Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs specialist

The differences between clinical documentation improvement specialists and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a clinical documentation improvement specialist, becoming a specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a clinical documentation improvement specialist has an average salary of $64,797, which is higher than the $58,013 average annual salary of a 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 specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs specialist overview

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Specialist
Yearly salary	$64,797	$58,013
Hourly rate	$31.15	$27.89
Growth rate	11%	10%
Number of jobs	66,130	358,433
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	45	42
Years of experience	12	2

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 specialist do?

Specialists are employees who are responsible for specific tasks or activities in the department they are assigned to. The actions or tasks they work on are related to their educational background or work experiences. They are usually highly skilled in specializations related to the work they are assigned to. Specialists are also highly trained on the competencies that are required of their specialty. As such, they are focused on the skills and competencies that are needed to enhance their experience in their specific field further.

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs specialist salary

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

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Specialist
Average salary	$64,797	$58,013
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $87,000	Between $32,000 And $104,000
Highest paying City	Madera, CA	Jersey City, NJ
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	Nuance Communications	The Citadel
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between clinical documentation improvement specialist and specialist education

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

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Nursing	Business
Most common college	Duke University	Stanford University

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs specialist demographics

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

	Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist	Specialist
Average age	45	42
Gender ratio	Male, 15.2% Female, 84.8%	Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5%
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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	11%

Differences between clinical documentation improvement specialist and 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.

Specialist example responsibilities.

Create, manage, and assist users with SharePoint sites.
Manage an on-site IRB and company good clinical practice (GCP) inspection.
Manage SharePoint sites by creating, editing, and customizing company sites, libraries and security.
Manage the building of accounts, assigning of static IP's, and scheduling of business class installations.
Convert servers from UNIX to Linux, all hardware diagnostics and repair including printers/plotters/desktops etc.
Follow safety procedures such as maintenance of all equipment (Telxon scanners, terminals and ladders).

Clinical documentation improvement specialist vs 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 specialist skills

Patients, 15%
Customer Service, 11%
Work Ethic, 5%
Patient Care, 4%
Exceptional Client, 4%
Troubleshoot, 4%

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 Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs