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The differences between medical records clerks 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 medical records clerk and a medical records technician. Additionally, a medical records technician has an average salary of $37,087, which is higher than the $32,491 average annual salary of a medical records clerk.
The top three skills for a medical records clerk include patients, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for a medical records technician are patients, medical terminology, and HIPAA.
| Medical Records Clerk | Medical Records Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $32,491 | $37,087 |
| Hourly rate | $15.62 | $17.83 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 129,998 | 67,660 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 29% | Associate Degree, 34% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Medical records clerks are employees in hospitals or clinics who manage office records. They are in charge of creating, updating, and filing patient-related medical records and other related documents. They ensure that all documents are correctly filled out and labeled before storing them safely in their respective storage areas. They may also be in charge of digitizing forms for easier access to files and back up purposes. They ensure that medical records are exact and updated. Medical records clerks should be organized and must always be on top of all tasks related to patient or medical records.
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.
Medical records clerks and medical records technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Records Clerk | Medical Records Technician | |
| Average salary | $32,491 | $37,087 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $40,000 | Between $28,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Rochester, NY | Long Branch, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | University of California, Berkeley | Guidehouse |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between a medical records clerk and a medical records technician in terms of educational background:
| Medical Records Clerk | Medical Records Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 29% | Associate Degree, 34% |
| Most common major | Health Care Administration | Health Care Administration |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between medical records clerks' and medical records technicians' demographics:
| Medical Records Clerk | Medical Records Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9% | Male, 18.8% Female, 81.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 7.8% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% | 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% |