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The differences between certified professional coders 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 professional coder and a health information technician. Additionally, a certified professional coder has an average salary of $52,683, which is higher than the $34,604 average annual salary of a health information technician.
The top three skills for a certified professional coder include CPC, medical terminology and AAPC. The most important skills for a health information technician are patients, medical terminology, and customer service.
| Certified Professional Coder | Health Information Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $52,683 | $34,604 |
| Hourly rate | $25.33 | $16.64 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 86,465 | 120,786 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 34% | Associate Degree, 41% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A certified professional coder oversees the daily medical coding operations of a medical facility, ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulations. They usually have the responsibility to provide coding to facilities, update databases, and conduct reviews and assessments to identify missing details or inconsistencies and perform corrective measures. Moreover, as a certified professional coder, it is essential to coordinate with external parties such as insurance providers and communicate with patients, assisting them by answering inquiries, explaining procedures, and solving issues and concerns if any would arise.
A health information technician is primarily responsible for managing and handling patient information, ensuring accuracy and confidentiality. They coordinate with various health care workers to gather patient data, laboratory results, test findings, and medical histories, encoding them in clinical databases in a timely and efficient manner. They must analyze every information to detect any inconsistencies, performing corrective measures right away. Furthermore, as a health information technician, it is essential to utilize particular software and systems when processing information, all while adhering to the hospital's policies and regulations.
Certified professional coders and health information technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Professional Coder | Health Information Technician | |
| Average salary | $52,683 | $34,604 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $73,000 | Between $26,000 And $45,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baltimore, MD | Fairbanks, AK |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Morgan Stanley | Stifel Financial |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Government |
There are a few differences between a certified professional coder and a health information technician in terms of educational background:
| Certified Professional Coder | Health Information Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 34% | Associate Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Health Care Administration | Health Care Administration |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between certified professional coders' and health information technicians' demographics:
| Certified Professional Coder | Health Information Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 8.9% Female, 91.1% | Male, 16.5% Female, 83.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 8.3% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | 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 Percentage | 9% | 9% |