Written By
Georgia Farrokh
Digital Content Specialist, Grand Canyon Education
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Approved and verified accurate by the Associate Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions on July 10, 2025.
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When it comes to patient healthcare data, both health informatics (HI) and health information management (HIM) play important roles in improving patient outcomes and optimizing healthcare operations. These essential yet distinct disciplines deal with patient data, although they have different focuses, responsibilities, career outcomes and required skills. Understanding these differences is key to helping you choose the career path that best aligns with your strengths and interests.
Health informatics blends technology and healthcare by designing the computer systems used for healthcare data management. These systems are used to track, store and send healthcare data safely and effectively. Health informatics deals with multiple kinds of data, such as patient data, clinical data, public health data and data from wearable medical devices.
Health informatics looks at the big picture of medical databases, rather than handling and managing patient data on a personal scale. It tracks data related to disease outbreaks in order to better manage public health and monitor trends in different populations. This field is important because by looking at large data sets, health informatics can reveal insights to improve patient care and better inform disease prevention efforts.
Whereas health informatics deals with many kinds of data, health information management deals solely with patient healthcare data. Health information management tracks, stores and secures patient data such as their test results, medical history, diagnoses and treatment plans. HIM also manages personal information such as the patient’s address, date of birth and contact information.
The health information management industry is important for the safety and protection of personal information when patients access medical care. Because most healthcare data today is stored electronically, HIM professionals spend a lot of time using technology, although some medical records are kept as paper records.
There are some important differences to understand in health informatics vs. health information management when it comes to skills, career opportunities and education requirements. Understanding these differences can help you determine why health information management or health informatics could be a better suited career choice for you.
Health informatics and health information management differ in their core focus and skill requirements.
Key competencies in health informatics include:
Key competencies in health information management include:
The main difference between health informatics vs. health information management careers is how patient data is used. Health information management careers focus on organizing and handling patient data, while health informatics careers use database systems. Researching the jobs available within both disciplines can help you decide which degree may be best for your career goals.
There are many career opportunities within health informatics. Some of the professional jobs you may be able to pursue with a degree in health informatics are:
Career opportunities for health information management include:
Become a Medical and Health Services Manager
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for medical and health services managers has the sixth highest job growth rate of any occupation between 2023 to 2033, at 29% projected growth.1
Although health informatics and health information management are related fields, the educational background requirements have different focuses. Health informatics will typically require a degree in a data- or technology-related field, such as data science or information technology. Health information management professionals can benefit from a degree in health information management or health administration. Business degrees may also be relevant for HIM professionals.
The degree requirements for careers in health informatics vs. health information management will depend on the role and the hiring organization’s requirements. Some positions require a bachelor’s degree, while more senior positions may require a master’s degree.2,3
If you’re drawn to the field of healthcare data management, a degree from Grand Canyon University can equip you with the technical knowledge, ethical foundation and confidence to prepare for your career. Our Master of Science in Health Informatics is designed to teach you applicable competencies in using data systems to improve patient care. If you are interested in HIM, our Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management can prepare you for careers involved in the processing, storing and tracking of electronic patient data.
Explore Your Calling in Healthcare Technology
Ready to make a difference in the future of healthcare? Start your journey with a degree from Grand Canyon University.
