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Medical Records Techs Job Overview

During the course of a patient’s treatment, all the observations, surgical or medical interventions and outcomes are recorded. Official documents are prepared by noting down information of the patient’s medical history and symptoms, laboratory and x-ray reports, diagnoses and treatment procedures. Medical records technicians are responsible for organizing and evaluating such records and checking them for completeness and accuracy.

Medical Records Techs Schools and Degrees

Medical records techs usually need to complete an associate’s degree program from a college or university. Alternatively, several institutes also offer flexible courses and distance learning courses. Such courses include the various subject areas of anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, legal aspects of health information, statistics, coding and abstraction of data, health data standards, quality improvement methods, database management and computer science.

Job Requirements

Medical records technicians possessing the Registered Health Information Technicians certification have an edge over other candidates in this field. To obtain this certification, one needs to pass a written examination organized by the American Health Information Management Association. Prior to taking this exam, one needs to have an associate’s degree from a school or program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education. Employers are also known to prefer candidates who have previously worked in the healthcare sector.

Medical records techs can chose to further their academic credentials by opting for specialized courses in privacy and security, coding or cancer registry. Such courses help them advance to managerial positions in their profession. The National Cancer Registrars Association offers courses in cancer registry, while the Board of Medical Specialty Coding and the Professional Association of Healthcare Coding Specialist and the American Academy of Professional Coders offer certification programs in coding.

Nature of Work

Medical records techs are primarily responsible for gathering information on the health conditions of patients. They make sure the preliminary information in medical charts is complete and that all the forms are filled and authenticated. They consult physicians and update the information and records of patients. Medical records techs are responsible for the proper maintenance and sorting of data. Their job may also require them to focus on coding the medical information of patients.

Medical records techs work in clean and comfortable office environments. They generaly work for forty hours a week. However, those employed in hospitals may need to work in shifts as hospitals function twenty four hours a day and seven days a week. As they work for long hours maintaining accurate and detailed records, medical records techs may experience eye and back strain.

Medical Records Techs Jobs and Outlook

According to research in 2006, medical records techs held about 170,000 jobs in the US. Employment is the highest in the following industries:

• Federal Executive Branch
• General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
• Nursing Care Facilities
• Offices of Physicians
• Outpatient Care Centers

The mean hourly wage of medical records techs in the US is about $15.12, while the mean annual wages are around $31,450.

Job Numbers and Growth

There were about 170,000 medical records techs across the US in 2008. Unemployment for workers was considered low in the recent past, relative to other occupations. The percentage of employees unemployed in 2008 was 3%.

Area Job Conditions

The cities with the most employees per capita are Flagstaff (Arizona), Rome (Georgia), and Great Falls (Montana), while the worst cities are Newark (New Jersey), Edison (New Jersey), and Atlantic City (New Jersey).

The highest salaries for medical records techs are in and around Waterbury (Connecticut), Iowa City (Iowa), and Vineland (New Jersey). The lowest-paying areas are Shreveport (Louisiana), Laredo (Texas), and Valdosta (Georgia).

Training and Education

Education or job training for workers typically involves an associate degree. At least 12% of employees had a degree of four or more years. About 51% of medical records techs had some college below a bachelor's degree. An estimated 37% of workers had just a high-school diploma. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

An estimated 13% of medical records techs work part-time.

Medical Records Techs by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)

In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.

Alabama

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Anniston	$28,000	70	+33%
Auburn	$29,000	50	-2%
Birmingham	$31,000	870	+34%
Decatur	$28,000	60	-4%
Dothan	$26,000	120	+74%
Florence	$27,000	70	+15%
Gadsden	$25,000	50	+28%
Huntsville	$31,000	280	+5%
Mobile	$27,000	350	+56%
Montgomery	$27,000	280	+35%
Tuscaloosa	$36,000	120	+9%

Alaska

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Anchorage	$38,000	320	+50%
Fairbanks	$41,000	70	+96%

