Health Information Technology
Health Information Technology
Health Information Technology is what links doctors, clinics, labs and hospitals to insurance companies, government regulators and patients. HIT combines medicine, finance, information technology, law and information technology into a single career. This is a health care field that does not involve direct interaction with patients but does involve working with doctors, nurses, administrators and sometimes lawyers. With the push for widespread adoption of electronic medical records, HIT is a growing profession.
Did You Know?
- Some insurance companies give financial bonuses to physicians’ offices that use electronic medical records.
- Demand for Health Insurance Techs is expected to increase 20 percent between 2008 and 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- The number of electronic prescriptions from doctors nearly doubled from 2008 and 2009, to 191 million. Among office-based physicians, one of four percent of physicians uses e-prescribing.
- Electronic medical records in hospital settings reduce medication and treatment errors.
- Patients who see multiple specialists benefit from electronic records because information is shared more quickly.
- Widespread use of electronic medical records and networking could save $80 billion a year in health care costs.