What is the future job outlook for medical record coders?
The opportunity and demand of the future job market for coders is bright. There is a national shortage of credentialed coders at this time and is not projected to improve over the next seven years. The US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 49 percent growth in the number of health information management (HIM) workers by 2010, making this occupation one of the fastest-growing health occupations. Approximately 6,000 new HIM workers are needed each year to fill new positions and replace those who retire or leave the field. Today, 2,000 new graduates enter the HIM field each year. In 2001 according to this study, 136,000 medical record and health information technician jobs were vacant. The study projected that by 2010, there would be 202,000 job openings nationwide.
