Quality improvement specialist vs quality consultant

The differences between quality improvement specialists and quality consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a quality consultant has an average salary of $79,541, which is higher than the $67,474 average annual salary of a quality improvement specialist.

The top three skills for a quality improvement specialist include performance improvement, quality improvement and data collection. The most important skills for a quality consultant are healthcare, data collection, and project management.

Quality improvement specialist vs quality consultant overview

	Quality Improvement Specialist	Quality Consultant
Yearly salary	$67,474	$79,541
Hourly rate	$32.44	$38.24
Growth rate	28%	3%
Number of jobs	80,504	88,944
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

What does a quality improvement specialist do?

A Quality Improvement Specialist in the healthcare system ensures all data and information from patients are correctly handled and coordinates care to the patient. It is the quality improvement specialist's job to ensure that patients get the quality care they needed by creating, developing, and implementing policies set in a medical facility to help patients. A quality improvement specialist must know how to use office-related computer programs, preferably have a degree in the health or medical field, and have good organizational skills.

What does a quality consultant do?

A quality consultant specializes in developing and recommending strategies to optimize a company's production and quality assurance operations. Their responsibilities typically revolve around understanding the company's project goals and requirements, performing extensive research and analysis, gathering and analyzing product data, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of current quality control procedures, and studying the clients' feedback. Through their research findings, a consultant draws and presents conclusions, along with recommendations and solutions against vulnerable areas. Moreover, a quality consultant may enhance policies and regulations, suggesting new ones when necessary.

Quality improvement specialist vs quality consultant salary

Quality improvement specialists and quality consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Quality Improvement Specialist	Quality Consultant
Average salary	$67,474	$79,541
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $96,000	Between $61,000 And $103,000
Highest paying City	Santa Rosa, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	TechnipFMC	Aetna
Best paying industry	Automotive	Technology

Differences between quality improvement specialist and quality consultant education

There are a few differences between a quality improvement specialist and a quality consultant in terms of educational background:

	Quality Improvement Specialist	Quality Consultant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Nursing	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Quality improvement specialist vs quality consultant demographics

Here are the differences between quality improvement specialists' and quality consultants' demographics:

	Quality Improvement Specialist	Quality Consultant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2%	Male, 57.8% Female, 42.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between quality improvement specialist and quality consultant duties and responsibilities

Quality improvement specialist example responsibilities.

Manage action planning as it relates to the RCA process.
Design, run, and manage the HEDIS data review process/claim encounters to ensure accuracy and integrity of data.
Lead company-wide preparation for NCQA accreditation.
Assist organization in achieving strategic quality/resource consumption goals and JCAHO accreditation.
Design and manage an internal SharePoint site utilize compliance with RESPA guidelines
Manage investigations using applicable methodology focuse on root cause analysis and CAPA identification / implementation.

Quality consultant example responsibilities.

Lead cross functional project team to build user-friendly windows base customer support applications which interface with the OmniPlan/OmniPlus mainframe application.
Assist in the review of members records and work on reconciliations to submit to CMS for HEDIS.
Provide independent verification for FDA remediation efforts and assure GRQP CAPA requirements are effectively deploy.
Evaluate the HEDIS and CAHPS data and present to appropriate committees for further analysis including root cause analysis.
Collect, analyze and report data to monitor outcomes and meet HEDIS, NCQA and regulatory reporting requirements.
Provide expertise in the interpretation and application of 21CFR 110 & 111, HACCP and ISO certification for corporate management.

Quality improvement specialist vs quality consultant skills

Common quality improvement specialist skills

Performance Improvement, 8%
Quality Improvement, 7%
Data Collection, 7%
Patients, 5%
Patient Safety, 5%
Process Improvement, 4%

Common quality consultant skills

Healthcare, 13%
Data Collection, 8%
Project Management, 7%
Patient Safety, 7%
Performance Improvement, 6%
Quality Improvement, 6%

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Quality Improvement Specialist
Quality Improvement Specialist vs Quality Consultant

Updated January 8, 2025

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