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The differences between health information technicians 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 technician and an information management specialist. Additionally, an information management specialist has an average salary of $54,515, which is higher than the $34,604 average annual salary of a health information technician.
The top three skills for a health information technician include patients, medical terminology and customer service. The most important skills for an information management specialist are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.
| Health Information Technician | Information Management Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $34,604 | $54,515 |
| Hourly rate | $16.64 | $26.21 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 120,786 | 151,152 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A health information technician is primarily responsible for managing and handling patient information, ensuring accuracy and confidentiality. They coordinate with various health care workers to gather patient data, laboratory results, test findings, and medical histories, encoding them in clinical databases in a timely and efficient manner. They must analyze every information to detect any inconsistencies, performing corrective measures right away. Furthermore, as a health information technician, it is essential to utilize particular software and systems when processing information, all while adhering to the hospital's policies and regulations.
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 technicians and information management specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Health Information Technician | Information Management Specialist | |
| Average salary | $34,604 | $54,515 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $45,000 | Between $28,000 And $105,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fairbanks, AK | Greenwich, CT |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Stifel Financial | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Government | Technology |
There are a few differences between a health information technician and an information management specialist in terms of educational background:
| Health Information Technician | Information Management Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Health Care Administration | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between health information technicians' and information management specialists' demographics:
| Health Information Technician | Information Management Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 16.5% Female, 83.5% | Male, 39.8% Female, 60.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 8.6% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% | 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% |