Health Informatics Specialist – A Day in the Life

The healthcare industry is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the data revolution. This is a field that’s always run on data, from a patient’s heart rate to a hospital’s available bed count. But the growing influx of nuanced, accurate data promises to drastically improve patient outcomes and the efficiency of healthcare organizations. To make good on that promise, an entire profession has formed around capturing, storing, securing, and wielding healthcare data. That profession is health informatics.

Health informatics specialists focus on the union of healthcare and IT. That can involve creating or managing tools for patient billing, scheduling, and compliance. It can also involve the use and administration of electronic health records (EHRs), or the implementation of new technology around diagnostic procedures or predictive treatment options.

In today’s healthcare organization, practically everything is connected to data and IT, giving health informatics specialists a broad but crucial role to play. That’s one of the reasons they enjoy a high salary: according to PayScale (2026), the top 10 percent of health informatics specialists earn over $116,000 per year; Salary.com (2026) puts the median salary for health informatics specialists at $109,000 per year, with the top 10 percent earning over $126,000 per year.

For a relatively new profession, the role of the health informatics specialist is changing fast. Evolving IT options are streamlining the healthcare process, and data transfers are approaching real-time. The internet of things (IoT), personal fitness trackers, and secure cloud-based data storage are continuing to revolutionize the healthcare industry—and healthcare informatics specialists are on the front lines.

To get a look at a day in the life of a health informatics specialist, read on.

Dr. Marcela Aliste is an assistant teaching professor in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University and through ASU Online. She is also the program director for the master of advanced study in health informatics program. She holds a master’s degree in biomedical informatics and a PhD in chemical sciences and has been an educator at ASU since 2014.

In addition to her academic and program leadership, Dr. Aliste demonstrates a strong commitment to university service by serving as a university senator, representing her field and the College of Health Solutions. She is also secretary of the AMIA Academic Forum Board, reflecting her dedication to advancing education and professional collaboration in health informatics.

MHAOnline.com: What’s something you wish more people knew about health informatics?

Dr. Aliste: At its core, health informatics isn’t about the tech; it’s about using technology to translate clinical knowledge into something useful at the point of care.

The hardest part of the job is turning complex clinical realities, workflows, and imperfect data into systems that actually help providers and patients make better decisions. Fancy tools matter far less than understanding clinicians, patients, policy constraints, and organizational culture, and when that’s wrong, the technology fails, no matter how advanced it is.

MHAOnline.com: How would you characterize the evolution of health informatics over the last few years?

Dr. Aliste: The evolution of health informatics over the past several years has been marked by rapid technological advances, broader integration across healthcare systems, and a growing emphasis on data-driven decision-making. Despite this progress, there remains a noticeable gap between how healthcare systems look and feel compared to digital experiences in other industries.

Many healthcare technologies have not been designed with the end user in mind. Recently, I read that healthcare AI and digital health startups have struggled or failed, frequently due to limited involvement from clinical professionals and health informatics experts. This highlights that technology alone is not enough; it requires clinical and health informatics professionals who can bridge technology, clinical practice, and user-centered design to develop healthcare technology.

MHAOnline.com: Do you have any advice for aspiring health informatics specialists?

Dr. Aliste: For aspiring health informatics specialists, the most important advice is to focus on becoming effective bridges between technology and healthcare practice.

While technical skills are important, true impact comes from understanding clinical workflows, user needs, and the realities of healthcare organizations. Seek opportunities to work with interdisciplinary teams, engage with real-world healthcare settings, and develop strong communication skills.

Given the rapid pace of change across AI, analytics, and digital health, adaptability and continuous learning are essential. Professionals who combine technical literacy with domain knowledge and a user-centered mindset will be well-positioned to lead meaningful, sustainable innovation in healthcare.

Soft skills are essential for aspiring health informatics specialists, particularly strong verbal and written communication skills.

In health informatics, we often speak and write in highly technical language, but many stakeholders cannot easily follow it. A key skill is the ability to explain complex projects in plain English. When describing a project to stakeholders, it is important to communicate clearly and simply. I often ask my students whether they can explain what they do to a family member using everyday language.

In addition to communication, leadership, teamwork, active listening, and observational skills are critical. While a degree in health informatics provides the necessary technical knowledge and tools, soft skills are equally important for ensuring that technology is understood, adopted, and used effectively in real-world healthcare settings.

Health informatics specialists can work wherever data and healthcare intersect, creating a wide range of possible work environments. As EHRs have become federally mandated, healthcare organizations of all stripes will need to employ health informatics specialists to manage them. Health informatics specialists can be employed in clinical and non-clinical settings and may work for hospitals, group practices, surgical centers, consulting firms, private companies, or government agencies.

