Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs records manager

The differences between clinical documentation improvement specialists and 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 records manager. Additionally, a clinical documentation improvement specialist has an average salary of $64,797, which is higher than the $47,265 average annual salary of a records manager.

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 manager are office equipment, access database, and sharepoint.

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs records manager overview

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Records Manager
Yearly salary	$64,797	$47,265
Hourly rate	$31.15	$22.72
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	66,130	3,204
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
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 manager do?

The records manager is an important position that handles the creation, organization, and disposal of records. They are also responsible for establishing systems for their management and the maintenance, verification, and evaluation of extant systems. It will require technical and analytical skills, as well as a great deal of integrity for handling sensitive information.

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs records manager salary

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

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Records Manager
Average salary	$64,797	$47,265
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $87,000	Between $32,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	Madera, CA	Paramus, NJ
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	Nuance Communications	Accenture
Best paying industry	Health Care	Professional

Differences between clinical documentation improvement specialist and records manager education

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

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Records Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Nursing	Business
Most common college	Duke University	Stanford University

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs records manager demographics

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

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Records Manager
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 15.2% Female, 84.8%	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%
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, 10.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 8.1% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between clinical documentation improvement specialist and 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.

Records manager example responsibilities.

Implement and manage projects with complex HL7 interfaces between multiple clinical systems including writing project plans.
Establish compliant records training program to meet objectives in standards such as HIPAA, FOIA.
Develop and execute recordkeeping and docketing system to track activities of multi-district class action litigation, and introduce records retention policies/procedures.
Ensure record privacy, confidentiality, and HIPAA compliance.
Maintain all student records in compliance with HIPPA and Medicaid.
Ensure records are readily available for re-use, regulatory review, audit, and litigation.

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs 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 records manager skills

Office Equipment, 16%
Access Database, 12%
SharePoint, 10%
DOD, 7%
Nara, 5%
Payroll, 4%

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Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist
Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist vs Records Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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