Facts

• In its 2009 wages study, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed the nation's average salary in the medical billing field was $33,880 per year. This is higher than the statewide salary received by the Lone Star State's 13,400 medical records specialists that year, averaging $29,380, a difference of $4,500 annually.
  
  

Range

• A portion of Texas' medical billing specialists did earn salaries above the national average. In the state's highest 90th percentile of earners, salaries averaged $50,980 per year. At the other end of the scale, salaries in Texas' bottom 10th percentile averaged $19,040 per year.
  
  

Considerations

• Texas residents seeking salaries as medical records specialists usually enroll in a two-year associate degree program in the field. The Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education accredits hundreds of community college and technical school programs across the country. Texas is home to 18 accredited schools (as of January 2011), including Texas State Technical College at Harlingen, El Paso Community College, Houston Community College System, South Texas College and San Jacinto College North. Prospective records specialists may seek voluntary credentials from organizations such as the Board of Medical Specialty Coding, American Health Information Management Association and the American Academy of Professional Coders.
  
  

Outlook

• The BLS anticipates a 20 percent growth rate in the field of medical records specialists, adding 35,100 jobs through 2018 countrywide. The bureau suggests that candidates in Texas who have the highest level of computer and technology skills will be the most likely to attain salaries.