Job opportunities after Health Information Management degree

HIM-degree holders can function in various healthcare divisions, including physician practices, hospitals, home-health agencies, nursing homes, public health agencies and long-term care facilities.

Health Information Management (HIM) degree is designed to equip students to take up independent mid-level managerial positions, communicating with all levels of healthcare organisations and use patient data in decision making and daily operations. HIM-degree holders can function in various healthcare divisions, including physician practices, hospitals, home-health agencies, nursing homes, public health agencies and long-term care facilities.

Established in 1920, the HIM industry has evolved with time. From medical records documented in paper form and filed manually back in time to the streamlined electronic health records (EHRs) used in today’s digital world, the industry has witnessed ample changes.

On completion of this degree a student can:

• Organise, manage and analyse healthcare data to enhance healthcare outcomes, control costs and implement standards
• Promote and conceptualise the need for and uses of quality data and information necessities across the patient care providers
• Become accustomed to numerous roles and work locations with the use of a fresh set of skills
• Manage the content, accessibility, protection, use and integrity of information assets
• Precisely implement and manage processes and applications for clinical classification and coding
• Deal with the healthcare data in compliance with regional and national standards
• Put into practice the documentation system in a range of healthcare delivery models.
• Analyse and reply to the information needs of internal and external agencies all through the healthcare continuum

Curriculum

• English and communication skills
• Paramedical subjects
• Health information management
• Principles of management
• IT for Health information management
• Professionalism and values
• Fundamental and advanced computer
• Principles and practice of medical transcription
• Hospital organisation and administration
• Public health information management
• Application of HIM in a non-traditional setting
• Quality assurance in hospital and health statistics
• HR management
• Information governance
• Full-term one-year externship and internship

Health Information Management jobs

Health Information Manager: Working as a health information manager, you would be accountable for maintaining and ensuring the safety of all patient records and data. Professionals in this field are assigned to stay updated with the consistently developing information technology, laws connecting to health information systems and trends in managing abundant amounts of complicated data. The average pay for a health information manager is Rs 6.07 lakh per annum. The salary usually increases with experience and knowledge.              

Healthcare Data Analyst: In general, a healthcare data analyst learns and collects medical data. Their skill in computer-based application empowers these professionals to recognise insights from medical data regarding ways to enhance patient care. They are also experts at recognising the present trends to make well-informed decisions consistently in the healthcare system. The average pay for a healthcare data analyst is Rs 4 lakh per annum. This can go up to Rs 10 lakh per annum based on experience.

Clinical Documentation Specialist: Experts who pursue a career in this field have a range of diverse core job responsibilities to look forward to. One feature of this career comprises managing service documents and clinical trial. Clinical documentation specialists also preserve charts, medical records, and reports, solving any problems involving documentation as well. Another key duty within this role is to guarantee that both quality and accuracy are maintained among doctors, medical coders, nurses and other healthcare staff within their organisation. The average pay for a clinical documentation specialist is Rs 3.61 lakh per annum.

Medical Records Abstractor: Functioning as a medical records abstractor, you would be accountable for assisting healthcare facilities to them posted with their recordkeeping using technology. This is done through evaluating patient files and taking out key data that should be entered into electronic files, which can comprise transferring data from paper files in addition to transferring data from one electronic medical records system to another. This career calls for an eager investigative eye to assist you to identify which details are vital to patient care and should be involved in abstracts.

Medical Coding Compliance Auditor: This area of specialisation is a vital way for healthcare groups to seek to enhance their clinical documentation to offer efficient and higher quality care while also enhancing the financial health of the medical provider. Working as a medical coding compliance auditor, you would be accountable for performing such audits, which include an appraisal of physician billing records, clinical documents, administrative data and coding records. The average salary for a medical coding compliance auditor is Rs 5.90 lakh per annum.

Medical Research Analyst: Also known as clinical research analysts, they usually work with a team carrying out research and clinical trials and medical studies. Using their medical, scientific, logical and monetary knowledge, these healthcare experts work with scientists and physicians to coordinate clinical research studies. This can comprise tracking inventory, identifying patients, overseeing protocols, collecting data and acting as a link between supervising physicians and the other medical staff members. The average pay for a medical research analyst is Rs 3.55 lakh per annum. 

If you are looking at having a career in the flourishing healthcare industry and possess knowledge in technology, then the prospects in the HIM sector are ample. HIM is an umbrella term used for professionals with a variety of duties, including billing and coding, electronic records management, auditing, cancer registry management and compliance.