About This Career

Applies knowledge of healthcare and information systems to assist in the design, development, and continued modification and analysis of computerized healthcare systems. Abstracts, collects, and analyzes treatment and followup information of patients. May educate staff and assist in problem solving to promote the implementation of the healthcare information system. May design, develop, test, and implement databases with complete history, diagnosis, treatment, and health status to help monitor diseases.

This career is part of the Health Science cluster Health Informatics pathway.

A person in this career:

• Assigns the patient to diagnosis-related groups (DRGs), using appropriate computer software.
• Compiles medical care and census data for statistical reports on diseases treated, surgery performed, or use of hospital beds.
• Designs databases to support healthcare applications, ensuring security, performance and reliability.
• Develops in-service educational materials.
• Evaluates and recommends upgrades or improvements to existing computerized healthcare systems.
• Facilitates and promotes activities, such as lunches, seminars, or tours, to foster healthcare information privacy or security awareness within the organization.
• Identifies, compiles, abstracts, and codes patient data, using standard classification systems.
• Manages the department or supervises clerical workers, directing or controlling activities of personnel in the medical records department.
• Monitors changes in legislation and accreditation standards that affect information security or privacy in the computerized healthcare system.
• Plans, develops, maintains, or operates a variety of health record indexes or storage and retrieval systems to collect, classify, store, or analyze information.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would sit most of the time. There's some walking and standing. You may have to lift and carry things like books, papers or tools weighing 10 lbs. or less.
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time
• Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves sitting more than one-third of the time

Work Hours and Travel

• Regular working hours and limited travel