How to hire a release of information specialist

How to hire a release of information specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step release of information specialist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a release of information specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new release of information specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a release of information specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the release of information specialist you need to hire. Certain release of information specialist roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A release of information specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, releases of information specialist from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of releases of information specialist.

   Type of Release Of Information Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Release Of Information Specialist	Medical records and health information technicians, commonly referred to as health information technicians, organize and manage health information data. They ensure its quality, accuracy, accessibility, and security in both paper and electronic systems... Show more	$11-43
   Medical Records Clerk	Medical records clerks are employees in hospitals or clinics who manage office records. They are in charge of creating, updating, and filing patient-related medical records and other related documents... Show more	$12-19
   Medical Biller Coder	A medical biller coder is responsible for handling the billing processes and insurance within a hospital, clinic, or similar facility. They must gather patient information and records to analyze and translate them into codes according to the insurance and medical guidelines... Show more	$14-23

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • HIPAA
   • Customer Service
   • Medical Terminology
   • ROI
   • Hippa
   • Data Entry
   • Phone Calls
   • Patient Care
   • Subpoenas
   • Quality Checks
   • Federal Regulations
   • Computer System
   • Federal Laws

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and track various holds on inventory: ship on quarantine; FDA hold; and quality hold.
   • Apply insurance knowledge to interpret EOB, all manage contracts and fee schedules for physician services and hospital services.
   • Generate reports for managing compliance with Medicaid documentation in support of electronic billing to MCO
   • Deliver customer service to patients and their families regarding access to their medical history information.
   • Assist clients with choosing a Medicaid HMO.
   • Handle Meditech requests then enter information into Esmartlog.

   More release of information specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your release of information specialist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A release of information specialist salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a release of information specialist in Kentucky may be lower than in Connecticut, and an entry-level release of information specialist usually earns less than a senior-level release of information specialist. Additionally, a release of information specialist with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average release of information specialist salary

   $45,891yearly

   $22.06 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level release of information specialist salary

   $23,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average release of information specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$67,465	$32
   2	New Jersey	$67,445	$32
   3	Massachusetts	$65,115	$31
   4	Maryland	$64,413	$31
   5	Virginia	$63,462	$31
   6	California	$62,745	$30
   7	Michigan	$61,273	$29
   8	Ohio	$58,785	$28
   9	Delaware	$58,698	$28
   10	Kansas	$50,588	$24
   11	Oregon	$48,206	$23
   12	Georgia	$47,899	$23
   13	Iowa	$47,708	$23
   14	South Carolina	$46,708	$22
   15	Arizona	$46,219	$22
   16	Texas	$44,963	$22
   17	Washington	$44,237	$21
   18	Tennessee	$43,752	$21
   19	Illinois	$43,051	$21
   20	Missouri	$42,895	$21

   Average release of information specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	AstraZeneca	$128,802	$61.92	1
   2	Booz Allen Hamilton	$99,684	$47.92	41
   3	QSSI	$88,705	$42.65
   4	Highmark	$88,599	$42.60	181
   5	HCL Technologies	$88,154	$42.38	4
   6	ASRC Federal	$84,898	$40.82	7
   7	Inspira Health Network	$80,415	$38.66
   8	Great Southern Bank	$78,173	$37.58
   9	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	$67,596	$32.50
   10	Chesapeake Regional Healthcare	$66,929	$32.18
   11	La Paloma Urgent Care & Physician Offices	$59,976	$28.83
   12	Lahey Health Behavioral Services	$57,460	$27.63
   13	UnitedHealth Group	$57,303	$27.55	55
   14	Ultradent Products	$54,583	$26.24
   15	NORTHERN MONTANA HOSPITAL	$54,136	$26.03
   16	Kootenai Health	$53,951	$25.94	4
   17	Ashtabula County Medical Center	$53,192	$25.57	2
   18	PepsiCo	$52,535	$25.26	5
   19	Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center	$52,523	$25.25	5
   20	OpTech	$50,333	$24.20	4

4. Writing a release of information specialist job description

   A release of information specialist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a release of information specialist job description:

