1. Acute care hospitals employed 53.3 percent of HIM professionals. Clinics and physician practices employed 9.4 percent, and integrated healthcare delivery systems employed 8.4 percent. ASCs employed only 1.0 percent of HIM professionals.
2. The average annual salary for an HIM professional is $57,370. California, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Washington, D.C., paid HIM professionals the highest.
3. The primary work setting affected the average salary of HIM professionals. Here are five settings and their corresponding average annual salaries:
- Consulting services — $81,561
- Integrated healthcare delivery system — $73,615
- Acute care hospital — $55,218
- Clinic or physician practice — $45,574
- ASC — $43,070
4. Level of job responsibility also affected the average annual salary paid to an HIM professional. Here are the top five highest-paying positions for HIM professionals:
- Executive/president/vice president — $111,250
- IS/IT director — $96,640
- Other director — $90,472
- Security officer — $83,000
- Consultant — $76,267
5. Here are the average annual salaries of different level HIM professionals in acute care hospitals:
- Director — $77,603
- Manager — $65,068
- Supervisor — $51,488
- Coding professional — $43,673
6. Here are the average annual salaries of different level HIM professionals in ASCs:
- Director — $59,386
- Manager — $48,369
- Supervisor — $35,276
- Coding professional — $41,818
7. Here are the average annual salaries of different level professionals in a clinical or physician practice:
- Director — $68,481
- Manager — $53,542
- Supervisor — $45,304
- Coding professional — $37,589
8. Education also impacts the average annual salary for HIM professionals. HIM directors with master’s degrees earned $81,879 annually compared with those with bachelor’s degrees, who earned $68,213, and associate’s degrees, who earned $59,489.
9. Credentials impacted the average annual salary for coders. Coders with CCS and CCS-P credentials earned the most ($57,872 and $55,673, respectively), while coders with RHIT and CCA credentials earned less ($52,771 and $36,893, respectively).
10. As the size of the HIM department grows, the number of HIM professionals in the higher compensation ranges also grows. For example, in HIM departments of 0-4 employees, only 10 percent earned $96,000 or more annually. In departments of 27 or more, more than 50 percent earned $96,000 or more annually.
Source: AHIMA 2008 Salary Study.
