Top 12 Release of Information Specialist Skills to Put on Your Resume
In the fast-evolving field of information management, Release of Information (ROI) Specialists keep data flowing safely, precisely, and on time. Spotlighting the right skills on your resume cuts through the noise and shows you can handle sensitive health information with care, speed, and judgment.
Release of Information Specialist Skills
- HIPAA Compliance
- EMR Systems
- Data Privacy
- Medical Terminology
- EHR Software
- Document Management
- Health Information Management (HIM)
- ICD-10 Coding
- Cerner
- Epic Systems
- Microsoft Office
- Information Governance
1. HIPAA Compliance
HIPAA compliance means following the rules that protect the privacy and security of patients’ health information while you manage, track, and release records appropriately.
Why It's Important
It safeguards patient trust, protects organizations from penalties, and ensures every disclosure is lawful, necessary, and defensible.
How to Improve HIPAA Compliance Skills
Improving HIPAA compliance as a Release of Information Specialist is never one-and-done. Keep it sharp, keep it current:
Stay current: Monitor guidance and updates from HHS, the Office for Civil Rights, and state regulators. Track changes tied to privacy, security, and the right of access.
Harden security: Strong passwords, MFA, encryption, secure networks, device controls. Align practices with NIST-style security guidance.
Train relentlessly: Role-based training for all staff, refreshed often. Test with real scenarios.
Access control: Least privilege, job-role alignment, automatic revocation on role change, and clear break-glass protocols.
Audit and monitor: Log access, track changes, investigate anomalies. Document your audits and follow-up actions.
Third-party diligence: Sign and manage Business Associate Agreements. Validate vendor controls and reporting expectations.
Incident response: Maintain a tested breach response plan with clear timelines and decision paths.
Honor patient rights: Fast, reasonable access; transparent fee practices; clear processes for amendments and restrictions.
Know the adjacent rules: Be aware of Information Blocking requirements and evolving privacy rule updates.
Compliance is a living system. Feed it, monitor it, improve it.
How to Display HIPAA Compliance Skills on Your Resume
2. EMR Systems
EMR systems store and structure clinical data for care delivery, billing, reporting, and release. For ROI work, they’re the engine room—where you locate, verify, and extract what’s authorized, nothing more.
Why It's Important
Fast, accurate retrieval reduces turnaround times, errors, and rework, while preserving privacy and maintaining a clear chain of custody.
How to Improve EMR Systems Skills
Role-based access: Configure permissions tightly. Map access to duties and keep it reviewed.
Interoperability: Use standardized data formats and exchange workflows to pull complete records without Frankensteining data from multiple systems.
Automated checks: Leverage tools for redaction, minimum necessary scoping, and release authorization validation.
Robust audit trails: Ensure detailed logs capture who accessed what, when, and why.
Training and job aids: Maintain quick-reference guides for common record types and request scenarios.
Align with policy: Calibrate your EMR workflows to HIPAA, state laws, and Information Blocking allowances/exceptions.
How to Display EMR Systems Skills on Your Resume
3. Data Privacy
Data privacy governs how personal information is collected, used, shared, and retained—lawfully, minimally, and with respect for the individual.
Why It's Important
It protects patients from harm, reduces organizational risk, and keeps trust intact—vital when handling clinical records and identifiers.
How to Improve Data Privacy Skills
Know the rules: Track HIPAA, state medical privacy laws, and global frameworks (like GDPR if applicable).
Least privilege: Grant only what’s needed, only when needed.
Encrypt everything sensible: In transit and at rest, with disciplined key management.
Train for threats: Phishing, social engineering, improper disclosures—practice the likely failure points.
Monitor and audit: Continuous monitoring plus periodic audits to catch drift.
Data minimization: Release only the minimum necessary. Trim, redact, narrow date ranges.
Keep policies alive: Update for new threats, new tech, and new regulations—then communicate changes promptly.
