How to hire a medical records manager

How to hire a medical records manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step medical records manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a medical records manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new medical records manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a medical records manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The medical records manager hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a medical records manager to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a medical records manager that fits the bill.

   This list presents medical records manager salaries for various positions.

   Type of Medical Records Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Medical Records Manager	Medical records and health information technicians, commonly referred to as health information technicians, organize and manage health information data. They ensure its quality, accuracy, accessibility, and security in both paper and electronic systems... Show more	$24-53
   Health Information Technician	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... Show more	$12-21
   Health Care Administrator	A health care administrator is primarily in charge of overseeing the daily administrative operations of medical and health care facilities. They are responsible for setting objectives, establishing guidelines and employee schedules, maintaining accurate records, gathering and analyzing data, developing strategies to optimize operations, and coordinating with nurses, physicians, patients, and other health care experts... Show more	$23-45

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • HIPAA
   • Patient Care
   • EHR
   • Hippa
   • Medical Terminology
   • Physician Orders
   • Patient Charts
   • Front Desk
   • Patient Data
   • Federal Regulations
   • Chart Audits
   • CPT
   • Subpoenas

   Check all skills

   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.
   • Have knowledge of the latest CPT coding.
   • Ensure compliance with medical/legal requirements, JCAHO standards.

   More medical records manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your medical records manager job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A medical records manager can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, medical records managers' average salary in tennessee is 41% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level medical records managers 55% less than senior-level medical records managers.
   • Certifications. A medical records manager with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a medical records manager's salary.

   Average medical records manager salary

   $75,232yearly

   $36.17 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level medical records manager salary

   $50,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average medical records manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$110,563	$53
   2	Massachusetts	$100,047	$48
   3	District of Columbia	$99,664	$48
   4	Oregon	$94,484	$45
   5	Delaware	$91,222	$44
   6	New York	$88,725	$43
   7	Texas	$86,360	$42
   8	Virginia	$84,405	$41
   9	Michigan	$80,706	$39
   10	Washington	$80,430	$39
   11	Alaska	$79,465	$38
   12	Illinois	$78,002	$38
   13	Mississippi	$77,886	$37
   14	Arizona	$77,480	$37
   15	Wisconsin	$76,257	$37
   16	Indiana	$71,816	$35
   17	Alabama	$67,600	$33
   18	Florida	$64,401	$31
   19	Colorado	$63,952	$31
   20	Tennessee	$60,576	$29

   Average medical records manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Amazon	$132,433	$63.67	7
   2	Four Seasons	$112,719	$54.19
   3	Appalachian Regional Healthcare	$104,968	$50.47	1
   4	Palomar Health	$89,427	$42.99
   5	Potomac Home Health Care	$83,735	$40.26
   6	Student Conservation Association	$83,542	$40.16
   7	eClinicalWorks	$83,087	$39.95
   8	CureMD	$82,138	$39.49
   9	General Dynamics	$79,372	$38.16
   10	Clinica Sierra Vista	$76,729	$36.89	2
   11	Denver Health	$73,820	$35.49	1
   12	Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare	$64,969	$31.24
   13	Universal Health Services	$64,324	$30.93	34
   14	bty DENTAL	$63,352	$30.46
   15	Leidos	$63,340	$30.45	5
   16	University of Virginia	$62,608	$30.10	1
   17	Helio Health	$62,517	$30.06
   18	Genesis HealthCare	$59,468	$28.59	6
   19	CareGivers Home Care	$58,862	$28.30
   20	Ballad Health	$56,686	$27.25

4. Writing a medical records manager job description

   A medical records manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a medical records manager job description:

   Medical records manager job description example

   Duties/Responsibilities:
   
   + Oversees the day-to-day activities, such as staffing, workflow, work routine and special projects, and makes the changes as necessary.
   
   + Ensures the Coding Department provides timely and accurate administrative and clinical data to ensure optimum reimbursement via random review of coded records.
   
   + Ensures coders meet quality expectations while ensuring DFNB meets expectations.
   
   + Training and in-servicing of coding staff in current coding and reimbursement methodologies (i.e., ICD-10, DRG/APCs/Medical Necessity Policies)
   
   + Assists staff in working Billing Scrubber reports for medical necessity, modifier issues.
   
   + Participates in audits and appeals with the various insurance carriers, including RAC audits. Audits, works closely with Patient Accounts Department.
   
   + Manages Coding Staff, including interviewing, hiring, performance appraisals, and recommendations. Evaluates staff during probationary period to determine if successful completion of probationary period is appropriate.
   
   + Interacts with physicians, hospital staff, and ancillary staff.
   
   + Serves as liaison between the HIS Department and Patient Accounts Department and Case Management.
   
   + Collaborates with the Documentation Specialist Team to provide the most accurate coding for reimbursement.
   
   + Queries physicians when code assignments are not straightforward or record documentation is inadequate, ambiguous, or unclear for coding purposes.
   
   + Maintains knowledge of medical record functions in addition to expert coding knowledge.
   
   + Embraces technological solutions to work processes and practices.
   
   + Assists Director in daily operations of the department.
   
   + Participates on Hospital Committees (i.e., Revenue, RAC, Medical Records, UR)
   
   It is understood that this is a summary of key job functions and does not include every detail of the job that may reasonably be required.
   
   Education/Experience Required:
   
   + 3-5 years of hospital coding, including ICD-9-CM and CPT-4. Thorough knowledge of ICD-10 and PPS and reimbursement requirements. Ability to supervise staff, develop training programs, accurately assess staff performance, and communicate effectively. Subject matter expert in Medical Terminology, Anatomy, and Physiology.
   
   + Associates Degree or equivalent in Health Information Technology
   
   Registration/Certification:
   
   + RHIA/RHIT and/or CCS required
   
   + AHIMA ICD-10 Train the Trainer Certification preferred

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find medical records managers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your medical records manager job on Zippia to find and recruit medical records manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit medical records managers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new medical records manager

   Once you've found the medical records manager candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new medical records manager. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a medical records manager?