Arizona

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Flagstaff	$38,000	150	+127%
Kingman	$35,000	110	+101%
Phoenix	$37,000	3,210	+37%
Prescott	$33,000	90	+42%
Tucson	$29,000	790	+76%
Yuma	$27,000	120	+84%

Arkansas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Fayetteville	$29,000	210	-20%
Fort Smith	$29,000	200	+30%
Hot Springs	$32,000	40	-2%
Jonesboro	$30,000	80	+48%
Little Rock	$35,000	510	+12%

California

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bakersfield	$34,000	380	+12%
Chico	$34,000	100	+20%
El Centro	$37,000	50	-14%
Fresno	$34,000	410	-2%
Hanford	$40,000	80	+111%
Los Angeles	$39,000	5,190	-4%
Madera	$37,000	60	+69%
Merced	$37,000	40	-40%
Modesto	$33,000	250	+27%
Napa	$44,000	40	-46%
Oakland	$40,000	1,510	+14%
Oxnard	$35,000	380	-2%
Redding	$31,000	100	+41%
Riverside	$42,000	1,660	+4%
Sacramento	$42,000	790	-31%
Salinas	$44,000	140	-31%
San Diego	$39,000	1,650	-5%
San Francisco	$44,000	770	-42%
San Jose	$47,000	570	-52%
San Luis Obispo	$39,000	110	-3%
Santa Ana	$42,000	1,450	-25%
Santa Barbara	$37,000	190	-11%
Santa Cruz	$39,000	110	+4%
Santa Rosa	$34,000	140	-37%
Stockton	$37,000	190	-30%
Vallejo	$43,000	170	+13%

Colorado

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Boulder	$38,000	100	-49%
Colorado Springs	$37,000	440	+34%
Denver	$41,000	1,440	-13%
Fort Collins	$38,000	160	+1%
Grand Junction	$35,000	90	+34%
Greeley	$39,000	110	+26%
Pueblo	$34,000	100	+49%

Connecticut

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bridgeport	$34,000	260	-54%
Danbury	$43,000	90	+10%
Hartford	$39,000	600	-21%
New Haven	$41,000	260	-27%
Norwich	$40,000	110	-28%
Waterbury	$34,000	80	-1%

Delaware

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Dover	$27,000	80	+33%
Wilmington	$37,000	310	-27%

District of Columbia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Washington	$42,000	1,630	-50%

Florida

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Cape Coral	$34,000	380	+53%
Deltona	$33,000	230	+18%
Fort Lauderdale	$43,000	1,050	+13%
Fort Walton Beach	$39,000	70	-24%
Gainesville	$38,000	250	+64%
Jacksonville	$35,000	700	-12%
Lakeland	$39,000	380	+57%
Miami	$29,000	1,500	+15%
Naples	$35,000	100	-28%
Ocala	$28,000	140	+31%
Orlando	$32,000	1,460	+8%
Palm Bay	$34,000	370	+46%
Panama City	$30,000	100	+21%
Pensacola	$34,000	310	+64%
Port St Lucie	$31,000	160	+7%
Punta Gorda	$28,000	80	+81%
Sarasota	$32,000	380	+19%
Sebastian	$31,000	40	-27%
Tallahassee	$36,000	240	+17%
Tampa	$33,000	1,810	+19%
West Palm Beach	$35,000	690	+1%

Georgia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Albany	$27,000	140	+91%
Athens	$35,000	120	+41%
Atlanta	$34,000	2,350	-24%
Augusta	$34,000	300	+13%
Columbus	$32,000	270	+96%
Dalton	$29,000	50	-38%
Gainesville	$31,000	100	+20%
Macon	$32,000	190	+71%
Rome	$33,000	70	+78%
Savannah	$28,000	160	-15%
Valdosta	$23,000	40	-31%

Hawaii

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Honolulu	$44,000	490	-15%

Idaho

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Boise	$31,000	550	+62%
Coeur Dalene	$29,000	110	+87%
Idaho Falls	$29,000	40	-26%

