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The differences between medical records technicians and releases of information specialist 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 release of information specialist. Additionally, a release of information specialist has an average salary of $45,891, which is higher than the $37,087 average annual salary of a medical records technician.
The top three skills for a medical records technician include patients, medical terminology and HIPAA. The most important skills for a release of information specialist are patients, HIPAA, and customer service.
| Medical Records Technician | Release Of Information Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $37,087 | $45,891 |
| Hourly rate | $17.83 | $22.06 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 67,660 | 68,103 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 34% | Associate Degree, 36% |
| 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 release of information specialist is primarily in charge of retrieving and releasing data to qualified recipients while adhering to the guidelines and confidentiality protocols that aim to protect sensitive information. Although the extent of their responsibilities usually depends on their industry or company of employment, it usually includes maintaining records of procedures and transactions, preparing and processing documents, organizing files, producing progress reports to managers, and keeping an eye out for any inconsistencies, resolving them promptly and efficiently.
Medical records technicians and releases of information specialist have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Records Technician | Release Of Information Specialist | |
| Average salary | $37,087 | $45,891 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $48,000 | Between $23,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | Long Branch, NJ | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Guidehouse | AstraZeneca |
| Best paying industry | Government | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a medical records technician and a release of information specialist in terms of educational background:
| Medical Records Technician | Release Of Information Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 34% | Associate Degree, 36% |
| 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 releases of information specialist' demographics:
| Medical Records Technician | Release Of Information Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 18.8% Female, 81.2% | Male, 14.4% Female, 85.6% |
| 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, 10.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 8.4% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |