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Certified coding specialist vs health information technician

The differences between certified coding specialists and health information technicians 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 technician. Additionally, a certified coding specialist has an average salary of $51,818, which is higher than the $34,604 average annual salary of a health information technician.

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 technician are patients, medical terminology, and customer service.

Certified coding specialist vs health information technician overview

Certified Coding SpecialistHealth Information Technician
Yearly salary$51,818$34,604
Hourly rate$24.91$16.64
Growth rate11%11%
Number of jobs62,432120,786
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 34%Associate Degree, 41%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

Certified coding specialist vs health information technician salary

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

Certified Coding SpecialistHealth Information Technician
Average salary$51,818$34,604
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $71,000Between $26,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City-Fairbanks, AK
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-Stifel Financial
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between certified coding specialist and health information technician education

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

Certified Coding SpecialistHealth Information Technician
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 34%Associate Degree, 41%
Most common majorHealth Care AdministrationHealth Care Administration
Most common collegeGeorgetown UniversityUniversity of Southern California

Certified coding specialist vs health information technician demographics

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

Certified Coding SpecialistHealth Information Technician
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 8.6% Female, 91.4%Male, 16.5% Female, 83.5%
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, 9.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 8.6% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between certified coding specialist and health information technician 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 technician example responsibilities.

  • Maximize ROI by effectively managing the microfiche process.
  • Assist patients and staff on filling out ROI's, and explain what exactly are being release or obtain.
  • Perform analysis and assembly of emergency room and surgery records and release records according to HIPAA regulations and confidentially.
  • Input data into a windows base in-house system.
  • Scan medical records in the EHR using the NEXTGEN software.
  • Attend advanced SQL coding workshops to optimize and refine database infrastructure.
  • Show more

Certified coding specialist vs health information technician 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 technician skills
  • Patients, 20%
  • Medical Terminology, 13%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • HIPAA, 9%
  • Patient Care, 7%
  • Data Entry, 5%

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