Health information manager vs reimbursement specialist

The differences between health information managers 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 manager and a reimbursement specialist. Additionally, a health information manager has an average salary of $63,401, which is higher than the $38,273 average annual salary of a reimbursement specialist.

The top three skills for a health information manager include patients, transcription and patient care. The most important skills for a reimbursement specialist are patients, customer service, and appeals.

Health information manager vs reimbursement specialist overview

	Health Information Manager	Reimbursement Specialist
Yearly salary	$63,401	$38,273
Hourly rate	$30.48	$18.40
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	121,247	32,292
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
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 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 manager vs reimbursement specialist salary

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

	Health Information Manager	Reimbursement Specialist
Average salary	$63,401	$38,273
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $103,000	Between $29,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	Farmington, CT	Lynchburg, VA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Virginia
Best paying company	Huron Consulting Group	Novartis
Best paying industry	Health Care	Pharmaceutical

Differences between health information manager and reimbursement specialist education

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

	Health Information Manager	Reimbursement Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Computer Information Systems	Business
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Pennsylvania

Health information manager vs reimbursement specialist demographics

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

	Health Information Manager	Reimbursement Specialist
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1%	Male, 15.2% Female, 84.8%
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, 9.8% 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 manager and reimbursement specialist 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).

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 manager vs reimbursement specialist skills

Common health information manager skills

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

Common reimbursement specialist skills

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

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Health Information Manager
Health Information Manager vs Reimbursement Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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