The daily responsibilities of a health informatics specialist will be largely guided by the setting in which they work. The needs of a hospital implementing a new EHR system, for example, will differ from those of a government agency scanning data for public health insights. Despite the broad range of duties a health informatics specialist may be tasked with, some similarities do carry over across most positions.

Some typical daily responsibilities of health informatics specialists include:

• Tracking, storing, and accessing patient records
• Developing and implementing new methods of managing patient data
• Analyzing health data for insights related to policy development
• Managing and securing existing health information databases
• Collaborating between regulatory and IT departments
• Consulting with upper leadership on data-driven strategies

The growing involvement of IT-related tasks in modern healthcare organizations is increasingly the domain of health informatics specialists. As such, a health informatics specialist may be called on to perform a wide range of duties within a single organization. Meeting that need requires a solid base of fundamental skills and knowledge in IT, healthcare, data management, and strategic planning.

As a career at the intersection of healthcare and IT, it’s rare for an undergraduate program to provide all the skills and knowledge necessary to perform the role of a health informatics specialist. So while it may be possible to enter this profession with a bachelor’s degree, an increasing number of employers are hiring health informatics specialists who have graduate-level education.

A master’s in healthcare administration (MHA) can offer graduates an expert-level understanding of healthcare processes, and a further specialization in healthcare informatics can provide the necessary background in IT and data management.

That said, there’s no singular path to becoming a health informatics specialist: one may have an undergraduate degree in IT and an MHA, while another may have an undergraduate degree in healthcare administration and certificate-level training in data management. Others, still, may transition from direct-care professions by pursuing a master’s degree in health informatics.

In addition to domain-specific knowledge, health informatics specialists will need strong skill sets in project management, data management, strategic planning, and communication. Especially as they move up the organizational ladder into administrative and managerial positions, continuing education and professional certification may be useful for distinguishing themselves as experts in their field.

While it’s not a legal requirement, professional certification is a valuable option for health informatics specialists who wish to demonstrate their proficiency in the skills and knowledge necessary to perform their role at a high level. These forms of certification also connect a health informatics specialist with a broader professional network and avenues of continuing education. Health informatics specialists with professional certifications are increasingly sought after by employers and may garner a higher salary than their non-credentialed counterparts.

Professional certification for health informatics specialists is primarily offered through two entities: the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

HIMSS offers two certifications for health informatics specialists:

• Certified Associate in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CAHIMS)
• Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS)

The CAHIMS credential is for entry-level specialists who wish to demonstrate their professional knowledge and establish a solid foundation in their abilities. Applicants will need either a high school diploma and 45 hours of continuing education in healthcare informatics, or an associate’s degree or higher and at least 25 hours of continuing education in health informatics.

Once deemed eligible, candidates must pass a two-hour, 115-question multiple-choice exam that covers systems analysis, clinical informatics, and project management.

The credential must be renewed every three years either through re-examination or through the completion of 45 continuing education credits, 25 of which must be obtained through HIMSS.

The CPHIMS credential is for experienced health informatics specialists who wish to advance their careers and demonstrate a commitment to continuing professional development. Applicants will need either a bachelor’s degree and five years of information and management experience (three of which occurred in a healthcare setting), or a graduate degree and three years of information management experience (two of which occurred in a healthcare setting).

Once deemed eligible, candidates must pass a two-hour, 115-question multiple-choice exam that covers everything from the systems development lifecycle to management and leadership.

The credential must be renewed every three years through the completion of 45 continuing education credits, 25 of which must be obtained through HIMSS.

AHIMA offers two certifications for health informatics specialists:

• Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT)
• Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA)

The RHIT credential is for IT-focused health informatics specialists. Applicants will need an associate’s degree or higher from a health information management (HIM) program at an accredited university.

Once deemed eligible, candidates must pass a 150-question exam that covers six domains: data content, structure, and information governance; access, disclosure, privacy, and security; data analytics and use; revenue cycle management; compliance; and leadership.

Those who earn the RHIT credential must recertify every two years through the completion of 20 continuing education units.

The RHIA credential is for administrative-focused health informatics specialists. Applicants will need to have graduated from a bachelor’s- or master’s-level health information management (HIM) program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).

Once deemed eligible, candidates must pass a 150-question exam that covers five domains: data and information governance; compliance with access, use, and disclosure of health information; data analytics and informatics; revenue cycle management; and management and leadership.

Those who earn the RHIA credential must recertify every two years by completing 30 continuing education units.

Matt Zbrog

Writer

Matt Zbrog is a writer and researcher from Southern California. Since 2018, he’s written extensively about emerging issues in healthcare administration and public health, with a particular focus on progressive policies that empower communities and reduce health disparities. His work centers around detailed interviews with researchers, professors, and practitioners, as well as with subject matter experts from professional associations such as the American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) and the American College of Health Care Executives (ACHCA).