Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs certified medical technician

The differences between clinical documentation improvement specialists and certified medical 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 clinical documentation improvement specialist and a certified medical technician. Additionally, a clinical documentation improvement specialist has an average salary of $64,797, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a clinical documentation improvement specialist include patients, patient care and clinical documentation improvement. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs certified medical technician overview

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$64,797	$38,859
Hourly rate	$31.15	$18.68
Growth rate	11%	5%
Number of jobs	66,130	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	45	44
Years of experience	12	12

What does a clinical documentation improvement specialist do?

Clinical documentation improvement specialists are professionals who are involved in the clinical documentation improvement (CDI) program that incorporates the terminology needed to translate a patient's condition into precise codes. These specialists must investigate complex healthcare reimbursement information to ensure that appropriate documentation is provided for proper patient care. They must collaborate with physicians and medical record coding staff so that they facilitate the clinical documentation improvement process. Clinical documentation improvement specialists must also train members of the patient care team about the documentation guidelines for medical records.

What does a certified medical technician do?

Certified Medical Technicians are specialists in medical diagnoses by performing laboratory testing and analysis for hospitals and physicians. Their duties include lab sanitization to prepare for testing and collection, recording medical samples for testing, specimen preparation, blood drawing for donation and testing, and assisting physicians with sample collection as well as equipment handling in surgical rooms. They must also understand how to use complex and sensitive testing equipment such as cell counters, analyzers, microscopes, and centrifuges.

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs certified medical technician salary

Clinical documentation improvement specialists and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$64,797	$38,859
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $87,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Madera, CA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Nuance Communications	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between clinical documentation improvement specialist and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a clinical documentation improvement specialist and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	University of Connecticut

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between clinical documentation improvement specialists' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	45	44
Gender ratio	Male, 15.2% Female, 84.8%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 15.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 10.0% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	9%	8%

Differences between clinical documentation improvement specialist and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Clinical documentation improvement specialist example responsibilities.

Create documentation education classes to general surgery residents, increasing the leveling of reporting which lead to increase revenues.
Interact directly with physicians to query for more specific documentation and to provide documentation guidelines from ICD-9 and ICD-10 standards.
Prepare, maintain and update clinical documentation ensuring completeness and accuracy of services provide to the patients.
Assign the correct POA status.
Participate in the initiation of the CDIS program.
Train new employees on how to utilize radiology information systems.

Certified medical technician example responsibilities.

Maintain the cleanliness of storage areas, trays, centrifuges, refrigerators, freezers and work area.
Administer medications to patients according to their medication record as scheduled, as needed according to physician orders.
Perform laboratory test and procedures in areas including chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, serology, and bacteriology.
Perform first aid and apply CPR when necessary.
Perform first aid or CPR during medical emergencies until paramedics arrive.
Assist the residents in their ADL needs and prepare their meals.

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs certified medical technician skills

Common clinical documentation improvement specialist skills

Patients, 18%
Patient Care, 13%
Clinical Documentation Improvement, 12%
CCDS, 8%
ICD-10, 7%
CCS, 6%

Common certified medical technician skills

Patients, 17%
Vital Signs, 12%
CPR, 8%
Administer Medications, 7%
Resident Care, 6%
HIPAA, 6%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist
Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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