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Certified coding specialist vs health information specialist

The differences between certified coding specialists and health information specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a certified coding specialist and a health information specialist. Additionally, a certified coding specialist has an average salary of $51,818, which is higher than the $33,343 average annual salary of a health information specialist.

The top three skills for a certified coding specialist include medical terminology, ICD-10-CM and CPC. The most important skills for a health information specialist are patients, HIPAA, and medical terminology.

Certified coding specialist vs health information specialist overview

Certified Coding SpecialistHealth Information Specialist
Yearly salary$51,818$33,343
Hourly rate$24.91$16.03
Growth rate11%11%
Number of jobs62,432135,448
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 34%Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

Certified coding specialist vs health information specialist salary

Certified coding specialists and health information specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Certified Coding SpecialistHealth Information Specialist
Average salary$51,818$33,343
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $71,000Between $25,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City-San Jose, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-University of California
Best paying industry-Health Care

Differences between certified coding specialist and health information specialist education

There are a few differences between a certified coding specialist and a health information specialist in terms of educational background:

Certified Coding SpecialistHealth Information Specialist
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 34%Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common majorHealth Care AdministrationHealth Care Administration
Most common collegeGeorgetown UniversityUniversity of Southern California

Certified coding specialist vs health information specialist demographics

Here are the differences between certified coding specialists' and health information specialists' demographics:

Certified Coding SpecialistHealth Information Specialist
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 8.6% Female, 91.4%Male, 15.1% Female, 84.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 9.1% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 8.7% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between certified coding specialist and health information specialist duties and responsibilities

Certified coding specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage the outsourced transcription company.
  • Comply with HIPAA privacy laws.
  • File appeals and reviews for deny claims.
  • Conduct prospective E/M audits for clinic and hospital services.
  • Access hospital records, post E/M charges, electronically.
  • Post EOB's in system and file under corresponding insurances.
  • Show more

Health information specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage chart completion (ICD-9-CM and CPT coding/abstracting), chart assembly and analysis, patient admission and patient information privacy/security.
  • Review and audit medical records for correct DRG and APC assignment.
  • Certify requests for subpoenas, court orders, legal cases and training of employees.
  • Utilize Cerner and Centricity systems to assist in ancillary services.
  • Abstract medical records with ICD9-CM, CPT and DRG coding.
  • Scan documentation via DCS into HPF to be index under ROI.
  • Show more

Certified coding specialist vs health information specialist skills

Common certified coding specialist skills
  • Medical Terminology, 13%
  • ICD-10-CM, 10%
  • CPC, 9%
  • CPT-4, 6%
  • AHIMA, 6%
  • DRG, 5%
Common health information specialist skills
  • Patients, 26%
  • HIPAA, 11%
  • Medical Terminology, 10%
  • Patient Care, 10%
  • Data Entry, 4%
  • Office Equipment, 3%

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