Salaries for health IT positions based on the 2010 HIMSS compensation survey

There are a growing number of physicians and nurses pursuing careers in health information technology. What types of salaries can clinicians expect if they make the move into health IT? The answer largely depends on whether you're working for a hospital, a non-profit organization, an EHR vendor, a computer hardware company, a consulting firm, a startup company, etc.

Right now, there are a growing number of startup companies looking to leverage health IT resources in the health care industry. Much of that movement is occurring in the mobile health or mHealth industry.

So, what are some salary figures in health IT? We can look to the 2010 HIMSS Compensation Survey Results and we'll see the following salary figures:

• Application Systems Analyst - $72,544 average
• Clinical/Nurse Informatics Director – $103,504 average
• Clinical/Medical Informatics Director – $176,588 average
• IS/IT Manager – $96,909 average
• Clinical Systems Analyst –Nurse – $84,007 average
• Project Manager – $93,877 average
• Director of Information Systems – $116,569 average
• Chief Security Officer – $122,975 average
• Chief Technology Officer – $142,311 average
• Implementation Manager – $94,157 average

The average salary in this sample of 2,218 healthcare IT professionals is $114,176. The median salary (that which falls in the middle of distribution) is $98,000. Let's now look at some of the specifics:

Average Salary by Region:

Average Salary by Gender

Average Salary by Professional Level

Average Salary by Organization's Primary Business

The biennial HIMSS Compensation Survey is the definitive resource for healthcare information technology (HIT) professionals to compare compensation packages. The survey, conducted by HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society), provides overall statistics for trends in the industry, while offering demographic information by facility budget, facility type, geographic region, gender, length of service and professional level.

Every two years, HIMSS conducts the HIMSS Compensation Survey. This resource allows healthcare information technology (IT) professionals to compare salaries and compensation packages. This overview provides information on the overall market. It also provides average salary increase and salary information by key demographic variables, including organizational annual net revenue, facility type, geographic region, gender, professional level and length of service. HIMSS members also have access to an exclusive on-line salary calculator, job descriptions and benefits information.

Data for this survey was collected in August and September of 2010. Invitations were sent to the entire HIMSS membership, as well as other HIT professionals for whom HIMSS had an e-mail address. Announcements about this survey were also included on the HIMSS website and in HIMSS' electronic newsletters. Individuals who received the invitation were encouraged to share it with their colleagues. A total of 2,580 responses were received.

You can access the 2010 HIMSS Compensation Survey Results here (HIMSS membership required, or you can purchase access to the survey results).