How to Display Data Privacy Skills on Your Resume
4. Medical Terminology
A shared clinical language—terms for anatomy, conditions, tests, and treatments. You read faster, search better, and release with confidence when you speak it fluently.
Why It's Important
It prevents misunderstandings, speeds up record review, and reduces the risk of misrelease caused by confusion over similar terms or acronyms.
How to Improve Medical Terminology Skills
Daily exposure: Read clinical notes, discharge summaries, radiology and lab reports. Repetition cements meaning.
Flashcards and drills: Prefixes, suffixes, roots—build from the building blocks.
Structured learning: Take a short course; follow a weekly study plan; quiz yourself with mixed specialties.
Peer practice: Discuss tricky terms and abbreviations with clinical staff or HIM peers.
Reference at hand: Keep a medical dictionary or vetted glossary within reach.
How to Display Medical Terminology Skills on Your Resume
5. EHR Software
EHR platforms centralize clinical data, permissions, workflows, and reporting. For ROI, they’re the front door and the vault at once.
Why It's Important
They determine how quickly you can find the right records, how safely you can share them, and how reliably you can prove what happened.
How to Improve EHR Software Skills
Security first: Encryption, MFA, session timeouts, device controls—tighten access paths without hobbling users.
Simplify the interface: Customize views, favorites, and shortcuts that match common ROI request types.
Automate the grind: Templates, redaction rules, and approval workflows reduce manual steps and errors.
Interoperability: Enable clean exchange with outside systems so the record you release is complete and consistent.
Audit trails: Make sure the system captures access, export, print, and update events—clearly and immutably.
Ongoing training: Refresher sessions when features change; quick tips for new hires; scenario-based exercises.
User feedback loop: Collect friction points from ROI users and refine workflows regularly.
How to Display EHR Software Skills on Your Resume
6. Document Management
Organizing, indexing, securing, and tracking documents across their lifecycle—paper and digital—so the right version is available at the right moment.
Why It's Important
It trims delays, cuts misfiles, and prevents accidental over-disclosure—key outcomes for compliant, speedy ROI.
How to Improve Document Management Skills
Go digital where possible: Scan, OCR, and standardize formats for searchability and consistency.
Use a DMS: Employ a document management system with version control, access logs, and robust metadata.
Compliance by design: Encrypt sensitive content, set expiration and retention rules, and enforce least-privilege access.
Training and audits: Teach staff the file plan and naming conventions; audit for drift and fix gaps quickly.
Index and search: Apply standardized tags and indexing so retrieval is lightning fast.
Cloud with care: If cloud is used, require strong security, clear retention, and eDiscovery support.
Automate workflows: Route approvals, track status, and notify stakeholders without manual chasing.
How to Display Document Management Skills on Your Resume
7. Health Information Management (HIM)
HIM covers the stewardship of health data—accuracy, completeness, accessibility, and protection. For ROI, it means releasing the right information under the right authority, every time.
Why It's Important
Good HIM practices keep records trustworthy, disclosures traceable, and organizations compliant with federal and state rules.
How to Improve Health Information Management (HIM) Skills
Modernize records: Move from paper to EHR-backed workflows with strong indexing and standardized data sets.
Privacy and security: Align with HIPAA, state laws, and organizational policies; test controls and document results.
Keep learning: Pursue HIM and ROI education and certifications; share lessons with the team.
Standardize ROI: Document step-by-step procedures, from intake to fulfillment to logging, and keep them updated.
Use ROI technology: Consider specialized ROI software to track requests, fees, deadlines, and disclosures.
Quality checks: Audit regularly for accuracy, timeliness, minimum necessary, and adherence to authorization scopes.
Mind information blocking: Balance privacy with required access and exceptions under current regulations.
How to Display Health Information Management (HIM) Skills on Your Resume
8. ICD-10 Coding
ICD-10 provides standardized diagnostic and procedure codes. ROI specialists use it to interpret requests, locate the right content, and avoid releasing unrelated information.
Why It's Important
Codes guide precise retrieval, enable accurate abstraction, and help ensure the minimum necessary standard is met.
How to Improve ICD-10 Coding Skills
Follow official guidelines: Review updates and conventions routinely.
Practice real scenarios: Work through sample charts to tie documentation to correct code sets.
Use trusted tools: Keep current codebooks and reputable lookup software close at hand.
Cross-train: Learn how coding interacts with CDI, billing, and medical necessity documentation.
Network and discuss: Compare edge cases with coding professionals to refine judgment.
How to Display ICD-10 Coding Skills on Your Resume
9. Cerner
Cerner, now part of Oracle Health, provides EHR technology used to create, manage, and exchange patient records. For ROI, it’s about navigating charts efficiently and releasing information securely.
Why It's Important
An integrated EHR like Cerner streamlines access, enforces permissions, and supports thorough auditing—critical for timely, compliant disclosures.
How to Improve Cerner Skills
Deepen system knowledge: Explore modules, filters, and search patterns that match common ROI requests.
Tune workflows: Use built-in tools to automate intake, routing, redaction, and delivery where appropriate.
Use support channels: Leverage vendor documentation, training, and user communities for tips and troubleshooting.
Stay compliant: Align Cerner configurations with HIPAA, state rules, and organizational policies.
Collect feedback: Loop insights from HIM, legal, and front-line ROI staff into continuous workflow improvements.
How to Display Cerner Skills on Your Resume
10. Epic Systems
Epic is a widely used EHR platform that centralizes patient information, supports interoperability, and enables secure, trackable releases of information.
Why It's Important
With consistent workflows and strong audit capabilities, Epic helps ROI teams fulfill requests quickly and accurately while maintaining privacy.
How to Improve Epic Systems Skills
Streamline requests: Configure patient and proxy tools to reduce manual back-and-forth and speed fulfillment.
Get trained: Take role-specific courses and refreshers to stay fluent in features that matter for ROI.
Leverage interoperability: Use cross-organization exchange to assemble complete records when appropriate.
Automate redaction: Apply consistent rules for sensitive elements; verify with audits.
Close the loop: Report system friction to IT; track fixes and measure impact.
Harden security: Review access rights, break-glass use, and audit findings routinely.
How to Display Epic Systems Skills on Your Resume
11. Microsoft Office
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and related Microsoft 365 tools help draft letters, track requests, standardize templates, analyze turnaround times, and communicate clearly.
Why It's Important
It’s the everyday toolkit for documentation, reporting, and coordinated communication—workhorses for ROI operations.
How to Improve Microsoft Office Skills
Security features: Use sensitivity labels, encryption, and MFA; restrict forwarding and sharing on sensitive files.
Templates and macros: Standardize letters, cover sheets, fee schedules, and checklists to reduce errors and speed completion.
Smarter search and organization: Use consistent naming, metadata, and shared drives with role-based access.
Metrics that matter: Track turnaround time, types of requests, denials, and rework in Excel dashboards.
How to Display Microsoft Office Skills on Your Resume
12. Information Governance
A framework for handling information responsibly—policy, process, technology, and oversight working in concert. In ROI, it sets the guardrails.
Why It's Important
Good governance ensures lawful access, consistent decision-making, strong security, and reliable records of what was released and why.
How to Improve Information Governance Skills
Know the landscape: HIPAA, state laws, Information Blocking rules, organizational policy—map them to ROI procedures.
Standardize the process: Intake, identity verification, authorization validation, scoping, fulfillment, delivery, logging—document each step.
Security discipline: Apply defense-in-depth across data stores, endpoints, and transmission paths.
Educate consistently: Regular training, scenarios, and quick-reference guides for new and existing staff.
Use the right tech: EHR and ROI platforms that support tracking, redaction, minimum necessary, and audit reporting.
Audit, then improve: Monitor compliance, measure KPIs, and act on findings quickly.
How to Display Information Governance Skills on Your Resume
