Medical Data Analysis Job Description
As the health care industry continues to digitize patient records and other medical information, medical data analysis professionals are hired to collect, track, analyze and disseminate this data using automated systems and computer databases. Supporting health care executives, administrators and personnel, analysts streamline reporting procedures and store sensitive information for program planning, employee development and operational efficiency.
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Function
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Professionals working in the medical data analysis field are responsible for assembling, analyzing, auditing and processing medical claims, industry statistics and patient data. Medical analysts use modeling software tools to track and forecast industry trends, monitor data quality, assess risk and prepare narrative reports. Other duties that fall under medical data analysis professionals include implementing quality and business process controls in databases, creating measurement systems for evaluating patient records and inputting information from different medical departments.
Education
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Employers require that medical data analysts have a bachelor’s degree and at least two to five years of work experience in medical, statistical or health data analysis. Postsecondary courses that help prepare students for careers in medical data analysis include medical terminology, coding systems, data analysis, database security and management and computer science. Some health organizations and government agencies prefer candidates with a master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, biostatistics or statistics.
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Skills
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Medical data analysts must have sufficient knowledge of accepted research methods and principles for interpreting, analyzing and gathering medical data and future trends. Organizations hire candidates who have experience working with information systems, spreadsheets, word processing, email and database applications. Medical data analysts should know how to create graphs, charts, presentations, tables and statistical reports. In addition, they must also possess strong strategic planning, problem-solving, decision-making, writing and oral communication skills. The ability to work well within teams and under minimal supervision is also beneficial.
Salary
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The average annual salary for a medical data analyst in the United States was $54,000, as of June 2010, according to SimplyHired.com. However, salaries for this role may vary, based upon such factors as employer size, geographic location and experience level. For example, the SimplyHired report states that medical data analysts made an average salary of $60,000 in Los Angeles versus $53,000 in Miami.
Potential
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Jobs for medical records and health information professionals were projected to increase by 20 percent from 2008 to 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS predicted that advancements in information technology and the increased use of records management software in the health care industry will drive job opportunities for workers who organize, manage and analyze health information data.
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References
- Photo Credit Diagram image by Michałowski Dominik from Fotolia.com
