Who Keeps Your Medical Records When Your Doctor Leaves?

Health information technicians manage patient health information and medical records. They are responsible for organizing the information and checking the documents for accuracy. They're also responsible for taking necessary measures to make sure the records are secure. Technicians pass the information on to other people, such as insurance companies, but the law mandates that you, as the patient, have some control over who may view your records.

Technician's Role

• Medical records are mostly handled electronically; technicians assign codes that are in accordance with classification systems. These systems help the hospital quickly decide how providers will be paid when a health insurance program, including Medicare and Medicaid, covers the patient. Some technicians contribute to cancer registrars, which keep track of different forms of cancers, survival and recovery rates and success rates for treatments. Some technicians also play a role in developing and improving the technology of health information networks.

Technician Requirements

• Technicians usually work standard 40-hour workweeks, with some working overtime. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 14 percent work part-time. The technicians must have a minimum of associate's degrees and hold the Registered Health Information Technician credential.

Confidentiality

• The technicians protect the confidentiality of the medical records, since many people would like to keep their health details secret; to that end, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act requires that technicians maintain patient privacy. Some patients feel embarrassment over a particular health condition or may fear that an employer might discriminate against them if the employer knows about a medical condition.

Others Who May See Information

• Besides the physician, the technician may pass your medical information on to other people, including insurance companies, government agencies and databases collecting medical information. Patients can authorize that a medical facility disclose medical records to other people, such as employers. In some cases, courts subpoena some medical records, often for the purpose of evaluating the quality of service provided by a medical establishment. In this case, the medical records are studied to help the agency assess the medical establishment's performance.