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Medical records director vs records specialist

The differences between medical records directors and records 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 medical records director and a records specialist. Additionally, a medical records director has an average salary of $59,897, which is higher than the $33,273 average annual salary of a records specialist.

The top three skills for a medical records director include patients, HIPAA and ICD-10. The most important skills for a records specialist are customer service, data entry, and office equipment.

Medical records director vs records specialist overview

Medical Records DirectorRecords Specialist
Yearly salary$59,897$33,273
Hourly rate$28.80$16.00
Growth rate11%11%
Number of jobs53,85428,647
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 38%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

Medical records director vs records specialist salary

Medical records directors and records specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Medical Records DirectorRecords Specialist
Average salary$59,897$33,273
Salary rangeBetween $34,000 And $102,000Between $26,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City-San Mateo, CA
Highest paying state-Oregon
Best paying company-Mt. San Antonio College
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between medical records director and records specialist education

There are a few differences between a medical records director and a records specialist in terms of educational background:

Medical Records DirectorRecords Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 38%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorHealth Care AdministrationBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaStanford University

Medical records director vs records specialist demographics

Here are the differences between medical records directors' and records specialists' demographics:

Medical Records DirectorRecords Specialist
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 13.9% Female, 86.1%Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 8.3% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 8.5% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between medical records director and records specialist duties and responsibilities

Medical records director example responsibilities.

  • Achieve this goal by providing clear policies/justification for initiatives which impact designated FTE's.
  • Educate physicians and entire hospital staff on ICD-10.
  • Prepare all insurance claims including CPT and ICD coding.
  • Review all records to assure ICD-9-CM coding is completed.
  • Maintain and monitor ICD-9-CM coding data accuracy submit to UIS.
  • Transmit MDS's to the state website as required per protocol.
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Records specialist example responsibilities.

  • Develop numerous SQL scripts/queries for monitoring and managing the system.
  • Manage thousands of cases for several firms with deadlines for depositions while ensuring accuracy, confidentiality, and HIPAA compliance.
  • Train and mentore employees in EDMS.
  • Process project records for retention in EDMS.
  • Represent DOJ at an ODNI language training conference.
  • Liaise with GIS group to resolve mapping issues.
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Medical records director vs records specialist skills

Common medical records director skills
  • Patients, 18%
  • HIPAA, 9%
  • ICD-10, 6%
  • Home Health, 6%
  • CPT, 6%
  • Recordkeeping, 5%
Common records specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 25%
  • Data Entry, 14%
  • Office Equipment, 5%
  • Word Processing, 5%
  • Database Systems, 5%
  • Management System, 5%

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