Illinois

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bloomington	$33,000	50	-41%
Champaign	$34,000	150	+19%
Chicago	$36,000	4,720	-6%
Danville	$37,000	50	+68%
Decatur	$39,000	80	+53%
Peoria	$29,000	310	+42%
Rockford	$34,000	170	-4%
Springfield	$32,000	150	+12%

Indiana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Anderson	$41,000	60	+40%
Bloomington	$29,000	210	+151%
Columbus	$31,000	70	+63%
Elkhart	$30,000	170	+27%
Evansville	$29,000	310	+42%
Fort Wayne	$33,000	270	+3%
Gary	$33,000	500	+43%
Indianapolis	$33,000	1,210	+2%
Kokomo	$30,000	60	+36%
Lafayette	$30,000	130	+42%
Michigan City	$30,000	70	+50%
Muncie	$30,000	100	+91%
South Bend	$28,000	300	+85%
Terre Haute	$33,000	90	+10%

Iowa

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Cedar Rapids	$32,000	150	-15%
Davenport	$28,000	330	+38%
Des Moines	$33,000	420	-3%
Dubuque	$31,000	100	+60%
Iowa City		180	+112%
Sioux City	$29,000	100	+14%
Waterloo	$30,000	150	+43%

Kansas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Lawrence	$27,000	40	-19%
Topeka	$33,000	190	+38%
Wichita	$30,000	550	+46%

Kentucky

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bowling Green	$34,000	70	+7%
Elizabethtown	$37,000	100	+96%
Lexington	$36,000	410	+31%
Louisville	$32,000	850	+6%
Owensboro	$26,000	80	+46%

Louisiana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Alexandria	$31,000	110	+44%
Baton Rouge	$29,000	480	-2%
Houma	$27,000	110	-6%
Lafayette	$31,000	170	-6%
Lake Charles	$26,000	90	-17%
Monroe	$29,000	100	+8%
New Orleans	$32,000	570	-19%
Shreveport	$26,000	440	+91%

Maine

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bangor	$33,000	160	+120%
Lewiston	$36,000	120	+104%
Portland	$30,000	350	+35%

Maryland

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Baltimore	$41,000	1,940	+11%
Bethesda	$45,000	530	-31%
Cumberland	$27,000	60	+45%
Hagerstown	$37,000	80	-33%
Salisbury	$30,000	100	+59%

Massachusetts

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Barnstable Town	$41,000	240	+95%
Boston	$42,000	3,000	+29%
Brockton	$37,000	190	+72%
Framingham	$36,000	150	-28%
Haverhill	$37,000	120	+20%
Lawrence	$34,000	80	+13%
Leominster	$38,000	60	+4%
New Bedford	$29,000	140	+81%
Peabody	$38,000	180	+43%
Pittsfield	$34,000	80	+122%
Springfield	$39,000	390	+0%
Worcester	$40,000	640	+96%

Michigan

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Ann Arbor	$38,000	510	+139%
Battle Creek	$39,000	60	-1%
Detroit	$36,000	680	-24%
Flint	$37,000	200	+22%
Grand Rapids	$34,000	220	-56%
Holland	$35,000	70	-41%
Jackson	$39,000	70	+24%
Kalamazoo	$32,000	160	-7%
Lansing	$36,000	170	-33%
Muskegon	$31,000	90	+37%
Niles	$35,000	50	-27%
Saginaw	$28,000	180	+80%
Warren	$38,000	970	-33%

Minnesota

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Duluth	$33,000	210	+28%
Mankato	$35,000	60	-9%
Minneapolis	$39,000	2,530	+6%
Rochester	$46,000	200	+57%
St Cloud	$37,000	130	+10%

Mississippi

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Gulfport	$32,000	170	+27%
Hattiesburg	$25,000	110	+63%
Jackson	$29,000	440	+33%
Pascagoula	$28,000	80	+50%

