Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs records coordinator

The differences between clinical documentation improvement specialists and records coordinators 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 records coordinator. Additionally, a clinical documentation improvement specialist has an average salary of $64,797, which is higher than the $40,360 average annual salary of a records coordinator.

The top three skills for a clinical documentation improvement specialist include patients, patient care and clinical documentation improvement. The most important skills for a records coordinator are customer service, data entry, and patients.

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs records coordinator overview

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Records Coordinator
Yearly salary	$64,797	$40,360
Hourly rate	$31.15	$19.40
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	66,130	25,060
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
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 records coordinator do?

A records coordinator takes responsibility for doing administrative and clerical work. Records coordinators maintain the filing system of the central records. They monitor, post, and process university forms for personnel and budgetary actions. It is their job to maintain an organized central filing system. They must know the requirements applicable to their organization. There are certain skills every records coordinator should acquire. Some of them are skills in procurement management, organizational, negotiation, finance and accounting, and analytical.

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs records coordinator salary

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

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Records Coordinator
Average salary	$64,797	$40,360
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $87,000	Between $30,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Madera, CA	Trenton, NJ
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	Nuance Communications	The American Musical and Dramatic Academy
Best paying industry	Health Care	Energy

Differences between clinical documentation improvement specialist and records coordinator education

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

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Records Coordinator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Nursing	Business
Most common college	Duke University	Stanford University

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs records coordinator demographics

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

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Records Coordinator
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 15.2% Female, 84.8%	Male, 26.7% Female, 73.3%
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, 9.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 8.5% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between clinical documentation improvement specialist and records coordinator 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.

Records coordinator example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain appropriate information in the electronic case file as required by federal, state, and HIPAA regulations.
Manage SharePoint site used for routing management approvals.
Assist DoD and contract personnel in digitizing intelligence onto secure severs for use by senior DoD agencies.
Maintain forms inventory in preparation for the EHR.
Forward records/documents as requested by FDA staff and outside vendors.
Perform software validation testing and QA testing for new CAPA system implementation.

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs records coordinator skills

Common clinical documentation improvement specialist skills

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

Common records coordinator skills

Customer Service, 24%
Data Entry, 20%
Patients, 16%
HIPAA, 6%
Hard Copy, 3%
Subpoenas, 3%

Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist vs. similar jobs

Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist related careers

Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist
Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist vs Records Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs