4th!

There are many options you can go with an AS in HIT:

First of all after achieving an associates degree, you will want to get the following credentials. There are more, but start off with these two.

RHIT – Registered Health Information Technician
CCS – Certified Coding Specialist

One of them is Medical Coding which is the classificiation of diseases into numeric codes that are grouped together to determine reimbursement into a healthcare facility. In other words…certified medical coders determine how much money comes in. With experience one can be a consultant or even work from their home office.

However I teach my students to work outside the box. Aside from medical coding and medical records management. One of the emerging trends is the electronic medical record. Companies are are looking for inidividuals who can help physician offices and healthcare facilities transition from "paper to paperless".

Health care today is too dependant on technology. Doctors, nurses, dentists, etc, are using too much technology that sometimes they forget the basic and fundamental of the practice.

However, technology is very useful and almost a must. Blood test cn help diagnose such things as diabetes and thyroid problem and cholesterol problem long before it shows up clinically. Xray such as mammogram save thousands of lives yearly, as well as Pap Smear. CAT scan and MRI and PET scans allow us to see our body and make diagnoses without even having to open up patients. Fibroptic technology bring a new dimension to the medical world, as we can save lives with colonoscopy or do surgery with very small cuts. Laser technology is also impressive, helping with everything from surgery to tattoo removal. There are many more technology – you ask and somebody either has been there/done that or are studying to get it implemented.

The other aspect of technology in health care is electronic medical record, in which patient's charts, lab reports, and even Xray can be stored digitally. Instead of having a cardiac catherization in film like 10 years ago, now the cardiac cath is on CD's and DVD's. They allow easier access to medical record, more legible record, and easier search for data-base.

Without technology, countlessly many lives will be lost.

You should consider a Masters in Health Information Mgt. from the College of St. Scholastica (Minnesota), its a online degree and while the college itself is not Harvard…. their HIM program is the absolute best in the field..in the nation. Very respectable program. The University of Pittsburgh also has a Masters HIM program but it is on-campus. These are the only two accredited programs in the world! They also have certificate programs but in order to become a registered HIM professional you have to go to an accredited program and complete it in full. Visit http://www.ahima.com they have a link to education there. For more info on HIM visit http://www.himss.com .
Good luck

In Therory, the use of technology in the day to day operations of health care and human service agencies will provide faster responce time to those in need, more of and a better quality of services provided, less paperwork needed to be filled out by workers, which in turn will increase work load with the need for fewer workers, which will help cut cost of services.

Contact the University job placement services at a college that offers those degree programs

2nd. actually i was the first but forgot to comment

Yes it is, Health information technology is a profession that is in demand, not as much as medical assistant but you'll find a good number of opening out there.Health information technology uses the tools of today's technology like internet,fax ect. to improve health services by keeping physicians aware of their clients needs..

Allied Health professions are clinical in nature and support, aid, and increase the efficiency of physicians, dentists, clinical specialists, etc..

Health Information Technology is the use of information and communication technology in health care. May include electronic health records, clinical alerts, and computerized decision support systems, just to name a few.