Health informatics leverages real-time clinical data to make meaningful impacts for healthcare professionals and their patients. It improves patient outcomes, access, security, and communication. The dynamic digital health landscape includes multiple opportunities to build effective solutions that improve healthcare for everyone.
Health informatics saves lives by combining information technology and computer science with clinical expertise and management for better patient care. It's a broad field, and the far-ranging effects also include improved operational and economic efficiency and bringing down overall costs for patients and providers.
The benefits available in the fast-growing field of health informatics include reduced errors, expanded access to care, and the ability to provide real-time feedback. Health informatics can improve communication between health-care teams and their patients, which leads to better decision-making.
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Leveraging and effectively using data through health informatics can reduce inpatient mortality rates, shorten the duration of inpatient stays in facilities, and decrease the likelihood of readmission within 30 days, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association and supported in subsequent recent studies, including a 2024 study in the journal Informatics and Health.
Some of the roles that health informatics professionals can take on include nurse informaticist, chief medical information officer, director of clinical informatics, clinical data analyst, and IT consultant. The field of health informatics is also wide open to research, and new professional applications are developing as rapidly as the pace of technology.
What Do Health Informatics Professionals Do?
Health Informatics professionals use data, technology, and information systems to improve healthcare delivery, enhance patient outcomes, and support clinical decision-making. They analyze health data, manage electronic health records, and integrate digital tools to optimize the efficiency and quality of care.
- Apply the effective uses of biomedical data, information, and knowledge for scientific inquiry, problem-solving, and decision-making.
- Use data analytics and artificial intelligence to develop insights and drive innovations in the health care industry.
- Improve patient portals, create cloud-based health care systems, and help personalize treatment plans.
- Help improve patient outcomes and make health-care systems more efficient by optimizing healthcare delivery and centralizing information such as medical records.
- Develop new medical technology, design public health strategies, and digitize health care records, systems, and processes.
- Integrate electronic health records with existing systems, aiming for minimal organizational disruption and even improved delivery of healthcare services.
What Skills Do Health Informatics Specialists Need?
Health Informatics specialists draw on their technical, analytical, and managerial skills to help them successfully navigate at the intersection of health care and technology.
- Computer Programming. Some health informatics specialists design computer programs to automate the application of statistical analysis techniques to clinical data, drawing out insights with the aid of technologies like artificial intelligence.
- Data Analytics. The role of data analytics in health care is expansive. Health informatics pros use descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics to discover patterns, forecast, solve problems, and answer the needs of today and tomorrow.
- Health Care IT: Health informatics specialists work closely with health information technology, including electronic health records (EHR) and clinical health data systems. They're comfortable working with data generated by technologies such as telemedicine, wearable health devices, electronic prescription services, patient portals, and consumer health care apps.
- Management: Senior and executive positions in health informatics, such as a director of health informatics or chief medical information officer, involve managing teams of informatics specialists or heading up strategic project management.
What's Driving the Need for Health Informatics Professionals?
The health informatics field is diverse and expanding, with demand being fueled by the health care industry's focus on evidence-based medicine, quality improvement, and data security and accessibility for patients. Health informatics jobs are growing faster than average, fueled by digital health records, AI in healthcare, telemedicine, and data privacy regulations.
- Electronic Health Record (EHR): Perhaps the most well-known application of health informatics is the adoption of electronic health records. In the US, the Affordable Care Act of 2009 requires that healthcare institutions transition to a fully digital medical record system. This requirement impacts every aspect of a healthcare institution's operations.
- Predictive Medicine: Health informatics is helping to shape a new era of predictive medicine using Big Data and AI, leveraging the huge quantities of data now available through sources such as wearable medical devices. Predictive tools have the potential to help clinicians better predict who will get sick when and how best to intervene to improve outcomes.
- Epidemic Tracking: Health informaticists are assisting in capturing and translating data into usable information to track infectious diseases and create systems to predict and prevent epidemics.
What Fields Are Part of Health Informatics?
- Artificial intelligence
- Chemical informatics
- Consumer health informatics
- Data informatics
- Data privacy
- Decision support systems
- Dental informatics
- Ethics
- Global health informatics
- Healthcare
- Home care
- Information security
- International healthcare systems
- Nursing informatics
- Telemedicine
- Translational research informatics
What Are Some Career Areas in Health Informatics?
Health Informatics offers numerous career paths, each focusing on a different aspect of how information and technology are applied within healthcare systems and society.
- Public health informatics focus on how to use information technology to educate the public. They study computer science and use their computer skills to keep track of current medical research. They also design and implement new methods in the field.
- Organizational informatics is the study of both communication within medical organizations and the collation of data used by such organizations.
- Social informatics involves research on the social implications of computerization and the way that information technology affects society's perception of these systems. Social informatics is based more on research and theory.
- Clinical informatics involves the study of the ways that information technology affects clinical research and medical education. When coupled with social informatics, it also complements patient education and perception of the process.
What Do Health Informatics Professionals Earn?
