Health Information Technology Graduates Achieve 100 Percent Pass Rate

Graduates of Alfred State
College's Internet-based health information technology (HIT) program, Class of
2008, achieved a 100 percent pass rate on the Registered Health Information
Technician (RHIT) national certification exam. This represents the fifth year
since 2000 that graduates achieved a 100 percent pass rate!

The American Health
Information Management Association (AHIMA) reports a national pass rate of 73
percent. Tracy Locke, HIT program director, and Michelle A. Green, professor,
attribute this achievement to the program's balance of general education and
specialized courses, and to the dedication of faculty and students. Graduates
also have access to an online RHIT ExamPrep developed by Green, which allows
them to practice taking certification exams according to content area.

RHITs are health
information technicians who ensure the quality of medical records by verifying
their completeness, accuracy, and proper entry into computer systems. They may
also use computer applications to assemble and analyze patient data for the
purpose of improving patient care or controlling costs. RHITs often specialize
in assigning diagnoses and procedures codes to inpatient records for
reimbursement and research. RHITs may also serve as cancer registrars,
compiling and maintaining data on cancer patients.

Although most RHITs work in
hospitals, many are employed in a variety of other healthcare settings
including office-based physician practices, nursing facilities, home health
care agencies, mental health care facilities, and public health agencies. In
fact, employment opportunities exist for RHITs in any organization that uses
patient data or health information such as pharmaceutical companies, law and
insurance firms, and health product vendors. In addition, with experience, the
RHIT credential holds solid potential for advancement to management positions,
especially if it is combined with a bachelor's degree.

RHITs can look forward to
expanding career opportunities in health information
technology. The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in its Occupational
Outlook
Handbook, 2008 Edition, projects employment of health information technicians
to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2016, due to
rapid growth in the number of medical tests, treatments, and procedures which
will be increasingly scrutinized by third-party payers, regulators, courts, and
consumers. Technicians with a strong background in medical coding will be in
particularly high demand. Changing government regulations and the growth of
managed care have increased the amount of paperwork involved in filing
insurance claims. Additionally, health care facilities are having difficulty
attracting qualified workers, primarily because of the lack of both formal
training programs and sufficient resources to provide on-the-job training for
coders. Job opportunities may be especially good for
coders employed through temporary help agencies or by professional services
firms. Also, technicians will be needed to enter patient information into
computer databases to comply with Federal legislation mandating the use of
electronic medical records.