Chicago, IL / Health information management programs
Health information management programs in Chicago.
5 CAHIIM-accredited programs operate in Chicago, IL. In the broader Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro, Medical Records Specialists earn a median of $49,790 annually, 3% below the national median.
Accredited programs
Metro employed
Metro median wage
Top 10% wage
Metro wages
What Medical Records Specialists earn in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro.
BLS OEWS, May 2024. SOC 29-2072. Metro covers Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI.
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro
- Median annual
- $49,790
- Mean annual
- $56,290
- 10th percentile
- $38,680
- 90th percentile
- $79,190
- Total employed
- 3,220
National (for reference)
- Median annual
- $51,140
- Illinois state median
- $56,440
The local job market
Who hires HIM staff in Chicago.
The Chicago metro employs over 3,000 medical records specialists, one of the deepest HIM job markets in the country. Northwestern Medicine, Rush, UChicago Medicine, Advocate Health Care, Endeavor Health, and Cook County Health all run large records and coding operations, and the health-plan and revenue-cycle vendor market layered on top adds remote-friendly coding roles.
Accredited programs
Every CAHIIM-accredited program in Chicago.
-
Chicago State University
Health Information Management
Level
Baccalaureate Degree
Delivery
Online
-
City Colleges of Chicago, Malcolm X College
Health Information Management
Level
Associate Degree
Delivery
Campus Based, Online
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University of Illinois at Chicago
Health Informatics
Level
Master Degree
Delivery
Online
-
University of Illinois at Chicago
Health Information Management
Level
Master Degree
Delivery
Online
-
University of Illinois Chicago
Health Information Management
Level
Baccalaureate Degree
Delivery
Campus Based, Online
You are not limited to campus
Online HIM programs work from Chicago too.
HIM is one of the few healthcare fields you can train for entirely online: 206 of the 350 CAHIIM-accredited programs nationwide are fully online, and 3 of the 5 Chicago programs are too. Employers verify the CAHIIM accreditation and the RHIT or RHIA credential; where the campus sits doesn't come up.
So compare the Chicago options against the fully online programs and the rest of the Illinois field before you decide. Local can still win on price (community and technical colleges usually beat private online tuition) and on clinical-site relationships, but it should win on the merits, not by default.
FAQ
HIM programs in Chicago: common questions.
How many CAHIIM-accredited HIM programs are in Chicago?
Chicago, IL has 5 CAHIIM-accredited health information management programs: 2 baccalaureate degrees, 1 associate degree, 2 master degrees. 5 of them offer online delivery.
What do medical records specialists earn in Chicago?
In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro, medical records specialists earn a median of $49,790 a year, 3% below the national median (BLS OEWS May 2024). The top 10% earn $79,190.
Do I have to study in Chicago to work in Chicago?
No. 206 of the 350 CAHIIM-accredited programs nationwide are fully online, including 19 online-capable programs based in Illinois. Employers care about the CAHIIM accreditation and the RHIT or RHIA credential, not where the campus was.
Keep going
Next steps.
All programs in Illinois, ranked
Seven-factor ranking of every CAHIIM program in the state.
Health information management degree
The complete guide. Curriculum, credentials, employment outlook.
Online programs
If location flexibility matters more than local presence.
Source: CAHIIM Program Directory, refreshed . Wage figures from BLS OEWS May 2024 (metro CBSA 0016980).