Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs health care administrator

The differences between clinical documentation improvement specialists and health care administrators 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 health care administrator. Additionally, a health care administrator has an average salary of $68,187, which is higher than the $64,797 average annual salary of a clinical documentation improvement specialist.

The top three skills for a clinical documentation improvement specialist include patients, patient care and clinical documentation improvement. The most important skills for a health care administrator are patients, patient care, and health care services.

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs health care administrator overview

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Health Care Administrator
Yearly salary	$64,797	$68,187
Hourly rate	$31.15	$32.78
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	66,130	161,949
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age	45	45
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 health care administrator do?

A health care administrator is primarily in charge of overseeing the daily administrative operations of medical and health care facilities. They are responsible for setting objectives, establishing guidelines and employee schedules, maintaining accurate records, gathering and analyzing data, developing strategies to optimize operations, and coordinating with nurses, physicians, patients, and other health care experts. Moreover, as a health care administrator, it is essential to address and resolve issues and concerns, implement the facility's policies and regulations, and ensure that procedures comply with health care laws and standards.

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs health care administrator salary

Clinical documentation improvement specialists and health care administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Health Care Administrator
Average salary	$64,797	$68,187
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $87,000	Between $48,000 And $95,000
Highest paying City	Madera, CA	Sacramento, CA
Highest paying state	California	Nevada
Best paying company	Nuance Communications	One Brooklyn Health
Best paying industry	Health Care	Professional

Differences between clinical documentation improvement specialist and health care administrator education

There are a few differences between a clinical documentation improvement specialist and a health care administrator in terms of educational background:

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Health Care Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	University of Pennsylvania

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs health care administrator demographics

Here are the differences between clinical documentation improvement specialists' and health care administrators' demographics:

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Health Care Administrator
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 15.2% Female, 84.8%	Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7%
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, 8.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 8.5% White, 60.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between clinical documentation improvement specialist and health care administrator 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.

Health care administrator example responsibilities.

Research and resolve recipients complaints relate to Medicaid service limitations, accessibility of MediPass manage services and provider treatment of recipients.
Interview prospective adopters and communicate the pet's needs.
Design training for EMR implementation for staff and medical providers.
Oversee pet care technician staff and report issues to management.
Utilize electronic medical records (EMR) technology for military members.
Supervise the maintenance and safeguarding of medical records and compliance with HIPAA regulations.

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs health care administrator skills

Common clinical documentation improvement specialist skills

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

Common health care administrator skills

Patients, 26%
Patient Care, 9%
Health Care Services, 6%
Home Health, 6%
Mental Health, 6%
Vital Signs, 4%

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Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist
Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist vs Health Care Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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