   Release of information specialist job description example

   At Houston Methodist, the Release of Information (ROI) Specialist position is responsible for responding to internal and external requests for patient health information, including receipt, data entry, accounting of payments for record copies, completion of affidavits and appropriate release of information. This position ensures state and federal laws related to privacy of patient health information are strictly adhered to when complying with subpoenas, depositions, affidavits and power of attorney directives. This position also ensures requests are addressed utilizing excellent customer service skills in a timely manner.
   PRIMARY JOB RESPONSIBILITIES Job responsibilities labeled EF capture those duties that are essential functions of the job.
   PEOPLE - 25% Promotes a positive work environment and contributes to a dynamic team focused work unit that actively helps one another to achieve optimal departmental and organizational results. (EF) Serves as a resource to customers regarding release of patient identifiable health information laws, rules, regulations and policies. (EF) Assists all internal and external customers in initiating and fulfilling their request for patient health care information. Serves as a Texas Notary Public for the Release of Information section and external customers as needed. (EF)
   SERVICE - 30% Returns calls to requestors and performs follow-up on requests in a timely manner as per department guidelines/expectations. (EF) Logs requests, request status and information released into the electronic Release of Information system and as necessary, any other secondary systems. (EF) Applies patience and diplomacy to sensitive circumstances; diffuses difficult customer service situations appropriately. (EF) Monitors the ROI queue and completes work assignments. Retrieves the correct and complete patient record from the electronic medical record (EMR) systems and other patient record sources in response to a valid request; verifies correct information has been reproduced before releasing and in a timely and secure manner; provides release of records by the requested means (e.g., electronic, paper copy, etc.). (EF)
   QUALITY/SAFETY - 20% Reviews incoming assigned requests for patient health information and screens for all required elements necessary to release information in accordance with state and federal laws; determines validity of authorization and/or type of request; and verifies patient or request or identity (as necessary and applicable). (EF) Determines validity of authorization, request and documentation provided from legal entities (i.e., subpoena, subpoena duces tecum, power of attorney, deposition, affidavits, documentation from insurance companies, workers compensation, requests from patients, doctors and hospitals). (EF) Ensures records are complete prior to release and contain no deficiencies. Ensures that patient health information is released only in accordance with state and federal laws and hospital and departmental policies and procedures. (EF)
   FINANCE - 15% Organizes time effectively, minimizing incidental overtime, and sets priorities. Utilizes time between heavy workloads efficiently and helps other team members. (EF) Enters data into the Release of Information computer system (customer request, cash and check receipts and deposits of release information income) on a daily basis. Verifies data entry and processing steps are handled appropriately. (EF) Ensures charging and posting of correct amounts for payable copies; reconciles receipts and invoices. Follows-up on aged/outstanding invoices with customers, including outside vendors, individuals, insurance companies, corporations, attorneys, subpoena services and federal and state institutions. (EF)
   GROWTH/INNOVATION - 10% Seeks opportunities to expand learning beyond baseline competencies with a focus on continual development. (EF) Generates and communicates new ideas and suggestions that will improve quality or service. (EF)
   This job description is not intended to be all inclusive; the employee will also perform other reasonably related business/job duties as assigned. Houston Methodist reserves the right to revise job duties and responsibilities as the need arises. EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS o Associate's degree in health information management or related field required or additional two years of experience (in addition to the minimum experience requirements listed below) required in lieu of degree
   EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS o One year of experience working in health information management or related industry/ department o Experience in release of information preferred CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSES AND REGISTRATIONS REQUIRED o None KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED o Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations o Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security o Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles o Good communication and customer services skills are essential o Good organizational skills; ability to prioritize and reprioritize o PC knowledge and ability to navigate in a Windows environment o Knowledge of state and federal laws related to the release of medical information o Ability to work independently as well as function as team player
   SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
   Work Attire Yes/No Uniform No Scrubs No Business professional Yes Other (dept approved) No
   On-Call* No
   *Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. Disaster, Severe Weather Event, etc) regardless of selection above.
   Travel** May require travel within No Houston Metropolitan area
   May require travel outside No of Houston Metropolitan area
   **Travel specifications may vary by department.
   Please note any other special considerations to this job: __________________________ Company Profile: Houston Methodist is one of the nation's leading health systems and academic medical centers. Houston Methodist consists of eight hospitals: Houston Methodist Hospital, its flagship academic hospital in the heart of the Texas Medical Center, and seven community hospitals throughout the greater Houston area. Houston Methodist also includes an academic institute, a comprehensive residency program, a global business division, numerous physician practices and several free-standing emergency rooms and outpatient facilities. Overall, Houston Methodist employs more than 27,000 employees and is supported by a wide variety of business functions that operate at the system level to help enable clinical departments to provide high quality patient care.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find releases of information specialist for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your release of information specialist job on Zippia to find and attract quality release of information specialist candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit releases of information specialist, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new release of information specialist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the release of information specialist position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new release of information specialist. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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