Medical Records Specialists
Compile, process, and maintain medical records of hospital and clinic patients in a manner consistent with medical, administrative, ethical, legal, and regulatory requirements of the healthcare system. Classify medical and healthcare concepts, including diagnosis, procedures, medical services, and equipment, into the healthcare industry's numerical coding system. Includes medical coders.
Medical Records Specialists earn a median of $24.59/hr — about $51,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $17.79/hr; the top 10% earn $39.01/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Assign the patient to diagnosis-related groups (DRGs), using appropriate computer software.
- Compile and maintain patients' medical records to document condition and treatment and to provide data for research or cost control and care improvement efforts.
- Consult classification manuals to locate information about disease processes.
- Enter data, such as demographic characteristics, history and extent of disease, diagnostic procedures, or treatment into computer.
- Identify, compile, abstract, and code patient data, using standard classification systems.
- Maintain or operate a variety of health record indexes or storage and retrieval systems to collect, classify, store, or analyze information.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Post-secondary certificate. Overall preparation: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).
The feel of the work
The work is mostly indoors; you're around people constantly; precision matters — small details carry weight. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 0.8% of medical records specialists are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are organized and detail-focused, analytical and people-focused.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
- Surgical Technologists
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other
- Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars
- Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians
- Dietitians and Nutritionists
Quick questions
- How much does a medical records specialist make?
- The median pay is $24.59 per hour — roughly $51,000 a year, with the real range running from about $17.79/hr (10th percentile) to $39.01/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a medical records specialist?
- The typical entry-level education is: Post-secondary certificate. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).
- What does a medical records specialist actually do all day?
- Assign the patient to diagnosis-related groups (DRGs), using appropriate computer software. Compile and maintain patients' medical records to document condition and treatment and to provide data for research or cost control and care improvement efforts. Consult classification manuals to locate information about disease processes.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.