Competency Model for Electronic Health Records Specialist
Electronic Health Records Specialist – An individual responsible for compiling, processing, and
maintaining medical records of hospital and clinic patients in a manner consistent with
medical, administrative, ethical, legal, and regularly requirements of the health care system.
These individuals process, maintain, compile and report patient information for health
requirements and standards in a manner consistent with the healthcare industry’s numerical
coding system.
Industry-Sector Technical Competencies
Related Instruction for dual training means the organized and systematic form of education resulting
in the enhancement of skills and competencies related to the dual trainee’s current or intended
occupation.
•
Health information literacy and skills – Understand the degree to which
individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health
information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.
•
Health informatics skills using the EHR – Understand that informatics is the
science of computer information systems and involves the practice of
information processing and the engineering of information systems. The
field considers the interaction between humans and information alongside
the construction of interfaces, organizations, technologies, and systems.
Health informatics focus on health and medical records.
•
Privacy and confidentiality of health information – Understand that
confidentiality involves a set of rules of a promise that limits access or places
restrictions on certain types of health information.
•
Health information and data technical security – Know the practice of
preventing unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification,
inspection, recording or destruction of information.
Occupation-Specific Competencies
On-the-Job Training (OJT) is hands-on instruction completed at work to learn the core competencies
necessary to succeed in an occupation. Common types of OJT include job shadowing, mentorship,
cohort-based training, assignment-based project evaluation and discussion-based training.
• Audit patient records – Understand the goals of an audit are to provide efficient and better
delivery of care and to improve the financial health of your medical provider; medical record
audits specifically target and evaluate procedural and diagnosis code selection as determined
by physician documentation.
• Perform basic coding – Understand a process that leads from an original formulation of a
computing problem to executable computer programs.
• Process release of information (ROI) – Understand that a release of information department
exists in every medical organization. HIPAA {Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
and State guidelines strongly direct the rules and regulations of patient information. ROI
departments perform such tasks as obtaining patient consent, certifying medical records, and
deciding what information can be released.
• Collect patient demographic and insurance information – Understand that EHRs are often
responsible for collecting this information, which includes name, date of birth, address, phone
number, doctor information, social security number, and sex. Patient demographic information
also contains guarantors or emergency contact information, and health insurance provider
information.
• Manage patient information – Understand that patient information includes any
documentation required for the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up with patient, and is
typically more specific to an individual’s physical and mental well-being.
Updated July 2022
