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The differences between medical records technicians 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 medical records technician and a health information technician. Additionally, a medical records technician has an average salary of $37,087, which is higher than the $34,604 average annual salary of a health information technician.
The top three skills for a medical records technician include patients, medical terminology and HIPAA. The most important skills for a health information technician are patients, medical terminology, and customer service.
| Medical Records Technician | Health Information Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $37,087 | $34,604 |
| Hourly rate | $17.83 | $16.64 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 67,660 | 120,786 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 34% | Associate Degree, 41% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
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. They must analyze every information to detect any inconsistencies, performing corrective measures right away. Furthermore, as a health information technician, it is essential to utilize particular software and systems when processing information, all while adhering to the hospital's policies and regulations.
Medical records technicians and health information technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Records Technician | Health Information Technician | |
| Average salary | $37,087 | $34,604 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $48,000 | Between $26,000 And $45,000 |
| Highest paying City | Long Branch, NJ | Fairbanks, AK |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Guidehouse | Stifel Financial |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a medical records technician and a health information technician in terms of educational background:
| Medical Records Technician | Health Information Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 34% | Associate Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Health Care Administration | Health Care Administration |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between medical records technicians' and health information technicians' demographics:
| Medical Records Technician | Health Information Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 18.8% Female, 81.2% | Male, 16.5% Female, 83.5% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |