Health Information Technology: A Hidden Gem Career Option In India

“Technology is changing our lives.” Nowadays, this thought has been on hype, as the human race is not only using but also living Technology in every field. From past few decades, this has been noticeable that the advancement of science has also affected Health and Medical aspects. New regulations and techniques have changed the health information field drastically. And, all of this has somehow resulted in the growth of one of the ideal career option in India, i.e., Health Information Technology (Health IT).

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 20% of employment increase will be there in entire health information professionals between 2016 and 2026 as per the prediction. The careers in this respective field are one of the fastest growing in our country.

Degree in the Health Informatics or Health IT is the foundation of many other career doors, including electronic records management, hospital billing, auditing, health system coding, compliance, and even cancer registry management. All of this knowledge is crucial for providing proper health care and the primary concern of executives in the forte of Health Information Technology.

Students interested in this career section can gain this with professional certification, continuous education, fruitful work, and training experience. Whether you prefer learning diploma course or postgraduate in the informatics program, you can go ahead with Post graduation diploma and MBA respectively.

Apart from all, a professional in Health IT can also find the niche, and over time increased income with job responsibilities. For even better knowledge about the career and employment, below are specifications stated for the understanding of students taking follow-ups for a particular course.

Occupation Spotlight and Job Titles in Health Information Technology

Wages and Job titles of health IT professionals vary accordingly, usually dependent on work setting and experience. The course, experience, and training can be the foundation for different positions, including:

Hospital Systems analyst

Software system and digital track records in the hospitals and clinics are quite a tough job to take on the role. Analyzing the network with proper acknowledgement can be your job.

Electronic health records manager

Records are an increasing degree while going digital. Electronic health records reduce medical errors and facilitate care. In this particular job, there are opportunities for workers with varying levels of education and experience. An entry-level technician might scan records and process chart requests. A manager with a master’s level education might implement projects, develop training programs, and measure progress against industry benchmarks.

Chief information officer

A chief information officer (CIO) is the head authority of all patient information that passes through a healthcare organization. Part of the executive team, a CIO typically leads the internal IT department, determines strategies, and resources required to handle the growing amount of digital health data.

Medical records auditor and compliance officer

Ensure that health care providers comply with various regulations, from HIPAA to CMS policy. They may be employed by hospitals or payers to investigate individual, aggregate data and identify medical trends. Electronic health records analysts also check on quality control and compliance. They extract, interpret, and report data that may drive funding decisions and ultimately improving health care.

Health Information Technology professionals specialize in compliance issues. They may progress to higher-level management positions like Senior Compliance Analyst or Privacy Officer.

Cancer registrar

Registrars maintain cancer-related records, from demographic information to diagnosis and treatment. Registries impart several purposes; they inform medical research, influence the dispersal of public health funding, and ensure that survivors have a proper follow-up. There are now diploma programs focused exclusively on the development and maintenance of cancer registries.

Health records developer and analyst

Health records developer and analyst is concerned with the design of electronic medical records systems, from conceptualization to implementation. For being a strong candidate, a person needs to be well versed in software systems.

Coding specialist

Medical coding is another increasingly complex profession. Coding specialists must abstract information from patient charts and attach codes and qualifiers – not just to the actual diagnoses and procedures, but also to other circumstances surrounding the health care. This field requires special skills and professional coder needs to certify in addition to their necessary health information and credentialing. Also, this is to keep in mind that hospital coding and physician coding are significantly different, so separate certifying exams are to be cleared.

Clinical Systems Analyst

Clinical systems analyst investigates and fixes problems with electronic medical record systems. A person in this job should be knowledgeable in programming languages and operating systems used dynamically in healthcare organizations.