Missouri

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Cape Girardeau	$28,000	60	+17%
Columbia	$32,000	230	+136%
Jefferson City	$38,000	50	-44%
Joplin	$30,000	120	+25%
Kansas City	$35,000	1,550	+15%
Springfield	$34,000	220	-10%
St Louis	$33,000	1,720	-4%

Montana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Billings	$35,000	150	+46%
Great Falls	$29,000	70	+70%
Missoula	$30,000	110	+80%

Nebraska

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Lincoln	$34,000	220	+8%
Omaha	$36,000	830	+33%

Nevada

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Carson City	$39,000	40	+42%
Las Vegas	$37,000	970	-14%
Reno	$38,000	220	-10%

New Hampshire

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Manchester	$30,000	210	+63%
Nashua	$34,000	220	+27%
Portsmouth	$36,000	30	-56%
Rochester	$32,000	100	+59%

New Jersey

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Atlantic City	$41,000	60	-67%
Camden	$45,000	330	-53%
Edison	$49,000	410	-70%
Newark	$53,000	550	-59%
Ocean City	$35,000	30	-36%
Trenton	$50,000	90	-69%

New Mexico

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Albuquerque	$32,000	560	+10%
Farmington	$36,000	80	+39%
Las Cruces	$24,000	70	-8%
Santa Fe	$33,000	120	+62%

New York

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Albany	$33,000	500	-16%
Binghamton	$31,000	160	+14%
Buffalo	$35,000	720	-2%
Elmira	$29,000	50	+16%
Glens Falls	$29,000	80	+31%
Kingston	$35,000	60	-16%
Nassau	$43,000	1,350	-20%
New York	$42,000	4,590	-34%
Poughkeepsie	$37,000	370	+15%
Rochester	$32,000	640	-4%
Syracuse	$40,000	610	+49%
Utica	$32,000	200	+27%

North Carolina

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Asheville	$31,000	310	+37%
Burlington	$34,000	60	-10%
Charlotte	$32,000	770	-32%
Durham	$40,000	370	+3%
Fayetteville	$34,000	200	+26%
Goldsboro	$29,000	130	+182%
Greensboro	$41,000	510	+9%
Greenville	$31,000	180	+122%
Hickory	$29,000	220	+18%
Raleigh	$33,000	460	-33%
Rocky Mount	$26,000	90	+32%
Wilmington	$34,000	180	+4%
Winston Salem	$31,000	360	+32%

North Dakota

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bismarck	$33,000	100	+28%
Fargo	$32,000	120	-22%

Ohio

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Akron	$31,000	400	-5%
Canton	$30,000	310	+46%
Cincinnati	$32,000	1,280	-5%
Cleveland	$35,000	1,200	-12%
Columbus	$33,000	930	-24%
Dayton	$32,000	680	+35%
Lima	$30,000	120	+97%
Mansfield	$30,000	50	-17%
Sandusky	$27,000	50	+28%
Springfield	$30,000	60	+8%
Steubenville	$28,000	60	+27%
Toledo	$35,000	510	+32%
Youngstown	$28,000	340	+16%

Oklahoma

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Lawton	$34,000	110	+137%
Oklahoma City	$32,000	1,140	+49%
Tulsa	$30,000	720	+27%

Oregon

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bend	$35,000	100	+33%
Corvallis	$32,000	80	+172%
Eugene	$35,000	260	+46%
Medford	$31,000	140	+49%
Portland	$39,000	1,400	+3%
Salem	$31,000	320	+69%

Pennsylvania

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Allentown	$32,000	650	+43%
Altoona	$33,000	90	+25%
Erie	$28,000	240	+48%
Harrisburg	$34,000	610	+45%
Johnstown	$29,000	70	+6%
Lancaster	$31,000	280	-8%
Lebanon	$30,000	70	+34%
Philadelphia	$38,000	1,940	-24%
Pittsburgh	$33,000	1,680	+10%
Reading	$30,000	110	-48%
Scranton	$31,000	430	+26%
State College	$25,000	110	+47%
York	$31,000	190	-16%

