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The differences between health information managers 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 manager and an information management specialist. Additionally, a health information manager has an average salary of $63,401, which is higher than the $54,515 average annual salary of an information management specialist.
The top three skills for a health information manager include patients, transcription and patient care. The most important skills for an information management specialist are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.
| Health Information Manager | Information Management Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $63,401 | $54,515 |
| Hourly rate | $30.48 | $26.21 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 121,247 | 151,152 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A Health Information Manager is someone who processes and safeguards patient information records. A health facility needs to secure patient records as it is confidential. A health information manager creates and implements policies in recording and documenting patient records and retrieve them upon request of a physician for a diagnosis. The health information manager also ensures that all patient information acquired by the healthcare facility is stored securely, adhering to all state and federal laws concerning data privacy.
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 managers and information management specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Health Information Manager | Information Management Specialist | |
| Average salary | $63,401 | $54,515 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $103,000 | Between $28,000 And $105,000 |
| Highest paying City | Farmington, CT | Greenwich, CT |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Huron Consulting Group | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a health information manager and an information management specialist in terms of educational background:
| Health Information Manager | Information Management Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Computer Information Systems | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between health information managers' and information management specialists' demographics:
| Health Information Manager | Information Management Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1% | Male, 39.8% Female, 60.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 8.3% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | 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% |