Health information technologists and medical registrars advise organizations on computerized healthcare systems and analyze clinical data. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics lists their duties as working out requirements for computerized healthcare systems, evaluating and supporting new health information systems, organizing and updating clinical databases and registries, compiling data and reports on diseases and treatment, tracking patient outcomes for quality assessment, validating the integrity of patient data, and keeping patients' health information private, secure and confidential. Technologists often specialize in electronic health records; medical registrars, such as cancer registrars, build and maintain disease databases, assign classification codes and track treatment and survival.
The short answer: AI is changing this job, but the BLS expects strong growth. The ILO's 2025 index rates medical records and health information technicians, the closest group, at gradient 3 with a score of 0.52. The BLS projects employment of health information technologists and medical registrars to grow 16 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average, from 42,000 to 48,600 jobs, with about 3,000 openings a year. Projections are estimates, not guarantees.
How exposed health information technologists are
The International Labour Organization scores occupations' tasks from 0 (cannot be automated with generative AI) to 1 (could be done without a human operator), and groups them into gradients from 1 to 4, with 4 the most exposed; below them sit minimal exposure and not exposed (ILO Working Paper 140, 2025).
| Occupation (ISCO-08) | ILO category | Mean task score (0 to 1) |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Records and Health Information Technicians | Gradient 3 | 0.52 |
Coding, abstracting records and compiling reports are text and data tasks that generative AI can speed up, which puts this group in the exposed gradients. The technologist side of the job, choosing and running the systems that hold the data, sits closer to IT work.
What the BLS projects
| Occupation | Projected change 2025 to 2035 | Openings a year |
|---|---|---|
| Health information technologists and medical registrars | Grow 16% | About 3,000 |
The BLS says the volume of electronic health information generated by healthcare providers and patients continues to grow, and that medical registrars will be needed to update clinical registries, abstract relevant details and turn the data into meaningful information. More data, in other words, means more work for the people who manage it.
Where AI is helping
- Suggesting classification codes and pulling key details out of patient records.
- Spotting missing or inconsistent data before it reaches a registry.
- Drafting routine reports and summaries from clinical databases.
What stays with health information technologists
- Data integrity: validating that patient data is correct, the duty the BLS lists, matters more when software produces it.
- Privacy and security: deciding who can see health information and keeping it confidential.
- Systems: setting requirements for and implementing health record systems, increasingly ones with AI built in.
- Registries: judgment calls on how cases are classified and followed over time.
- Checking AI help: suggested codes and extracted details can be wrong, which NIST calls confabulation (NIST AI 600-1). See checking AI output.
How the job is changing
As AI drafts more of the coding and abstracting, the work shifts toward overseeing the systems, checking the output and protecting the data. The BLS says the typical entry route is an associate's degree, some jobs need a bachelor's or master's, and certification may be required or preferred. This page is general information, not career advice.
See also will AI replace medical billing and coding?, will AI replace database administrators? and AI agents and personal data.
Pay and how to get in
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual pay for health information technologists and medical registrars at $68,020 in May 2025, against $50,980 for all workers. The typical education needed to enter is: associate's degree. See how this job compares in AI exposure by pay and AI exposure by education level.
Questions and answers
Will AI replace health information technologists?
Not on current projections. The BLS projects 16 percent growth from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,000 openings a year, as electronic health information keeps growing.
How exposed is health information work to AI?
The ILO rates medical records and health information technicians, the closest group, at gradient 3 with a score of 0.52.
What does a medical registrar do?
The BLS says medical registrars create and maintain databases of diseases and conditions; cancer registrars review records, assign classification codes and track treatment and survival.
What degree do health information technologists need?
The BLS says they typically need an associate's degree, some jobs need a bachelor's or master's, and certification may be required or preferred.