Rhode Island

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Providence	$38,000	860	+16%

South Carolina

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Anderson	$29,000	80	+20%
Charleston	$33,000	340	-10%
Columbia	$37,000	520	+13%
Florence	$27,000	120	+25%
Greenville	$30,000	350	-11%
Myrtle Beach	$26,000	100	-26%
Spartanburg	$31,000	130	-10%
Sumter	$31,000	50	+38%

South Dakota

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Rapid City	$34,000	170	+124%
Sioux Falls	$34,000	390	+121%

Tennessee

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Chattanooga	$33,000	290	-2%
Clarksville	$31,000	60	-37%
Jackson	$27,000	130	+87%
Johnson City	$31,000	140	+61%
Kingsport	$26,000	210	+38%
Knoxville	$30,000	430	-2%
Memphis	$32,000	840	+3%
Morristown	$24,000	50	-5%
Nashville	$35,000	730	-26%

Texas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Abilene	$30,000	100	+33%
Amarillo	$34,000	120	-9%
Austin	$32,000	940	-10%
Beaumont	$29,000	150	-27%
Brownsville	$27,000	200	+22%
College Station	$27,000	140	+23%
Corpus Christi	$26,000	450	+97%
Dallas	$35,000	2,570	-8%
El Paso	$37,000	410	+15%
Fort Worth	$36,000	1,180	+2%
Houston	$37,000	3,270	-7%
Killeen	$37,000	270	+67%
Laredo	$23,000	70	-27%
Longview	$28,000	160	+36%
Lubbock	$34,000	120	-24%
Mcallen	$25,000	400	+34%
Odessa	$28,000	100	+50%
San Angelo	$35,000	140	+196%
San Antonio	$40,000	1,840	+58%
Sherman	$28,000	80	+70%
Texarkana	$32,000	120	+88%
Tyler	$30,000	220	+98%
Victoria	$28,000	70	+26%
Waco	$36,000	110	-11%
Wichita Falls	$29,000	110	+69%

Utah

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Logan	$32,000	50	-9%
Ogden	$34,000	190	-26%
Provo	$30,000	200	-8%
Salt Lake City	$32,000	1,100	+36%
St George	$28,000	90	+71%

Vermont

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Burlington	$38,000	200	+43%

Virginia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Blacksburg	$31,000	50	-31%
Charlottesville	$38,000	200	+89%
Danville	$26,000	50	+30%
Harrisonburg	$36,000	40	-39%
Lynchburg	$32,000	80	-35%
Richmond	$35,000	640	-22%
Roanoke	$33,000	260	+31%
Virginia Beach	$32,000	1,000	-1%
Winchester	$31,000	120	+108%

Washington

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bellingham	$38,000	90	+1%
Bremerton	$36,000	190	+88%
Kennewick	$33,000	110	-11%
Longview	$34,000	90	+145%
Mount Vernon	$36,000	90	+77%
Olympia	$35,000	180	+47%
Seattle	$41,000	2,220	+18%
Spokane	$30,000	380	+44%
Tacoma	$37,000	650	+88%
Wenatchee	$36,000	80	+82%
Yakima	$32,000	250	+145%

West Virginia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Charleston	$25,000	210	+14%
Huntington	$32,000	290	+104%
Morgantown	$31,000	120	+92%
Parkersburg	$24,000	80	-2%
Wheeling	$27,000	160	+106%

Wisconsin

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Appleton	$34,000	90	-37%
Eau Claire	$33,000	160	+79%
Fond	$35,000	40	-18%
Green Bay	$33,000	270	+26%
Janesville	$32,000	160	+113%
Madison	$40,000	400	-10%
Milwaukee	$36,000	1,550	+40%
Oshkosh	$31,000	130	+21%
Racine	$29,000	110	+22%
Sheboygan	$35,000	50	-24%
Wausau	$31,000	90	+13%

Wyoming

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Casper	$30,000	50	+22%
Cheyenne	$33,000	60	+24%