Medical Records Specialists: Career Overview
Compile, process, and maintain medical records of hospital and clinic patients in a manner consistent with medical, administrative, ethical, legal, and regulatory requirements of the healthcare system. Classify medical and healthcare concepts, including diagnosis, procedures, medical services, and equipment, into the healthcare industry's numerical coding system. Includes medical coders.
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What Tasks Do Medical Records Specialists Perform?
Typical responsibilities of medical records specialists include:
- Assign the patient to diagnosis-related groups (DRGs), using appropriate computer software.
- Compile and maintain patients' medical records to document condition and treatment and to provide data for research or cost control and care improvement efforts.
- Consult classification manuals to locate information about disease processes.
- Enter data, such as demographic characteristics, history and extent of disease, diagnostic procedures, or treatment into computer.
- Identify, compile, abstract, and code patient data, using standard classification systems.
- Maintain or operate a variety of health record indexes or storage and retrieval systems to collect, classify, store, or analyze information.
- Post medical insurance billings.
- Process and prepare business or government forms.
Types of Medical Records Specialists Jobs
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Certified Coding Specialist
- Certified Medical Coder
- Certified Professional Coder (CPC)
- Clinical Documentation Specialist
- Clinical Office Technician (Clinical Office Tech)
- Coder
- Coding Consultant
- Coding Specialist
Employment and Demand
There are roughly 343,852 medical records specialists working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +4.4% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Medical Records Specialists
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $153,246 |
| Hourly median | $73.68 |
| 10th percentile | $100,308 |
| 25th percentile | $126,777 |
| 75th percentile | $179,715 |
| 90th percentile | $206,184 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $64,690 |
| Rhode Island | $63,330 |
| Hawaii | $62,990 |
| Washington | $62,250 |
| Nevada | $60,530 |
| New York | $59,750 |
| California | $59,700 |
| Minnesota | $59,310 |
| Maryland | $59,140 |
| South Carolina | $58,510 |
| Connecticut | $58,250 |
| Oregon | $57,260 |
| Massachusetts | $57,220 |
| Alaska | $56,740 |
| Colorado | $55,410 |
| Wisconsin | $55,270 |
| Wyoming | $53,550 |
| North Dakota | $53,550 |
| Delaware | $52,020 |
| Virginia | $51,780 |
| Iowa | $51,580 |
| Ohio | $51,420 |
| New Mexico | $50,340 |
| South Dakota | $50,320 |
| Montana | $49,930 |
| New Jersey | $49,910 |
| Arizona | $49,790 |
| Tennessee | $49,740 |
| Illinois | $49,420 |
| Missouri | $49,150 |
| Maine | $48,990 |
| Georgia | $48,990 |
| Idaho | $48,940 |
| Kansas | $48,670 |
| Vermont | $48,610 |
| Oklahoma | $48,590 |
| Nebraska | $48,420 |
| New Hampshire | $48,250 |
| Michigan | $48,220 |
| Kentucky | $48,020 |
| North Carolina | $47,840 |
| Utah | $47,710 |
| Texas | $47,230 |
| Indiana | $47,170 |
| Pennsylvania | $46,730 |
| Florida | $45,990 |
| Louisiana | $43,820 |
| West Virginia | $43,710 |
| Mississippi | $39,970 |
| Arkansas | $39,920 |
| Alabama | $38,540 |
| Guam | $34,060 |
| Puerto Rico | $22,880 |
Where Medical Records Specialists Earn the Most
Compensation for medical records specialists shift depending on where you work. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $59,921 | 17.1% | 1.13 |
| New England | $55,582 | 4.1% | 0.92 |
| Middle Atlantic | $53,941 | 12.2% | 0.82 |
| Plains States | $52,012 | 7.3% | 1.13 |
| Rocky Mountains | $50,794 | 3.1% | 0.94 |
| Great Lakes | $50,271 | 13.2% | 0.97 |
| Southwest | $47,801 | 14.3% | 1.15 |
| Southeast | $47,196 | 27.7% | 1.16 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $86,960 | 1,000 |
| Vallejo, CA | CA | $75,270 | 190 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | CA | $75,210 | 1,410 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $73,180 | 2,200 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | NV | $68,680 | 2,300 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $67,790 | 3,210 |
| Columbia, SC | SC | $65,960 | 1,100 |
| Iowa City, IA | IA | $64,020 | 330 |
Industry Breakdown
The largest employers of medical records specialists are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 122,640 | $48,690 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 16,260 | $60,750 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 14,320 | $49,590 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 12,740 | $49,970 |
| Finance and Insurance | 5,790 | $63,360 |
| Information | 3,260 | $44,720 |
| Educational Services | 2,490 | $58,460 |
| Retail Trade | 770 | $54,750 |
Medical Records Specialists work in the following industries:
Software Medical Records Specialists Use
- Medical software: eClinicalWorks EHR software (hot technology)
- Medical software: Epic Systems (hot technology)
- Medical software: Henry Schein Dentrix (hot technology)
- Analytical or scientific software: IBM SPSS Statistics (hot technology)
- Medical software: MEDITECH software (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Project management software: Microsoft Project (hot technology)
- Document management software: Microsoft SharePoint (hot technology)
How to Become Medical Records Specialists
This occupation sits in Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Management Analysts (Supplemental)
- Health Informatics Specialists (Primary-Long)
- Document Management Specialists (Primary-Long)
- Physician Assistants (Supplemental)
- Registered Nurses (Supplemental)
- Clinical Nurse Specialists (Supplemental)
- Nurse Practitioners (Supplemental)
- Emergency Medicine Physicians (Supplemental)
Degree Programs
Students preparing for medical records specialists commonly pursue programs in:
Health Professions and Related Programs
4 programs across 1 majors
About the Data
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 29-2072.00 (Medical Records Specialists).
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