What is Health Information Technology? [Simple Summary] Advice
What is Health Information Technology?
So one of the very common questions
about health information technology, or
HIT, is "Exactly what is it? What do
they do?" And so a health information technician is first and foremost an
advocate of patient data. They are the
experts at protecting the privacy and
security of patient information, so they will usually work in a healthcare
setting where there are medical records.
So they are responsible for ensuring that the patient's healthcare data is secure and private. To become a health information technician you must first graduate from a CAHIIM-accredited,
two-year AS degree program, and then you
must pass a certification exam that's
titled the RHIT, which stands for a registered health information technician.
Some of the common health information
job duties include data analysis and reporting. This individual would be an
expert in analyzing the healthcare data and generating reports for the
healthcare facility, so they would look at trends in a particular area and help
the hospital to understand what's going
on with the patients that
they're seeing at that facility. Another area is release of information. This
person would be an expert in understanding what type and how much
patient data should be released upon
request. Other areas include medical
coding. Some health information technicians go on to be medical coders.
They had — at the Rasmussen program, there's four medical coding courses
within the curriculum, so they are very well equipped to be medical coders once
they graduate.
Looking for a way to help keep personal data safe? Consider a career in health information technology. Not sure what that is? Spend a few moments with Rasmussen College’s Hertencia Bowe as she answers the question “What is health information technology?” There are a lot of careers in the medical industry that don’t involve direct patient care. Becoming a health information technician is one of the ways you can impact care from your keyboard. This short video explains how to become a health information technician, as well as some of the common job duties associated with that career path. Health information technicians may be behind the scenes in most medical practices (from small clinics up to major institutions), but their skills are on the front line of patient care and privacy. From protecting and analyzing patient data to working in medical coding – a career in health information technology will offer you a fulfilling life in a vital, fast-paced field. And this video will help you know what to say when someone asks “What is health information technology?” Learn more about what it means to be a Health Information Technician, here, “What is a Health Information Technician? A Sneak Peek at this Behind-the-Scenes Career”: