What Kinds of Careers Are There in Healthcare Informatics?

At the intersection of computer science and healthcare lies the field of health informatics. Professionals in this branch of healthcare collect, manage, use, share, and protect essential health-related data to improve collaboration among healthcare providers and ensure patients receive the best possible care from those providers. The integration of computers and patient care is critical for healthcare systems, so employees who understand both will be in demand for years to come. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in this field will grow faster than the average over the next decade.

What also adds to the demand for health informatics professionals is the “meaningful use” clause of

HITECH, which is the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act. This clause provides incentives for healthcare providers who demonstrate the effective use of electronic health records. What kinds of careers are there in the field of health informatics? With the proper training, you could choose to work in design, analysis, information management, and cybersecurity. Which direction is right for you?

Healthcare Cybersecurity Analyst

If you’re mostly interested in the computer science aspects of health informatics, you may prefer to work as a healthcare cybersecurity analyst. In this position, you would build your facility’s defense system to ward off cybercriminals. You would set up firewalls, virus protection systems, and data encryption tools that would protect the sensitive data found in your facility’s financial and medical records. You would regularly test those defenses to find weaknesses, and then find solutions to strengthen your systems. You would also grant access to employees who need to work with your facility’s data such as billing specialists and medical records technicians.

Healthcare Systems Designer

Healthcare delivery is complex with many moving parts and people. Designing systems that work and incorporate the latest technologies is challenging but interesting work that is crucial to positive patient outcomes. As a Healthcare Systems Designer, you would help build the tech and electronic systems that healthcare facilities need. You might serve as a website designer, maintaining the external website and mobile applications for your organization. Or you might help develop software systems to help your administrative team manage, store, and secure the data they collect.

Health Information Management Director

Before you can utilize the patient data that are critical to healthcare informatics, someone needs to gather, analyze, and protect it all. As a manager or director of health information, you oversee the medical billing and coding departments to ensure that they accurately document and code patients’ medical records. You implement systems and processes for employees to follow that will improve the quality of record documentation. Since state laws and federal mandates regarding data collection and privacy are continually updated, you need to be able to keep up with those changes as well as any industry trends. If an administrator, physician, or researcher needs data for a report or research project, you’ll be the go-to person who will provide that information. And you have to follow the best protocols to protect it all.

Chief Information Officer

At the head of the healthcare IT department is the Chief Information Officer. The CIO directs and supervises what everyone else does in the department. You would make sure that your staff serves patient outcomes, while meeting the business needs of your facility. You would create strategies to build a strong cybersecurity infrastructure for your organization, and you would analyze financial and technical data to make better decisions about costs and operations. You would also interview and hire the members of your IT team, and you’d decide what software and electronic equipment should be used and purchased for your facility.