| Medical Records Administration/Health Information Management |
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The medical records
profession spans the entire range of health care services from wellness
programs to care for catastrophic illness or injury. It offers a unique
opportunity to combine an interest in medicine with the diverse challenges
of information management. Medical records are used in every aspect of
health care planning and delivery. They serve as a basis for planning
patient care, containing a patient's medical history, physical assessment,
test results, and notes about the patient's treatment and condition.
Medical records also document the course of the patient's medical
evaluation and treatment during a hospital stay, in the emergency room,
outpatient clinic, physician's office, in a nursing home or home care
program. Such documentation helps ensure continuity of care and protects
the financial and legal interests of the patient, the health care facility
and the practitioner responsible for caring for the patient. Information
from the medical record is used in continuing medical education, research,
health care planning and management. Data from medical records help
administrators of health care facilities evaluate the types of services
they should offer and project future patient volume and treatment needs. More
than 70 percent of medical records professionals work in medical records
departments of hospitals where they organize, analyze and generate health
data for treatment, reimbursement, planning, quality assessment and
research. There are many opportunities to make significant contributions
to the health care field. There are two levels
within this profession. By receiving an Associate degree in Medical
Records Technology and passing a national examination, the credentials of
an Accredited Records Technician (A.R.T.) can be earned. The second
level is the management or administrative level. To qualify, a bachelor's
degree is required and completion of an approved Medical Records
Administration (M.R.A.) program. Graduates take a national qualifying
examination to earn credentials as a Registered Records Administrator (R.R.A.).
Students interested in the profession should contact the program directors
for more information. The addresses for the
four M.R.A. programs in Texas are: Program Director Medical Records Administration Texas Woman's University 1810 Inwood Road Dallas, TX 75235 Department of Health Information Management University of Texas School of Allied Health Sciences J28 Univ. of Texas Medical Branch 601 University Boulevard Galveston, TX 77555 Phone: (409) 772-3030 Program Director Medical Records Administration Texas Southern University 3201 Wheeler Avenue Houston, TX 77004
Program Director Medical Records Administration School of Allied Health Sciences Southwestern Texas State University San Marcos, TX 78666 Inquiries regarding
careers and curriculum, certification, and registration should be
addressed to: American Medical Records Association 919 N Michigan Avenue, Suite 1400 Chicago, IL 60611 |
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