Health information management director vs health information specialist

The differences between health information management directors and health information 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 management director and a health information specialist. Additionally, a health information management director has an average salary of $132,896, which is higher than the $33,343 average annual salary of a health information specialist.

The top three skills for a health information management director include patients, oversight and medical terminology. The most important skills for a health information specialist are patients, HIPAA, and medical terminology.

Health information management director vs health information specialist overview

	Health Information Management Director	Health Information Specialist
Yearly salary	$132,896	$33,343
Hourly rate	$63.89	$16.03
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	174,388	135,448
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	12	12

What does a health information management director do?

A Health Information Management Director develops and supervises health information systems. They also ensure that health information systems meet medical, legal, and ethical standards.

What does a health information specialist do?

A health information specialist is in charge of overseeing and developing strategies to optimize information management procedures in hospitals, physicians' offices, and other similar environments. Their responsibilities revolve around gathering and updating medical records, receiving and organizing files, and updating databases according to the appropriate coding systems and procedures. Furthermore, as a health information specialist, it is essential to coordinate with nurses and other staff to ensure accuracy in documentation, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

Health information management director vs health information specialist salary

Health information management directors and health information specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Health Information Management Director	Health Information Specialist
Average salary	$132,896	$33,343
Salary range	Between $95,000 And $185,000	Between $25,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Baltimore, MD	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	University of Maryland Medical System	University of California
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between health information management director and health information specialist education

There are a few differences between a health information management director and a health information specialist in terms of educational background:

	Health Information Management Director	Health Information Specialist
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Health Care Administration
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Health information management director vs health information specialist demographics

Here are the differences between health information management directors' and health information specialists' demographics:

	Health Information Management Director	Health Information Specialist
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 16.5% Female, 83.5%	Male, 15.1% Female, 84.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 8.6% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 8.7% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between health information management director and health information specialist duties and responsibilities

Health information management director example responsibilities.

Manage EMR image title, deficiency table, physician table, ROI table.
Implement and manage projects with complex HL7 interfaces between multiple clinical systems including writing project plans.
Achieve this goal by providing clear policies/justification for initiatives which impact designated FTE's.
Provide physician education on documentation improvement initiatives for ICD-9 and ICD-10.
Code patient charts for inpatient stays and outpatient services receive for mental and chemical dependence rehabilitation.
Train and provide support for Eclinicalworks software.

Health information specialist example responsibilities.

Manage chart completion (ICD-9-CM and CPT coding/abstracting), chart assembly and analysis, patient admission and patient information privacy/security.
Review and audit medical records for correct DRG and APC assignment.
Certify requests for subpoenas, court orders, legal cases and training of employees.
Utilize Cerner and Centricity systems to assist in ancillary services.
Abstract medical records with ICD9-CM, CPT and DRG coding.
Scan documentation via DCS into HPF to be index under ROI.

Health information management director vs health information specialist skills

Common health information management director skills

Patients, 21%
Oversight, 8%
Medical Terminology, 7%
ICD-10, 6%
Transcription, 6%
Revenue Cycle, 6%

Common health information specialist skills

Patients, 26%
HIPAA, 11%
Medical Terminology, 10%
Patient Care, 10%
Data Entry, 4%
Office Equipment, 3%

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Health Information Management Director
Health Information Management Director vs Health Information Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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