Health information management director vs release of information specialist

The differences between health information management directors and releases of information specialist 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 release of information specialist. Additionally, a health information management director has an average salary of $132,896, which is higher than the $45,891 average annual salary of a release of information specialist.

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

Health information management director vs release of information specialist overview

	Health Information Management Director	Release Of Information Specialist
Yearly salary	$132,896	$45,891
Hourly rate	$63.89	$22.06
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	174,388	68,103
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 38%	Associate Degree, 36%
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 release of information specialist do?

A release of information specialist is primarily in charge of retrieving and releasing data to qualified recipients while adhering to the guidelines and confidentiality protocols that aim to protect sensitive information. Although the extent of their responsibilities usually depends on their industry or company of employment, it usually includes maintaining records of procedures and transactions, preparing and processing documents, organizing files, producing progress reports to managers, and keeping an eye out for any inconsistencies, resolving them promptly and efficiently.

Health information management director vs release of information specialist salary

Health information management directors and releases of information specialist have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Health Information Management Director	Release Of Information Specialist
Average salary	$132,896	$45,891
Salary range	Between $95,000 And $185,000	Between $23,000 And $91,000
Highest paying City	Baltimore, MD	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Connecticut
Best paying company	University of Maryland Medical System	AstraZeneca
Best paying industry	Health Care	Insurance

Differences between health information management director and release of information specialist education

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

	Health Information Management Director	Release Of Information Specialist
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 38%	Associate Degree, 36%
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 release of information specialist demographics

Here are the differences between health information management directors' and releases of information specialist' demographics:

	Health Information Management Director	Release Of Information Specialist
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 16.5% Female, 83.5%	Male, 14.4% Female, 85.6%
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, 10.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 8.4% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between health information management director and release of 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.

Release of information specialist example responsibilities.

Manage and track various holds on inventory: ship on quarantine; FDA hold; and quality hold.
Apply insurance knowledge to interpret EOB, all manage contracts and fee schedules for physician services and hospital services.
Generate reports for managing compliance with Medicaid documentation in support of electronic billing to MCO
Deliver customer service to patients and their families regarding access to their medical history information.
Assist clients with choosing a Medicaid HMO.
Handle Meditech requests then enter information into Esmartlog.

Health information management director vs release of 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 release of information specialist skills

Patients, 24%
HIPAA, 16%
Customer Service, 6%
Medical Terminology, 5%
ROI, 5%
Hippa, 5%

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Health Information Management Director vs Release Of Information Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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