Confused?

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Jul 1, 2014

It is confusing, isn't it? Healthcare is a very complex industry and our job roles/titles change periodically in order to adapt to the changing processes we have to support.

HIT - can actually be divided into three different areas. One is also known as Healthcare Informatics which is a very broad field, that encompasses every type of software that we use. There are a range of different job titles, ranging from entry-level "help desk" folks to high level software developers... and everything in between. Many informatics jobs are only open to people with clinical backgrounds & experience because they are responsible for making sure that the software systems support clinical activities - and you can't really do this without clinical expertise. Our Chief Medical Informatics officer is a physician who also has a doctorate in Informatics.

Another HIT area is 'general' software & infrastructure. Jobs include non-clinical software an hardware support folks - that install and maintain computer systems as all of the data storage & security. Even the entry-level tech jobs require specialized education and certifications. Higher level jobs will require a BSCS or MSCS. Highest level jobs are those that require formal education in software engineering.

The third area is Biomedical engineering. These folks are responsible for maintaining & repairing all of the clinical (patient care) equipment. This is a huge job.. entry level requires a Bachelors degree in biomedical engineering. They also have to have specialty certifications for various different types of equipment.

In organizations I have worked with, Billing and Coding is a very specialized area with very little career mobility and relatively low pay. It is not unusual for clerical folks to advance into these positions via either on the job or vocational training. Increasingly, coding is becoming automated via interfaces with electronic medical records, so the 'human element' may become less important in the future.