Salary is an important consideration in the choice of a profession, and it’s one that could sway anyone considering the field of health informatics.
The most recent compensation survey by nonprofit health informatics organization HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) found an impressive average salary of $109,610. In addition, around three-fourths of the 885 respondents reported receiving a pay raise within the previous year.
The previous edition of the survey, conducted in 2015, also looked at benefits such as health insurance (96% of respondents said they received it), dental insurance (95%), paid time off and a retirement savings plan (94%). Almost 90% also had life insurance.
Almost half of the respondents received bonuses in 2015, but that number had decreased to 34% in 2018.
Professionals employed by health IT vendors had the largest average annual salary of $126,910, followed by those who worked at hospitals, non-acute care facilities and other organizations, respectively.
The financial news for health IT professionals was uniformly good – but considerably better for men than women.
Average salary for male health IT professionals was $123,244 annually, while females drew an annual average salary of $100,447.
In fact, HIMSS survey data spanning 2006-2018 shows that the discrepancy has returned to 2006 levels following years in which it appeared to have widened. With that said, the gap is still significant with females earning 82 cents for every dollar a male counterpart makes.
HIMSS Board Chair Denise Hines told Healthcare IT News that an up-to-date look at the salary gap is likely to be on the agenda at HIMSS18, the organization’s annual convention, March 5-9 in Las Vegas.
Hines has experienced that pay gap firsthand. She once worked for an organization that paid her $20,000 less than a male co-worker who did the same job. The rationale, Hines said, was that the male was the breadwinner for his family.
Part of reversing the pay gap trend is having more women in positions of leadership, Hines said. And women working at all levels must be assertive.
“We can’t be afraid to speak up and talk about our value,” Hines said. “We can’t be afraid to research and see that this type of position actually pays 50% over my current salary, versus the 10% I normally would have been happy with.”
Hines, who is African-American, believes it is essential for HIMSS to bring more women and minorities into the health IT field. To these ends Hines advocates for HIMSS programs specifically targeting and recognizing the contributions of women, as well as finding ways to introduce health informatics to students at traditionally black colleges and universities that don’t currently have health IT programs.
