Health Information Management degree salary

The type of health information technology degree or health information technology certification you pursue depends on your desired career path. For more information check out Health IT Degree’s VS Certificate’s .

These eight are the most popular health information technology degrees and certificates:

1. Mastery Coding Credentials (CCS, CCS-P)
2. 6 Month Certificate Programs
3. Associate Degree in Health Information Technology (HIT)
4. Bachelor’s Degree in Health Information Administration (HIA)
5. Advanced Credentials (CHDA/CHPS)
6. Masters Degree in Health Information Management (HIM)
7. Masters Degree in Health Informatics

Earning a Certified Coding Associate certificate can land you an entry level position as a medical coder in one year or less. This is a great way to get into the field without having any previous experience working in health information technology jobs.

A Medical Coder assigns numeric codes to patient records which allows insurance companies to process their claims. In addition, medical coders usually work in the finance department of hospitals or a physicians office entering patients information into a computer database.

The average salary for a medical coder is $36, 850 and the job is in high demand. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a need for 50, 000 more qualified medical coders by the year 2015.

The only education required to earn your medical coding certificate is a high school diploma. In addition, AHIMA recommends at least 6 months of experience in a healthcare organization applying ICD-9-CM and CPT coding conventions and guidelines before taking the exam.

For more information about coding certificates and requirements please visit:

A Certified Coding Specialist is highly skilled in classifying patients medical records and health information. To become eligible for the CCS exam requires at least 2 years of on the job experience in medical coding. The average salary for a Certified Coding Specialist is $56, 772

Coding practitioners:

• Review patients medical records and assign numeric codes for every diagnosis and procedure
  
• Demonstrate an expertise in the ICD-9-CM and CPT coding systems
• Understand medical terminology, disease processes, and pharmacology

In 2009 the Obama administration enacted the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) which allocated more than $25 billion to help promote the adoption of health information technology by the US healthcare system. The money from the HITECH Act goes to funding health information technology programs at community colleges, grants, and health information technology training which can provide students with a 6 month certificate.

The programs provide job training for these six role based areas:

These health information technology certification programs are best suited for someone who is already working in healthcare and wants to learn additional job skills that relate to health information management and the implementation of electronic medical records in hospitals and doctors offices.

This is two year degree which gives you basic health information technology training working with electronic medical records, health information data, and medical billing. You can also earn this health information technology online.