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The differences between health information coders and information management 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 health information coder and an information management specialist. Additionally, an information management specialist has an average salary of $54,515, which is higher than the $54,353 average annual salary of a health information coder.
The top three skills for a health information coder include medical terminology, ICD-10-CM and CPC. The most important skills for an information management specialist are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.
| Health Information Coder | Information Management Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $54,353 | $54,515 |
| Hourly rate | $26.13 | $26.21 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 112,238 | 151,152 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A health information coder is responsible for translating the reports of physicians into beneficial medical codes. Health information coders make sure that all important information is appropriately coded for accuracy and consistency. The coders read the medical chart of a patient and analyze it and identify patient diagnoses and medical procedures. They categorize the diagnoses and the necessary procedures based on a national classification system. Also, they assign particular alphanumeric or numeric code to each procedure or diagnosis.
An information management specialist is responsible for maintaining the security benchmark of all databases across the organization to support business functions and client requirements. Information management specialists sort and file data on the network systems and pull up reports from the storage database. They also analyze project management plans and utilize data tools to identify solutions and collect critical information. An information management specialist handles data management system troubleshooting and provide resolution reports to avoid downtime reoccurrence.
Health information coders and information management specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Health Information Coder | Information Management Specialist | |
| Average salary | $54,353 | $54,515 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $78,000 | Between $28,000 And $105,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Greenwich, CT |
| Highest paying state | - | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | - | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a health information coder and an information management specialist in terms of educational background:
| Health Information Coder | Information Management Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Health Care Administration | Business |
| Most common college | Georgetown University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between health information coders' and information management specialists' demographics:
| Health Information Coder | Information Management Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.0% Female, 88.0% | Male, 39.8% Female, 60.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 8.9% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |