Health information management director vs records specialist

The differences between health information management directors 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 health information management director and a records specialist. Additionally, a health information management director has an average salary of $132,896, which is higher than the $33,273 average annual salary of a records specialist.

The top three skills for a health information management director include patients, oversight and medical terminology. The most important skills for a records specialist are customer service, data entry, and office equipment.

Health information management director vs records specialist overview

	Health Information Management Director	Records Specialist
Yearly salary	$132,896	$33,273
Hourly rate	$63.89	$16.00
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	174,388	28,647
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
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 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.

Health information management director vs records specialist salary

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

	Health Information Management Director	Records Specialist
Average salary	$132,896	$33,273
Salary range	Between $95,000 And $185,000	Between $26,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Baltimore, MD	San Mateo, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Oregon
Best paying company	University of Maryland Medical System	Mt. San Antonio College
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between health information management director and records specialist education

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

	Health Information Management Director	Records Specialist
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	University of Southern California	Stanford University

Health information management director vs records specialist demographics

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

	Health Information Management Director	Records Specialist
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 16.5% Female, 83.5%	Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2%
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, 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 health information management director and records 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.

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.

Health information management director vs records specialist skills

Common health information management director skills

Patients, 21%
Oversight, 8%
Medical Terminology, 7%
ICD-10, 6%
Transcription, 6%
Revenue Cycle, 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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Health Information Management Director vs Records Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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