Health Information Specialist

Do you like using technology and computers? Do you enjoy detailed work and is the health care field interesting to you?  Are you looking for a rewarding career that is in demand?  If you enjoy working independently and you enjoy work that requires a strong attention to detail, a Health Information Specialist (Billing and Coding) career may be for you!

The Health Information Specialist is concerned with health-related information and the systems used to collect, process, store, retrieve and communicate information to support operations, management and decision making within an enterprise. Our graduates learn about computerized billing, medical coding, and patient care data analysis.  They are qualified to work in a wide variety of health care settings, governmental agencies and managed care organizations.

Arizona College offers programs designed to provide the education and experience to work with health information systems.  We provide hands-on computer training for medical billing and coding and offer accelerated morning and evening classes to help you make your dream a reality.  We invite you to visit our campus to learn more about us and our programs.  Contact us today to start on the path to fulfilling your dream of working with health information systems.  Change Lives, Choose Arizona College!

Responsibilities

Health Information Specialists work in a variety of settings including doctors’ offices, hospitals and sometimes as independent contractors.  Responsibilities may include:

• Assemble patient health information including medical history, symptoms, examination results, diagnostic tests, treatment methods, and all other healthcare provider services.
• Organize and manage health information data by ensuring its quality, accuracy, accessibility, and security
• Communicate with physicians and other healthcare professionals to clarify diagnoses or to obtain additional information
• Code patients’ medical information for reimbursement purposes
• Use of Electronic Health Records (EHR)
• Liaison between healthcare facilities, insurance companies and other establishments

Bureau of Labor Statistics Information

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Medical Records and Health Information Technicians (Medical Billing and Coding), held approximately 176,090 jobs as of May, 2010.  The BLS projects Medical Records and Health Information Technician employment to grow faster than average, increasing by 20% from 2008 to 2018 and projecting 207,600 jobs by 2018. For more information about Medical Records and Health Information Technicians (Medical Billing and Coding) careers, visit the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  The Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code is 29-2071.

Arizona College Program Details

Arizona College of Allied Health offers two billing and coding programs: Diploma and Associates Degree.  The Health Information Specialist diploma program is three quarters.  Each quarter is ten weeks divided into two five-week sessions.  After the on-campus portion of the program, each student completes an off-campus five-week (200 hours is required) clinical externship in the last session of the program.  Including the externship, the entire program requires approximately thirty weeks.

The Health Information Technology degree program is six quarters.  Each quarter is ten weeks divided into two five-week sessions.  After the on-campus portion of the program, each student completes an off-campus five-week (200 hours is required) clinical externship in the last session of the program.  Including the externship, the entire program requires approximately sixty weeks.

Certification Information

Certification to work in the health information field is not required.  However, we recommend our graduates become certified as a way to enhance their resume and as additional validation of the knowledge they have gained.  Our graduates are eligible to sit for a variety of certification exams offered by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC).