Health unit clerk vs health information technician

The differences between health unit clerks and health information 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 unit clerk and a health information technician. Additionally, a health information technician has an average salary of $34,604, which is higher than the $31,986 average annual salary of a health unit clerk.

The top three skills for a health unit clerk include patients, patient care and medical terminology. The most important skills for a health information technician are patients, medical terminology, and customer service.

Health unit clerk vs health information technician overview

	Health Unit Clerk	Health Information Technician
Yearly salary	$31,986	$34,604
Hourly rate	$15.38	$16.64
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	130,920	120,786
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 33%	Associate Degree, 41%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	12	12

Health unit clerk vs health information technician salary

Health unit clerks and health information technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Health Unit Clerk	Health Information Technician
Average salary	$31,986	$34,604
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $26,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	Fairbanks, AK
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Stifel Financial
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between health unit clerk and health information technician education

There are a few differences between a health unit clerk and a health information technician in terms of educational background:

	Health Unit Clerk	Health Information Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 33%	Associate Degree, 41%
Most common major	Business	Health Care Administration
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Southern California

Health unit clerk vs health information technician demographics

Here are the differences between health unit clerks' and health information technicians' demographics:

	Health Unit Clerk	Health Information Technician
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 12.2% Female, 87.8%	Male, 16.5% Female, 83.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 8.0% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	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%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between health unit clerk and health information technician duties and responsibilities

Health unit clerk example responsibilities.

Manage inpatient transfers to rehabilitation and medical facilities, along with preparing and monitoring outpatient billings insurance verification and referrals.
Perform debt collections, copy and file medical information, and administer affidavits and subpoenas on patient orders.
Organize, analyze and technically evaluate inpatient and outpatient medical records for physician completeness according to hospital bylaws and JCAHO standards.
Safeguard patient information according to the HIPPA policy.
Remain up to date on HIPPA regulations and utilize them to obtain inmate medical records from outside providers.
Comply with the rule and regulations of HIPAA.

Health information technician example responsibilities.

Maximize ROI by effectively managing the microfiche process.
Assist patients and staff on filling out ROI's, and explain what exactly are being release or obtain.
Perform analysis and assembly of emergency room and surgery records and release records according to HIPAA regulations and confidentially.
Input data into a windows base in-house system.
Scan medical records in the EHR using the NEXTGEN software.
Attend advanced SQL coding workshops to optimize and refine database infrastructure.

Health unit clerk vs health information technician skills

Common health unit clerk skills

Patients, 29%
Patient Care, 19%
Medical Terminology, 13%
CPR, 7%
Data Entry, 5%
Computer Programs, 3%

Common health information technician skills

Patients, 20%
Medical Terminology, 13%
Customer Service, 9%
HIPAA, 9%
Patient Care, 7%
Data Entry, 5%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Health Unit Clerk
Health Unit Clerk vs Health Information Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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