Medical Records Specialists
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.
Also called: Certified Coding Specialist, Certified Medical Coder, Certified Professional Coder (CPC), Clinical Documentation Specialist, Coder, Coding Consultant
Median pay
$51,140
per year, U.S.
Pay range (10th–90th)
$37,000 – $81,150
People employed
194,720
Holland code
CIS
Conventional · Investigative · Social
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Is this career right for you?
These are the things that stand out in this job compared with other U.S. jobs (O*NET 31.0 work context). Answer honestly.
- 1.Do you want the same hours every week?
- 2.Are you OK repeating the same tasks most of the day?
- 3.Do you want a job with little physical risk?
- 4.Do you want to stay at 40 hours a week or less?
- 5.Are you comfortable following clear instructions?
The hard parts
- Tight deadlines are common
Medical Records Specialists pay by state
Highest-paying states
Annual median pay by state (50 states and DC with published data). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
What medical records specialists do
- 01Protect the security of medical records to ensure that confidentiality is maintained.
- 02Review records for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with regulations.
- 03Scan patients' health records into electronic formats.
- 04Resolve or clarify codes or diagnoses with conflicting, missing, or unclear information by consulting with doctors or others or by participating in the coding team's regular meetings.
- 05Release information to persons or agencies according to regulations.
- 06Compile and maintain patients' medical records to document condition and treatment and to provide data for research or cost control and care improvement efforts.
Skills that matter most
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Writing
- Monitoring
Knowledge
- Administrative
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Computers and Electronics
- Administration and Management
Work styles that stand out
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Integrity
- Cautiousness
Education and first steps
O*NET has no education survey data for this job.
How people get started
- Usually needs vocational training or an associate degree (O*NET Job Zone 3).
- Related work experience: none.
- On-the-job training: anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month.
Most common answers from O*NET 31.0 Education, Training and Experience.
Interest fit (Holland code)
O*NET occupational interest scores, scale 1–7. Take the Free Career Test to compare with your own.
Career changes
Change from medical records specialists
- Medical Assistants87% · −11%
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants86% · −10%
- File Clerks85% · −15%
- Office Clerks, General82% · −12%
- Medical Transcriptionists82% · −21%
Change into medical records specialists
Jobs whose skills carry over best (skill match, their median pay).
- Medical Transcriptionists88% · $40,410
- File Clerks86% · $43,600
- Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants86% · $55,570
- Document Management Specialists85% · $116,580
- Medical Assistants84% · $45,690
Majors that lead here
- Health Information/Medical Records Administration/Administrator
- Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician
- Medical Insurance Coding Specialist/Coder
- Disease Registry Data Management
From the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk.