Health Information Technician

Pre-Employment Tests For Medical Records and Health Information Technicians

Top Skills and Abilities:

  • Getting Information
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Processing Information
  • Active Listening
  • Oral Comprehension

Top 3 Tasks:

  • Protect the security of medical records to ensure that confidentiality is maintained.
  • Review records for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with regulations.
  • Retrieve patient medical records for physicians, technicians, or other medical personnel.

Overview

Medical records and health information technicians are responsible for maintaining organized patient data. Technicians document all relevant information, including medical history, treatments, and test results. They can also act as liaisons between all involved parties: healthcare providers, patients, and physicians. Medical records and health information technicians need to be comfortable with medical and categorization software. Some training may be available on the job, but most technicians learn the necessary skills in community college classes or vocational school.

Requirements

The development of electronic health records (EHRs) has shifted many patient records online; it's essential that prospective technicians either already know, or can quickly learn how to use the software. In facilities that are open 24 hours a day, technicians may work night shifts. Therefore, it is important that they manage any fatigue healthily; hiring managers may want to emphasize this during the selection process. It is also possible for medical records and health information technicians to specialize. Most choose to specialize in medical coding, which is a related but separate field. Medical coding is the process of examining a medical procedure and assigning a code for payment. It requires an understanding of medical terminology, medical billing, insurance plans, and clinical procedures. Medical records and health information technicians who are also experienced medical coders are a great asset for a workplace.

Assessments for Medical Records and Health Information Technicians

To succeed as medical records and health information technicians, applicants must be detail-orientated and comfortable working in a clinical setting. Employers that use Criteria Corp's HireSelect employee testing software to screen applicants for this position typically use two tests to gather information on applicants: the Criteria Basic Skills Test (CBST) and the Employee Personality Profile (EPP). The CBST is a basic job readiness skills test that evaluates verbal and math skills, attention to detail, spelling, grammar, and communication skills. The EPP is a personality inventory that measures 12 job-related traits, giving employers key insights into an applicant's behavioral style and likely job fit.

If you're an employer interested in previewing these tests, start a 14-day free trial or book a consultation to learn more.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor

 

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