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What Is a Health Information Technician? Duties, Pay, and How to Become One
A health information technician keeps patient records accurate, complete, and protected. Here is what the job involves, what it pays, and the two-year path that leads to it.
A health information technician makes sure the record of a patient visit is complete, accurate, and filed where the next clinician can find it. If you like detail work, health care, and a desk job that still matters to patients, this is one of the most direct ways in.
What a Health Information Technician Does
Every visit, test, and prescription creates information. The technician checks that it was documented, that nothing is missing, and that it sits in the right place in the electronic health record. Much of the day is review, correction, and follow-up with the clinicians who wrote the notes.
Common duties include checking charts for missing signatures and reports, entering and organizing patient data, assigning diagnosis and procedure codes, handling release of information requests, and protecting patient privacy. At a small clinic one person does all of it. In a hospital the work is split across teams.
Health Information Technician, Medical Records Technician, and Other Job Titles
The same work goes by several names. Medical records technician is the older title, and some employers still use it. Health information technician is the title most degree programs and the RHIT credential are built around. Postings also say medical records specialist, HIM technician, or records coordinator.
When you search job boards, try all of them. The Medical Records Specialist career profile covers the day-to-day in more detail and the titles that sit just above it.
Where Health Information Technicians Work
- Hospitals and health systems, in records, coding, and release of information departments
- Physician offices and outpatient clinics
- Nursing and long-term care facilities
- Insurance companies and billing or coding companies
- Government health agencies and public health offices
How Much Health Information Technicians Make
The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks this work under Medical Records Specialists. For May 2025 it reports about 194,720 jobs nationwide and a median pay of $51,140 a year, or $24.59 an hour. The lowest-paid 10 percent earn about $37,000, and the top 10 percent earn above $81,150.
Where you work matters. The state medians run from the low $40,000s in some Southern states to more than $60,000 in Washington, California, and New York. Our Medical Records Specialist salary page shows the percentile spread and state-by-state numbers.
How to Become a Health Information Technician
The most recognized route has three parts.
- Earn an associate degree in health information management from a program accredited by CAHIIM, the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education.
- Apply to sit for the RHIT (Registered Health Information Technician) exam through AHIMA, the American Health Information Management Association.
- Pass the exam, then apply for entry-level technician, coding, or records roles.
The RHIT certification guide explains eligibility and what the exam covers. The accredited degree is what makes you eligible, so the program you pick matters. Start with the associate degree in health information management guide.
Choosing a Program
Confirm accreditation first. Then compare format, cost, and how the program supports your clinical practice experience. Many associate programs are offered online, which suits people working full time. See the associate degree program rankings or the affordable online RHIT programs list to compare schools side by side.
Where the Career Goes Next
The technician role is a starting point. Many technicians move into coding, clinical documentation, privacy, or data quality work, and some finish a bachelor's degree for the RHIA credential and management roles. The RHIA vs RHIT comparison lays out how the two credentials differ.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a health information technician the same as a medical records technician?
Mostly, yes. Medical records technician is the older title, and health information technician is the one most programs and credentials use today. Employers also post the same work as medical records specialist or HIM technician. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports wages for the group under Medical Records Specialists.
How long does it take to become a health information technician?
The usual path is a two-year associate degree from a CAHIIM-accredited health information management program, followed by the RHIT exam. Some people work toward the degree part time, which stretches the timeline. Certificate routes exist for related coding roles, but the RHIT specifically requires the accredited associate degree.
Can you become a health information technician without a degree?
Some entry-level records jobs hire without a degree, especially front-line filing, scanning, and release of information roles. The RHIT credential itself requires graduating from a CAHIIM-accredited associate program, so the degree is what opens the full technician role and the better-paying postings.
What does a health information technician earn?
BLS reports a national median of $51,140 a year ($24.59 an hour) for Medical Records Specialists as of May 2025. The middle half of workers earn between $43,490 and $64,820, and the top 10 percent earn above $81,150. Pay is higher in states like Washington and California.
Sources
- BLS OEWS, Medical Records Specialists (SOC 29-2072), May 2025.
- AHIMA, credential eligibility and exams.
- CAHIIM program directory.
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Written by
Taylor Rupe, Founder & Editor
Taylor Rupe is the founder and editor of healthinformationmanagementprograms.com. With degrees in psychology from the University of Washington and computer science from Oregon State University, Taylor focuses on translating workforce data and program accreditation records into something prospective students can actually use.