Health information management director vs reimbursement specialist

The differences between health information management directors and reimbursement 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 reimbursement specialist. Additionally, a health information management director has an average salary of $132,896, which is higher than the $38,273 average annual salary of a reimbursement specialist.

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

Health information management director vs reimbursement specialist overview

	Health Information Management Director	Reimbursement Specialist
Yearly salary	$132,896	$38,273
Hourly rate	$63.89	$18.40
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	174,388	32,292
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
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 reimbursement specialist do?

A reimbursement specialist is responsible for analyzing insurance documents, processing reimbursement claims, and releasing accurate billing statements for insurance claims. Reimbursement specialists must have excellent analytical skills, especially on performing clerical tasks to evaluate insurance cases, investigate cases, and update the account information of the clients on the database. They should also have impeccable communication skills and understanding of the insurance processes to be able to coordinate with the clients, explaining the procedures of their claims accurately, and coordinate with the insurance management to improve the claims processes.

Health information management director vs reimbursement specialist salary

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

	Health Information Management Director	Reimbursement Specialist
Average salary	$132,896	$38,273
Salary range	Between $95,000 And $185,000	Between $29,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	Baltimore, MD	Lynchburg, VA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Virginia
Best paying company	University of Maryland Medical System	Novartis
Best paying industry	Health Care	Pharmaceutical

Differences between health information management director and reimbursement specialist education

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

	Health Information Management Director	Reimbursement Specialist
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Pennsylvania

Health information management director vs reimbursement specialist demographics

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

	Health Information Management Director	Reimbursement Specialist
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 16.5% Female, 83.5%	Male, 15.2% Female, 84.8%
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, 9.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 8.1% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between health information management director and reimbursement 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.

Reimbursement specialist example responsibilities.

Manage the EDI clearinghouse rejections.
Process department payroll, order supplies, and manage petty-cash funds.
Manage use of various systems, such as MEDITECH, Cerner, WebNow, and yield-base follow-up tool.
Manage cases by aggressively directing the litigation process.
Negotiate fee structure for manage care contracts on acute and rehabilitation facilities.
Research medical coding ICD-9, ICD-10, HCPCS and CPT-4 to let client know the outcome of medical claim.

Health information management director vs reimbursement specialist skills

Common health information management director skills

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

Common reimbursement specialist skills

Patients, 20%
Customer Service, 9%
Appeals, 6%
CPT, 5%
Medicare, 4%
Medicaid, 4%

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Health Information Management Director
Health Information Management Director vs Reimbursement Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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