HIT salaries rise an average of 7 percent in 2016

Salaries for health information technology professionals rose by 7 percent in 2016, but many HIT employees say they believe they should earn more than they do.

In its third annual survey, employment web site HealthITJobs.com found the average HIT salary is $93,469; the median wage for these professionals is $85,000.

In tracking HIT bonuses, HealthITjobs.com found the average annual bonus is $7,603; the median bonus is $4,150.

However, the gender gap in IT salaries widened in 2016. Two years ago, 2014 showed a sizable gap in salaries between male and female workers, then data for 2015 appeared to show relatively equal pay among the genders, says Robyn Melhuish, communications director at HealthITJobs.com.

This year, a noticeable gap reappeared, with men on average earning 14 percent more than women HIT workers. Melhuish can’t say for certain why there is a big discrepancy between 2015 and 2016 salaries, but she speculates that it is possible the respondent mix last year was inadequate and that the 2015 findings may be an anomaly.

When it comes to wage expectations, HIT employees attach a value to their work far higher than their employers do. Half of respondents on average believe they should be making nearly $16,000 more. That’s why with 80 percent largely satisfied with their job, many indicated they may be looking elsewhere next year.

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Survey results showed that HIT executives earn the most, with an average salary of $171,341 and a bonus of $27,500. However, these executives accounted for only 2.5 percent of all respondents, Melhuish notes.

Average salaries for a range of IT positions include:

• Project management, $113,188
  

• IT management, $104,066
  

• Healthcare informatics, $101,516
  

• Implementation consultant, $91,993
  

• Clinical applications, $89,788
  

• Systems analyst, $84,937
  

• Business analyst, $83,794
  

• Training, $77,922
  

• Data analyst, $76,309
  

“Consulting companies, which employ 30 percent of respondents, pay nearly 14 percent more than the second highest-paying employer, software companies,” according to the salary report. Hospital and other provider organization employees accounted for 51 percent of all respondents in the survey.

HIT jobs in the Mountain region pay the most, with the Pacific region paying the lowest. Overall, HIT professionals can expect salaries to increase in 2017, Melhuish says. The report is available for download here.