Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs medical records manager

The differences between clinical documentation improvement specialists and medical records managers 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 medical records manager. Additionally, a medical records manager has an average salary of $75,232, 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 medical records manager are patients, HIPAA, and patient care.

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs medical records manager overview

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Medical Records Manager
Yearly salary	$64,797	$75,232
Hourly rate	$31.15	$36.17
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	66,130	54,997
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
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 medical records manager do?

The main job of a medical records manager is to secure and maintain electronic and written data within a medical records department. Medical records managers retrieve patient records for medical personnel and physicians. They supervise the department's employees. It is their responsibility to document a patient's health information, which may include symptoms, histories, and exam results. They ensure that the confidentiality of patients will follow the proper record-keeping practices. Also, they manage electronic health records and computer software.

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs medical records manager salary

Clinical documentation improvement specialists and medical records managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Medical Records Manager
Average salary	$64,797	$75,232
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $87,000	Between $50,000 And $111,000
Highest paying City	Madera, CA	Oakland, CA
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	Nuance Communications	Amazon
Best paying industry	Health Care	Technology

Differences between clinical documentation improvement specialist and medical records manager education

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

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Medical Records Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Nursing	Health Care Administration
Most common college	Duke University	University of Pennsylvania

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs medical records manager demographics

Here are the differences between clinical documentation improvement specialists' and medical records managers' demographics:

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Medical Records Manager
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 15.2% Female, 84.8%	Male, 21.1% Female, 78.9%
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, 8.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 8.1% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between clinical documentation improvement specialist and medical records manager 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.

Medical records manager example responsibilities.

Manage 2nd/ 3rd and weekend shift supervisors and staff and develop unit (s) QA activities.
Achieve this goal by providing clear policies/justification for initiatives which impact designated FTE's.
Prepare documents for FOIA requests.
Assign ICD-9 and CPT medical codes.
Have knowledge of the latest CPT coding.
Ensure compliance with medical/legal requirements, JCAHO standards.

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs medical records manager skills

Common clinical documentation improvement specialist skills

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

Common medical records manager skills

Patients, 29%
HIPAA, 10%
Patient Care, 10%
EHR, 4%
Hippa, 4%
Medical Terminology, 4%

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Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist
Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist vs Medical Records Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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