Health information manager vs medical records technician

The differences between health information managers and medical records technicians 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 records technician. Additionally, a health information manager has an average salary of $63,401, which is higher than the $37,087 average annual salary of a medical records technician.

The top three skills for a health information manager include patients, transcription and patient care. The most important skills for a medical records technician are patients, medical terminology, and HIPAA.

Health information manager vs medical records technician overview

	Health Information Manager	Medical Records Technician
Yearly salary	$63,401	$37,087
Hourly rate	$30.48	$17.83
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	121,247	67,660
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Associate Degree, 34%
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 records technician do?

A medical records technician is responsible for performing administrative duties, handling patients' medical records for medical purposes. Medical records technicians keep an organized database of patients' information, including medical history, diagnosis, healthcare treatments, laboratory schedules, and insurance details using specific healthcare coding procedures. Medical records technicians must be detail-oriented and highly organizational, especially on maintaining the accuracy and confidentiality of patients' information. This job is critical in the healthcare industry for the doctors' reference and determining treatment costs.

Health information manager vs medical records technician salary

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

	Health Information Manager	Medical Records Technician
Average salary	$63,401	$37,087
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $103,000	Between $28,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Farmington, CT	Long Branch, NJ
Highest paying state	Connecticut	New Jersey
Best paying company	Huron Consulting Group	Guidehouse
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between health information manager and medical records technician education

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

	Health Information Manager	Medical Records Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Associate Degree, 34%
Most common major	Computer Information Systems	Health Care Administration
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Pennsylvania

Health information manager vs medical records technician demographics

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

	Health Information Manager	Medical Records Technician
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1%	Male, 18.8% Female, 81.2%
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, 9.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 8.7% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between health information manager and medical records technician 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 records technician example responsibilities.

Enter all patient in-take into EMR, manage triage, scheduling, and maintain a sterile clinic setting.
Manage medical treatment authorizations and durable medical equipment (DME) requests and verify medical eligibility for all patients requesting treatment.
Perform examinations in the ER, main radiology area and surgery.
Order medical records for patients, medical staff, outside entities, and court subpoenas for certain dates of services.
Audited/Validate daily outpatient medical coding accounts involving emergency rooms, surgery, interventional radiology, radiology, and ancillary services.
Staff education on EMR and industry regulations.

Health information manager vs medical records technician skills

Common health information manager skills

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

Common medical records technician skills

Patients, 20%
Medical Terminology, 11%
HIPAA, 6%
Patient Care, 5%
Customer Service, 5%
Medical Facilities, 4%

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Health Information Manager
Health Information Manager vs Medical Records Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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