Public health registrar vs health information specialist

The differences between public health registrars and health information 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 public health registrar and a health information specialist. Additionally, a health information specialist has an average salary of $33,343, which is higher than the $29,890 average annual salary of a public health registrar.

The top three skills for a public health registrar include epic, data entry and insurance verification. The most important skills for a health information specialist are patients, HIPAA, and medical terminology.

Public health registrar vs health information specialist overview

	Public Health Registrar	Health Information Specialist
Yearly salary	$29,890	$33,343
Hourly rate	$14.37	$16.03
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	57,761	135,448
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	12	12

Public health registrar vs health information specialist salary

Public health registrars and health information specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Public Health Registrar	Health Information Specialist
Average salary	$29,890	$33,343
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $39,000	Between $25,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	-	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	University of California
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between public health registrar and health information specialist education

There are a few differences between a public health registrar and a health information specialist in terms of educational background:

	Public Health Registrar	Health Information Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Business	Health Care Administration
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Southern California

Public health registrar vs health information specialist demographics

Here are the differences between public health registrars' and health information specialists' demographics:

	Public Health Registrar	Health Information Specialist
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 21.5% Female, 78.5%	Male, 15.1% Female, 84.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 7.7% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 8.7% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between public health registrar and health information specialist duties and responsibilities

Public health registrar example responsibilities.

Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPPA and clinic.
Register patient demographic and insurance information for emergency department, labor & delivery, outpatient surgery, and inpatient admissions.
Well verse with many of the ICD-9 and upcoming ICD-10 codes billing codes.
Receive patients, record patient demographic information and verify insurance for emergency department, laboratory, and radiology

Health information specialist example responsibilities.

Manage chart completion (ICD-9-CM and CPT coding/abstracting), chart assembly and analysis, patient admission and patient information privacy/security.
Review and audit medical records for correct DRG and APC assignment.
Certify requests for subpoenas, court orders, legal cases and training of employees.
Utilize Cerner and Centricity systems to assist in ancillary services.
Abstract medical records with ICD9-CM, CPT and DRG coding.
Scan documentation via DCS into HPF to be index under ROI.

Public health registrar vs health information specialist skills

Common public health registrar skills

Epic, 29%
Data Entry, 25%
Insurance Verification, 20%
Patient Demographics, 12%
ICD-9, 10%
Computer System, 1%

Common health information specialist skills

Patients, 26%
HIPAA, 11%
Medical Terminology, 10%
Patient Care, 10%
Data Entry, 4%
Office Equipment, 3%

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Public Health Registrar vs Health Information Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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