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Record management specialist vs medical coder

The differences between record management specialists and medical coders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a record management specialist and a medical coder. Additionally, a medical coder has an average salary of $51,563, which is higher than the $40,863 average annual salary of a record management specialist.

The top three skills for a record management specialist include data entry, electronic database and nara. The most important skills for a medical coder are CPC, medical terminology, and ICD-10-CM.

Record management specialist vs medical coder overview

Record Management SpecialistMedical Coder
Yearly salary$40,863$51,563
Hourly rate$19.65$24.79
Growth rate11%11%
Number of jobs95,58651,316
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Associate Degree, 37%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

What does a record management specialist do?

Record management specialists are professionals who provide expertise in storing, tracking, and managing records and documents for an organization. These specialists must develop a business records management program that is used by sales representatives for their marketing purposes to maintain information about existing and new clients. They are required to assist other departments in the organization with their data entry to promote smooth workflow and eliminate backlogs. Record management specialists must also scan documents and enter them into an electronic database for future retrieval.

What does a medical coder do?

A medical coder's role is to interpret and analyze a patient's medical record and translate particular details according to the universal medical alphanumeric code. Moreover, a medical coder is primarily responsible for ensuring that the translations are accurate, as this will play a vital factor in processing insurance and receiving treatments. Aside from accuracy, it is also crucial for a medical coder to coordinate with other hospital personnel at all times, especially when there inconsistencies in the records.

Record management specialist vs medical coder salary

Record management specialists and medical coders have different pay scales, as shown below.

Record Management SpecialistMedical Coder
Average salary$40,863$51,563
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $57,000Between $37,000 And $70,000
Highest paying CityRidgefield, CTTrenton, NJ
Highest paying stateMarylandHawaii
Best paying companyBoehringer IngelheimMeta
Best paying industryGovernmentHealth Care

Differences between record management specialist and medical coder education

There are a few differences between a record management specialist and a medical coder in terms of educational background:

Record Management SpecialistMedical Coder
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Associate Degree, 37%
Most common majorBusinessHealth Care Administration
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Record management specialist vs medical coder demographics

Here are the differences between record management specialists' and medical coders' demographics:

Record Management SpecialistMedical Coder
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 36.8% Female, 63.2%Male, 13.2% Female, 86.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 13.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 8.4% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 9.0% White, 60.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between record management specialist and medical coder duties and responsibilities

Record management specialist example responsibilities.

  • Update content of storing and sharing information in SharePoint to manage agency records.
  • Manage confidential medical information internally and externally in compliance with HIPAA regulations
  • Manage drug research applications submit by drug companies and streamline administrative operation by coordinating with various departments within FDA.
  • Develop and maintain QA criteria, forms and statistics.
  • Adhere to HIPAA with regards to personal patient medical records.
  • Process subpoenas, court orders, affidavits, and depositions.
  • Show more

Medical coder example responsibilities.

  • Manage all EDI relate communication with trading partners and assist to produce all operational documents for all end users.
  • Manage all aspects of AR including writing letters for medical necessity, claim denials, bundling issues and charge capture.
  • Manage health records while applying ICD-10 coding to update and process insurance claims for time and accuracy to various insurance companies.
  • Manage the outsourced transcription company.
  • Create documentation education classes to general surgery residents, increasing the leveling of reporting which lead to increase revenues.
  • Adhere to regulations with CPT-4, ICD-9-CM and HCPCS coding with medical terminology and effort meet all audit requirements.
  • Show more

Record management specialist vs medical coder skills

Common record management specialist skills
  • Data Entry, 33%
  • Electronic Database, 12%
  • Nara, 7%
  • SharePoint, 6%
  • DOD, 5%
  • FDA, 4%
Common medical coder skills
  • CPC, 11%
  • Medical Terminology, 8%
  • ICD-10-CM, 7%
  • AHIMA, 7%
  • Patients, 7%
  • Clinical Documentation, 5%

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