Healthcare Practitioners
Medical Records Specialists
Also called: Coder, Health Information Clerk, Health Information Specialist, Health Information Technician (Health Information Tech)
US median pay
$51,140
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+7.8%
faster than average
Openings a year (US)
14,000
200,700 employed
Typical entry education
Postsecondary nondegree award
Preparation 3/5 · Medium preparation
What this job is
Compile, process, and maintain medical records of hospital and clinic patients in a manner consistent with medical, administrative, ethical, legal, and regulatory requirements of the healthcare system. Classify medical and healthcare concepts, including diagnosis, procedures, medical services, and equipment, into the healthcare industry's numerical coding system. Includes medical coders.
What they do day to day
- Protect the security of medical records to ensure that confidentiality is maintained.
- Review records for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with regulations.
- Scan patients' health records into electronic formats.
- Release information to persons or agencies according to regulations.
- Enter data, such as demographic characteristics, history and extent of disease, diagnostic procedures, or treatment into computer.
- Maintain or operate a variety of health record indexes or storage and retrieval systems to collect, classify, store, or analyze information.
- Process patient admission or discharge documents.
- Retrieve patient medical records for physicians, technicians, or other medical personnel.
- Resolve or clarify codes or diagnoses with conflicting, missing, or unclear information by consulting with doctors or others or by participating in the coding team's regular meetings.
- Compile and maintain patients' medical records to document condition and treatment and to provide data for research or cost control and care improvement efforts.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Time Management3.1/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.0/5
- Service Orientation3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.0/5
- Coordination2.9/5
- Persuasion2.6/5
- Negotiation2.5/5
Knowledge
- Administrative4.2/5
- English Language4.1/5
- Customer and Personal Service4.0/5
- Computers and Electronics3.5/5
- Administration and Management3.3/5
- Communications and Media2.9/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 3 of 5 — Medium preparation. Usually vocational training, an associate's degree or an apprenticeship.
Typical entry education (BLS): Postsecondary nondegree award.
Who this job suits
Mostly Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Investigative
Ideas, research and solving problems
Social
Helping, teaching and caring for people
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.