Job titles and career paths are diverse in the health informatics field. Salaries will vary, but all jobs in the field are in high demand. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects 16 percent growth from 2022 to 2032 for medical and health services managers, including roles in informatics. The health information technologists and medical registrars category is projected to grow 16 percent over the same time, much faster than most occupations. Top roles include health informatics specialists, clinical informaticists, data analysts, EHR specialists, and health IT project managers.
| Field | Mean Entry-Level Salary (Payscale) | Mean Annual Salary (BLS) | Top 10 Percent (BLS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical and Health Services Managers | $61,869 | $137,730 | $219,080 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $65,570 | $187,990 | >$239,200 |
| Management Analysts | $57,207 | $114,710 | $174,140 |
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Figures from payscale.com, accessed April 2025. Figures from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), dated May 2024. |
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See additional computing salary information.
Where Do Health Informatics Professionals Work?
- Computer/information security firms
- Government agencies
- Health informatics firms
- Health insurance companies
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Hospital and health care systems
- Long-term care facilities
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Medical billing firms
- Medical clinics and doctor's offices
- Medical insurance firms
- Medical oversight firms
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Medical software and technology firms
- Multi-center hospital systems
- Public health organizations
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Research laboratories
What Are Some Health Informatics Job Titles?
- Health informatics specialist
- Clinical analyst
- Clinical informatics specialist
- Nursing informatics specialist
- Pharmacy or nutrition informaticist
- Clinical informatics manager
- Health informatics consultant
- Informatics nurse
- Healthcare IT project manager
- Informatics director
How to Prepare for a Career in Health Informatics
There are many ways to start a career in health informatics, but most entry-level jobs need at least a bachelor's degree. Our informatics program advisor says there are steps you can take right now to get ready for this fast-growing field.
Tips for High School Students
If you're still in high school and thinking about a career in health informatics, here's what you can do to prepare:
- Focus on science and math classes. Courses like biology, health science, computer science, and statistics will help build a strong foundation for college-level learning in health informatics.
- Try technology and computer classes. Learning about data, coding, or how systems work can help you understand the tech side of the field.
- Pay attention to what you enjoy. Do you like working with computers? Are you interested in healthcare? If so, health informatics might be a great fit for you.
- Read about different health informatics degrees. Explore what schools offer and what paths you can take to find the one that matches your interests.
Choosing a College or University for Health Informatics
Picking the right college is an important step toward a career in healthcare technology, health information systems, and other branches of health informatics.. Use these tips to guide you:
- Look beyond the name. A program doesn't have to be called “health informatics” to lead to a job in the field. Degrees in computer science, healthcare administration, or health information management can also get you well-prepared for a rewarding career.
- Make sure the program is accredited. Employers want to hire graduates from schools with official accreditation, an indicator that you've received the training you require from an institution of excellence.
- Visit the schools you're considering. Talk to professors, ask about scholarships and financial aid, and learn the deadlines for applying. Any excellent school will also make it possible for you to speak to alumni or current students about their experiences.
- Apply on time. It's best to apply during your junior year or early in your senior year of high school. Mark your calendar, set reminders, and you'll be sure to get all of your materials in on time.
Tips for College Students
If you're already in college and want to enter the health informatics field, here are some smart moves:
- Talk with your academic advisor. They can help you choose the right classes and programs to give you the skills you need.
- Get hands-on experience. Join student groups, find internships, or take part in research. Look for real projects that deal with healthcare data or technology.
- Build strong relationships with faculty. Professors can help you find internships, recommend you for jobs, and serve as mentors.
- Start networking early. Meet professionals at career fairs, campus events, or conferences. These contacts can help when you're looking for jobs after graduation.
- Keep your resume fresh. Practice interview skills and visit your school's career center for support. You'll be more confident when it's time to apply for jobs.
What Do Health Informatics Majors Study?
- How to work with software, databases, and analytical tools that process biological information.
- How to design and implement innovative applications and promote new technologies in health care, such as medical decision support systems, telemedicine applications, and medical ethics and biostatistic guidelines
- How to use various resources, devices, and methods to learn to optimize the acquisition, storage, retrieval, interpretation, and use of health and biomedicine information.
- How to retrieve and share information efficiently, think critically while problem solving, and make decisions based on the best possible patient outcomes.
What Are Common Health Informatics Degrees?
Some common health informatics-related degrees are:
- Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics
- Bachelor of Information Technology
- Bachelor of Science Business—Information Technology Management
- Master of Science in Health Informatics
- Master of Information Systems
- Master of Health Informatics
- Master of Nursing Informatics
The Future of Health Informatics
The digitization of healthcare, along with artificial intelligence, data security standards, and big data affects our daily lives. The need to respond to evolving technologies assures the thriving future of the health informatics field. Health informatics professionals are leading the efforts to respond to current and future needs in these key areas:
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and Interoperability: EHR adoption and the ability to share data among healthcare providers is crucial. Computer systems and software must be able to exchange and make use of information across providers to achieve the best possible outcomes.
- Telehealth and Remote Monitoring: Accelerated adoption of telehealth and remote monitoring technologies for virtual healthcare delivery, which can be especially important in rural or other hard-to-access areas.
- Big Data and Analytics: Health-care professionals rely on big data and analytics for predictive analysis, personalized medicine, and understanding and managing health across communities and populations.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning: AI and machine learning are used in healthcare for tasks like image analysis, predictive analytics, and drug discovery.
- Mobile Health (mHealth) and Apps: Mobile apps and wearable devices play a huge role in health monitoring, medication management, and patient engagement.
- Ethical, Legal, and Security Considerations: Ongoing discussions and regulations related to ethical use of health data, patient privacy, data security, and legal compliance.
