How to hire a medical record assistant

How to hire a medical record assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step medical record assistant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a medical record assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new medical record assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a medical record assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the medical record assistant you need to hire. Certain medical record assistant roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A medical record assistant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, medical record assistants from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents medical record assistant salaries for various positions.

   Type of Medical Record Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Medical Record Assistant	Medical records and health information technicians, commonly referred to as health information technicians, organize and manage health information data. They ensure its quality, accuracy, accessibility, and security in both paper and electronic systems... Show more	$13-20
   Medical Internship	When it comes to a medical internship, one of the primary duties is to attend to the patients' needs while under a more experienced physician's supervision. During this period, the medical interns must rotate in various fields of specialties or departments for exposure... Show more	$15-37
   Medical Biller Coder	A medical biller coder is responsible for handling the billing processes and insurance within a hospital, clinic, or similar facility. They must gather patient information and records to analyze and translate them into codes according to the insurance and medical guidelines... Show more	$14-23

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Data Entry
   • HIPAA
   • Patient Care
   • Vital Signs
   • Medical Terminology
   • Appointment Scheduling
   • Hippa
   • EKG
   • Front Desk
   • Triage
   • Test Results
   • EHR
   • Medical Charts

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead special department-wide task force initiative to minimize abuse of Oxycontin prescriptions bill to Medicaid.
   • Manage and organize all paperwork concerning caregivers and patients; organize filing system; ensure operation of electronic filing systems.
   • Work with EHR, provide medical records to patients and specialty centers.
   • Guide department through transition from paper charts to EHR system scan all patient records into database.
   • Scan documents into electronic medical records system and certify HIPAA compliance
   • Implement HIPAA guidelines in keeping patient information secure and confidential.

   More medical record assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your medical record assistant job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A medical record assistant salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, medical record assistants' average salary in oklahoma is 36% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level medical record assistants earn 35% less than senior-level medical record assistants.
   • Certifications. A medical record assistant with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a medical record assistant's salary.

   Average medical record assistant salary

   $16.76hourly

   $34,870 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level medical record assistant salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 13, 2026

   Average medical record assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$41,641	$20
   2	New York	$39,738	$19
   3	Missouri	$37,982	$18
   4	Pennsylvania	$37,330	$18
   5	Connecticut	$36,550	$18
   6	Illinois	$35,898	$17
   7	Hawaii	$35,591	$17
   8	Massachusetts	$35,502	$17
   9	Florida	$34,723	$17
   10	Minnesota	$33,649	$16
   11	South Carolina	$33,381	$16
   12	Colorado	$32,950	$16
   13	Ohio	$32,835	$16
   14	North Carolina	$31,043	$15
   15	Tennessee	$30,964	$15
   16	Indiana	$29,969	$14
   17	Oklahoma	$28,431	$14

   Average medical record assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough	$41,296	$19.85
   2	American Senior Benefits	$39,826	$19.15	6
   3	North Arkansas Regional Medical Center	$39,573	$19.03
   4	1 8 3 Lanes	$39,565	$19.02
   5	University at Buffalo	$38,956	$18.73
   6	UPS	$38,887	$18.70
   7	Boston College	$38,110	$18.32	1
   8	Life Care Centers of America	$37,706	$18.13	8
   9	Quest Diagnostics	$36,815	$17.70	27
   10	Saratoga Hospital	$36,707	$17.65	3
   11	University of Pennsylvania	$36,365	$17.48
   12	Napa County, California	$36,133	$17.37
   13	Life Care Solutions	$36,095	$17.35	4
   14	Town of Truckee	$35,841	$17.23
   15	American Medical Facilities Management	$35,760	$17.19
   16	Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania	$35,591	$17.11
   17	Orsini Specialty Pharmacy	$35,194	$16.92
   18	NHC	$34,778	$16.72	6
   19	North Middlesex Savings Bank, Inc.	$34,761	$16.71
   20	Pennsylvania State Treasurer	$34,761	$16.71	2

4. Writing a medical record assistant job description

   A good medical record assistant job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a medical record assistant job description:

   Medical record assistant job description example

   The RHD Intensive Behavioral Health Services Team (IBHS), a program of Resources for Human Development, Inc. support children, youth and young adults with mental, emotional, and behavioral health needs. These services are offered in their homes, schools and communities.
   
   Resources for Human Development is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, veteran, or disability status.
   Responsibilities/Duties
   
   Provide general administrative and clerical support including but not limited to mailing, scanning, filing, faxing, scanning and copying
   
   Answer and direct office phone calls
   
   Collect, open, sort, and distribute incoming mail and faxes
   
   Create spreadsheet of IBHS referral chart that includes family information, written orders and clinical documentation
   
   Develop and maintain a system to manage client physical and electronic charts utilizing the agency's Electronic Health Record, my Avatar
   
   Utilize my Avatar to open and close episodes
   
   Schedule families for psychological evaluations and assessments
   
   Maintain archived file room (purges and discharges)
   
   Manage client medical records
   
   Maintain and submit IBHS written order packets to CBH
   
   Work collaboratively with program staff to resolve administrative barriers
   
   Required Experience
   
   At least 2 years of data entry, general office and customer service experience, and at least 1 year of medical records experience.
   
   Required Education
   
   High School diploma or GED
   
   Required Qualifications
   
   Proficient use of Microsoft Office, Excel, Power Point software, and familiar with Electronic Health Records (EHR) programs
   
   Ability to initiate, plan, conduct, and complete multiple projects successfully
   
   Ability to work autonomously and exhibit a professional demeanor to internal and external clients
   
   Strong written and verbal communication skills, ability to communicate with a varied and diverse population in an effective manner
   
   Must be flexible, highly organized, task and detail-oriented, and possess time management skills
   
   Program Summary
   
   The RHD Intensive Behavioral Health Services Team (IBHS), a program of Resources for Human Development, Inc. support children, youth and young adults with mental, emotional, and behavioral health needs. These services are offered in their homes, schools and communities.
   
   "RHD employees and programs in the City of Philadelphia are required to follow the COVID vaccine mandate. The City of Philadelphia has issued an Emergency Regulation Governing the Control and Prevention of COVID-19 Mandating Vaccines for Healthcare Workers and In Higher Education, Healthcare, and Related Settings ("Vaccine Mandate Regulation"), which mandates vaccine for healthcare workers and in higher education, healthcare, and related settings. This mandate became Effective on August 16, 2021 and requires Healthcare Workers and certain workers at Healthcare Institutions to be fully vaccinated by October 15, 2021. Fully vaccinated means it has been two weeks since the final dose of vaccine. The regulation does allow individuals to apply to RHD for an exemption based on a sincerely held religious belief that would prohibit vaccination for COVID-19 or because of medical conditions that preclude administration of one of the available vaccines."

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right medical record assistant for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with medical record assistants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit medical record assistants who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your medical record assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit medical record assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit medical record assistants, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new medical record assistant

   Once you've decided on a perfect medical record assistant candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new medical record assistant. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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