Health information manager vs medical coder

The differences between health information managers and medical coders 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 a medical coder. Additionally, a health information manager has an average salary of $63,401, which is higher than the $51,563 average annual salary of a medical coder.

The top three skills for a health information manager include patients, transcription and patient care. The most important skills for a medical coder are CPC, medical terminology, and ICD-10-CM.

Health information manager vs medical coder overview

	Health Information Manager	Medical Coder
Yearly salary	$63,401	$51,563
Hourly rate	$30.48	$24.79
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	121,247	51,316
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Associate Degree, 37%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	12	12

What does a health information manager do?

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.

What does a medical coder do?

A medical coder's role is to interpret and analyze a patient's medical record and translate particular details according to the universal medical alphanumeric code. Moreover, a medical coder is primarily responsible for ensuring that the translations are accurate, as this will play a vital factor in processing insurance and receiving treatments. Aside from accuracy, it is also crucial for a medical coder to coordinate with other hospital personnel at all times, especially when there inconsistencies in the records.

Health information manager vs medical coder salary

Health information managers and medical coders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Health Information Manager	Medical Coder
Average salary	$63,401	$51,563
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $103,000	Between $37,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Farmington, CT	Trenton, NJ
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Hawaii
Best paying company	Huron Consulting Group	Meta
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between health information manager and medical coder education

There are a few differences between a health information manager and a medical coder in terms of educational background:

	Health Information Manager	Medical Coder
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Associate Degree, 37%
Most common major	Computer Information Systems	Health Care Administration
Most common college	University of Southern California	Stanford University

Health information manager vs medical coder demographics

Here are the differences between health information managers' and medical coders' demographics:

	Health Information Manager	Medical Coder
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1%	Male, 13.2% Female, 86.8%
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, 9.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 9.0% White, 60.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between health information manager and medical coder duties and responsibilities

Health information manager example responsibilities.

Manage discharged medical records and confidentiality of records as per HIPAA regulations.
Achieve this goal by providing clear policies/justification for initiatives which impact designated FTE's.
Maintain integrity of CPT coding, payer contracts and library builds.
Compile & generate statistical reports for ROI purposes & physician re-appointments.
Ensure correct assignment of ICD-9-CM diagnosis code/s and sequencing of admission diagnosis for billing.
Serve as an integral part of the ICD-10 implementation team for the facility (ongoing).

Medical coder example responsibilities.

Manage all EDI relate communication with trading partners and assist to produce all operational documents for all end users.
Manage all aspects of AR including writing letters for medical necessity, claim denials, bundling issues and charge capture.
Manage health records while applying ICD-10 coding to update and process insurance claims for time and accuracy to various insurance companies.
Manage the outsourced transcription company.
Create documentation education classes to general surgery residents, increasing the leveling of reporting which lead to increase revenues.
Adhere to regulations with CPT-4, ICD-9-CM and HCPCS coding with medical terminology and effort meet all audit requirements.

Health information manager vs medical coder skills

Common health information manager skills

Patients, 23%
Transcription, 10%
Patient Care, 7%
Rehabilitation, 6%
Chart Completion, 5%
ICD-10, 4%

Common medical coder skills

CPC, 11%
Medical Terminology, 8%
ICD-10-CM, 7%
AHIMA, 7%
Patients, 7%
Clinical Documentation, 5%

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Health Information Manager vs Medical Coder

Updated January 8, 2025

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