Most HIT Workers Earned Raises Last Year

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

The average Health IT worker’s salary was more than $111,000 and 77 percent reported raises since June 2015.

In 2015, the average health IT worker earned more than $111,000 according to the latest report from HIMSS. The report further found the mean salary was $90,000.

“There is no better time to be employed in healthcare than today,” said JoAnn Klinedinst, vice president of professional development at HIMSS North America, according to Health Data Management. “This is a snapshot of the exciting opportunities for IT professionals in the healthcare setting. Outside of hospitals and physician practices, healthcare also occurs in many different non-traditional settings such as retail, underscoring the dynamic shift that we’re seeing.”

iHealth Beat notes salaries varied by company size/revenue, gender, geographic location, and job titles and responsibilities. For example, men earned an average salary of $126,262, compared with an average of $100,762 for women. Additionally, salaries averaged $127,117 in the Pacific region of the country, compared with $101,281 in the West South Central region.

The type of organization was also a factor:

• for-profit private organizations earned an average salary of $116,726
• for-profit public companies earned an average salary of $114,878
• not-for profit companies earned an average salary of $110,255

On a positive note, 77 percent of respondents said they had earned a raise as of June 1, 2015, while nearly half had received a bonus in the past year.

“I was very pleased to see the number of respondents who said they got either a raise or a bonus, which suggests that organizations are respecting and recognizing their employees,” observed Jennifer Horowitz, senior director of research for HIMSS North America.