Health Information Technician

Getting Started

How to Become a Health Information Technician

You can start working as a health information technician in 2.2 years with $18k-$60k in training — that's longer than medical assistants (10 months) but faster than most health care careers requiring a degree.

Overview

What Does a Health Information Technician Do?

Health information technicians split their time between hospitals, insurance companies, and health system offices. Most work involves computer-based coding and record management — about 70% coding medical procedures using ICD-10 and CPT systems, 30% auditing records for accuracy and compliance.

• Assign patients to diagnosis-related groups (billing categories based on their condition and treatment) using computer software.
• Compile medical care and census data to create statistical reports on diseases treated, surgeries performed, and hospital bed usage.
• Design databases to support healthcare applications while ensuring they remain secure, perform well, and work reliably.
• Develop educational materials for training staff within the organization.
• Evaluate computerized healthcare systems and recommend upgrades or improvements.
• Organize and promote activities like lunches, seminars, or tours to raise awareness about healthcare information privacy and security within your organization.
• Identify, compile, summarize, and code patient data using standard classification systems.
• Manage the medical records department or supervise clerical workers, directing and controlling staff activities.

Tasks from O*NET OnLine

Requirements

Licensing & Certification

No state requires a license to work as a health information technician, but the RHIT credential has become the industry standard. Most hospitals, health systems, and insurance companies expect it for employment — it's technically voluntary but practically required.

Compensation

Health Information Technician Salary

At $67k median, health information technicians earn more than medical assistants ($44k) and medical billing specialists ($50k) but less than dental hygienists ($81k) — all careers at the associate degree level.

You'll spend $25k average and 2.2 years to start earning $67k — that's 4.5 months to pay back your training, faster payback than most health care careers.

Salaries vary by location and setting. Health Information Technicians in metropolitan areas and specialty practices typically earn more than the national median.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2024

Is It Worth It? 20-Year ROI

The 20-year net earnings hit $845k with break-even in year 3. This is one of the better ROI paths at the associate degree level because of the strong salary growth — coding specialists often move into compliance, auditing, or health information management roles that pay $80k-$100k+.

Health information technician ranks in the top third of associate degree health careers by ROI. It outperforms medical assistant ($645k 20-year net) and respiratory therapy ($720k) but falls short of dental hygiene ($1.1M).

Future-Proofing

Health Information Technician Job Outlook (2024–2034)

Demand grows 7.8% because hospitals need more coding specialists to handle complex billing regulations and Medicare audits. Electronic health records create more data to manage, not less work — someone still needs to review and code everything.

HealthJob Analysis

Will AI Replace Health Information Technician?

AI handles routine procedure coding and can suggest ICD-10 codes from clinical notes, but health information technicians review every AI output for accuracy. Tools like 3M CodeAssist and Optum CAC exist in pilot programs, but complex cases still require human judgment. The compliance and auditing parts of the job are expanding as AI creates more coded records to verify.

Based on evidence-based AI impact methodology

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