Employment is expected to grow faster than average. Job prospects should be
very good; technicians with a strong background in medical coding will be in
particularly high demand.Employment change. Employment of
medical records and health information technicians is expected to increase
by 18 percent through 2016—faster
than the average for all occupations—because of rapid growth in the
number of medical tests, treatments, and procedures that will be
increasingly scrutinized by health insurance companies, regulators, courts,
and consumers. Also, technicians will be needed to enter patient information
into computer databases to comply with Federal legislation mandating the use
of electronic medical records.
New jobs are expected in offices of physicians as a result of increasing
demand for detailed records, especially in large group practices. New jobs
also are expected in home health care services, outpatient care centers, and
nursing and residential care facilities. Although employment growth in
hospitals will not keep pace with growth in other health care industries,
many new jobs will, nevertheless, be created.
Cancer registrars should experience job growth. As the population
continues to age, the incidence of cancer may increase.
Job prospects. Job prospects should be
very good. In addition to
job growth, openings will result from the need to replace technicians who
retire or leave the occupation permanently.
Technicians with a strong background in medical coding will be in
particularly high demand. Changing government regulations and the growth of
managed care have increased the amount of paperwork involved in filing
insurance claims. Additionally, health care facilities are having some
difficulty attracting qualified workers, primarily because employers prefer
trained and experienced technicians prepared to work in an increasingly
electronic environment with the integration of electronic health records.
Job opportunities may be especially good for coders employed through
temporary help agencies or by professional services firms.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor,
Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition
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