Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs records specialist

The differences between clinical documentation improvement specialists and records specialists 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 specialist. Additionally, a clinical documentation improvement specialist has an average salary of $64,797, which is higher than the $33,273 average annual salary of a records 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 records specialist are customer service, data entry, and office equipment.

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs records specialist overview

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Records Specialist
Yearly salary	$64,797	$33,273
Hourly rate	$31.15	$16.00
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	66,130	28,647
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
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 specialist do?

Records Specialists are administrative professionals who help manage the records of the company. These records may be physical documents or digital copies that are stored in a database. Records Specialists may assist in creating filing systems and knowledge management systems to ensure that the records they keep are easily accessible. They also keep an organized list or database of all the documents that are with them. Records Specialists are in charge of pulling up records upon the request of different departments or individuals. If they are working with physical copies, they ensure that these documents are returned to them. If they are working with digital copies, they ensure that the files they share are kept confidential. Records Specialists may also be in charge of analyzing trends and creating records-related reports.

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs records specialist salary

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

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Records Specialist
Average salary	$64,797	$33,273
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $87,000	Between $26,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Madera, CA	San Mateo, CA
Highest paying state	California	Oregon
Best paying company	Nuance Communications	Mt. San Antonio College
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between clinical documentation improvement specialist and records specialist education

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

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Records Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Nursing	Business
Most common college	Duke University	Stanford University

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs records specialist demographics

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

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Records Specialist
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 15.2% Female, 84.8%	Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2%
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, 17.5% Asian, 8.5% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between clinical documentation improvement specialist and records specialist 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 specialist example responsibilities.

Develop numerous SQL scripts/queries for monitoring and managing the system.
Manage thousands of cases for several firms with deadlines for depositions while ensuring accuracy, confidentiality, and HIPAA compliance.
Train and mentore employees in EDMS.
Process project records for retention in EDMS.
Represent DOJ at an ODNI language training conference.
Liaise with GIS group to resolve mapping issues.

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs records specialist 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 specialist skills

Customer Service, 25%
Data Entry, 14%
Office Equipment, 5%
Word Processing, 5%
Database Systems, 5%
Management System, 5%

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Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist
Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist vs Records Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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