, analysis, retrieval, and reporting.
