How To Become A Medical Records Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a medical records manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Medical records managers do pretty much what their job titles state--they manage medical records. As simple as that sounds, though, it's actually a lot more complicated and demanding than you might think. Medical records managers have to keep track of a high volume of paperwork on a day-to-day basis. Maintaining these medical records can literally mean life or death for a patient, so medical records managers have to be both meticulous and efficient with their logistical procedures.

Medical records managers also have to carefully follow the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA. HIPAA is a US federal law that protects the medical information of patients. Medical records managers have to be fully compliant with HIPAA regulations and know to whom and when it's legally and ethically appropriate to give out people's records.

The average American medical records manager earns about $77,000 in a year. However, senior-level workers in high-paying cities like New York, Houston, or Chicago can make as much as $90,000 a year.

ScoreMedical Records ManagerUS Average

Salary

5.9

Avg. Salary $75,232

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.8

Growth rate 11%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.26%

Asian 8.10%

Black or African American 8.91%

Hispanic or Latino 17.35%

Unknown 4.20%

White 60.18%

Gender

female 78.87%

male 21.13%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

4.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.0

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.6

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a medical records manager

Explore medical records manager education requirements

Most common medical records manager degrees

Bachelor's

43.6 %

Associate

28.6 %

High School Diploma

9.4 %

Start to develop specific medical records manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	29.10%
HIPAA	10.41%
Patient Care	10.22%
EHR	4.22%
Hippa	4.19%

Complete relevant medical records manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New medical records managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a medical records manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real medical records manager resumes.

Gain additional medical records manager certifications

Medical records manager certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific medical records manager certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for medical records managers include Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) and Medical Assistant.

More About Certifications

Research medical records manager duties and responsibilities

Manage 2nd/ 3rd and weekend shift supervisors and staff and develop unit (s) QA activities.
Achieve this goal by providing clear policies/justification for initiatives which impact designated FTE's.
Prepare documents for FOIA requests.
Assign ICD-9 and CPT medical codes.

Prepare your medical records manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your medical records manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a medical records manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable medical records manager resume templates

Build a professional medical records manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your medical records manager resume.