What Is a Health Information Manager? The Role Bridging Clinical Care and Data Strategy
23 Sep, 2026
If you're exploring jobs in the healthcare field today, you're looking at a landscape that would be almost unrecognizable to someone who started their career a decade ago. I've spent years building healthcareers.app and working with healthcare professionals at every stage — from new graduates uncertain about their first role to mid-career clinicians pivoting into entirely new specialties. What I've noticed most is how dramatically the menu of options has expanded.
Some of the fastest-growing healthcare roles barely existed ten years ago. Others, like cardiopulmonary rehabilitation specialists and physician assistants in growing regional markets, have evolved so significantly in scope and compensation that they feel like entirely new careers. In this post, I want to walk you through the roles that are genuinely booming right now, why they're growing, and how you can position yourself to land one — whether you're just entering the field or ready for a career shift.
Before we get into specific roles, it helps to understand the forces driving this expansion. It's not just about an aging population, though that's certainly part of it. Several converging trends are creating entirely new job categories:
Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation has quietly become one of the most rewarding niches in allied health. These specialists design and supervise exercise and education programs for patients recovering from heart attacks, heart surgery, chronic lung conditions like COPD, and pulmonary fibrosis. The role sits at the intersection of respiratory therapy, exercise physiology, and patient education.
What's driving the boom? Cardiac and pulmonary disease remain among the leading causes of death in the United States, and post-acute rehabilitation programs have been shown to significantly reduce readmission rates. Hospitals and outpatient clinics are investing heavily in these programs, and they need qualified professionals to run them.
When it comes to cardiopulmonary rehabilitation salary, compensation varies by region, credentials, and setting. Professionals with backgrounds in respiratory therapy or exercise physiology who hold certifications from the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation tend to command higher pay. The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't track this niche separately, but related roles like respiratory therapists and exercise physiologists show solid median wages and above-average job growth projections through the end of the decade. Experienced cardiopulmonary rehab specialists in hospital settings often earn more than their counterparts in smaller outpatient clinics, though the work-life balance trade-off may favor outpatient positions.
If you're considering this path, look for programs that combine clinical rotations in cardiac and pulmonary rehab with credentials in ACLS and exercise prescription. It's a specialty where experience matters enormously — and patients genuinely remember you as part of their recovery story.
Physician assistant roles are booming everywhere, but the growth is particularly dramatic in mid-sized and growing communities. Take physician assistant jobs Idaho Falls as a case study. Idaho Falls, located in eastern Idaho with a metro population that has grown steadily in recent years, has seen a surge in healthcare infrastructure development. New urgent care centers, specialty clinics, and hospital expansions are all competing for PAs.
Why Idaho Falls specifically? Several factors align. The region has a younger-than-average population that's growing fast, driven by migration from higher-cost-of-living states. The physician-to-patient ratio in many parts of Idaho remains below national averages, which means PAs don't just supplement physician care — they often serve as the primary point of access. This translates into broader scope of practice, greater autonomy, and often competitive compensation packages that include signing bonuses and relocation assistance.
For PAs willing to explore regional markets rather than saturated urban centers, the career prospects are exceptional. I've seen listings on our platform for physician assistant jobs in Idaho Falls and similar communities that offer compelling total compensation, lower cost of living, and access to outdoor recreation that dramatically improves quality of life. If you've been grinding in a high-cost metro area and feeling burned out, this kind of move can feel transformative.
A decade ago, most hospitals were still transitioning to electronic health records. Today, the data those systems generate has created an entirely new class of healthcare professional. Health informatics specialists bridge the gap between clinical care and information technology. They analyze patient data to improve outcomes, optimize EHR workflows, ensure regulatory compliance, and support population health management initiatives.
This role appeals to people who love healthcare but don't necessarily want to provide direct patient care — or to clinicians who are ready to step away from the bedside. Nurses, pharmacists, and therapists with informatics certifications or master's degrees in health informatics are particularly well-positioned. The Bureau of Labor Statistics groups many of these professionals under health information technologists and medical registrars, a category it projects to grow faster than average.
The pandemic accelerated telehealth adoption by years, and it hasn't snapped back. Healthcare systems now maintain robust virtual care programs, and someone has to manage them. Telehealth coordinators handle scheduling, technology troubleshooting, patient onboarding, and quality assurance for virtual visits. Virtual care navigators go a step further, helping patients — especially elderly or technology-averse patients — access telehealth services effectively.
These roles are accessible to people with backgrounds in medical assisting, health administration, or even customer service with some healthcare training. They're also frequently available as remote positions, which is still relatively rare in healthcare.
The peer support specialist role represents one of the most meaningful innovations in mental health care. These professionals use their own lived experience with mental illness, substance use disorders, or both to support patients in recovery. Certification requirements vary by state, but most states now have formal peer support certification programs, and Medicaid reimbursement for peer support services has expanded significantly.
This is a role that literally didn't exist in most healthcare systems ten years ago. Now it's embedded in emergency departments, community mental health centers, and integrated primary care clinics. For individuals in stable recovery who want to give back while building a healthcare career, it's an extraordinary entry point — and many peer support specialists go on to pursue further credentials in counseling, social work, or nursing.
Knowing which jobs in the healthcare field are growing is only half the equation. Positioning yourself effectively requires strategy:
Compensation in healthcare is always a top concern, and rightly so. While I won't fabricate specific figures, I can share directional trends based on what we observe on our platform and what sources like the Bureau of Labor Statistics consistently report:
Roles in telehealth, health informatics, behavioral health integration, and chronic disease management — including cardiopulmonary rehabilitation — are among the fastest-growing areas. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects above-average growth for many allied health and mid-level provider roles through the end of the decade. Geographic flexibility, particularly toward growing regional markets, can further expand your options.
Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation salary varies based on credentials, experience, and work setting. Professionals with certifications from organizations like the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation and those working in hospital-based programs tend to earn more. Compensation generally aligns with related fields like respiratory therapy and exercise physiology, both of which the BLS reports as offering solid median wages.
Absolutely. Idaho Falls is experiencing significant healthcare growth, and physician assistant jobs Idaho Falls often come with competitive base salaries, signing bonuses, and relocation packages. The lower cost of living compared to coastal cities means your take-home pay stretches further. PAs in this region also tend to enjoy broader scope of practice due to physician shortages, which can accelerate professional development.
Not always, but it helps enormously. Many successful health informatics specialists started as nurses, pharmacists, or therapists before pivoting. However, candidates with strong IT backgrounds who complete health informatics certificate or degree programs can also enter the field. Employers value professionals who can speak both languages — clinical and technical.
Several booming healthcare roles offer accessible entry points. Peer support specialist certification, medical assistant training, telehealth coordinator roles, and community health worker positions all provide pathways into the field without requiring a four-year degree. Many of these roles offer clear advancement opportunities for those who pursue additional education over time.
The menu of jobs in the healthcare field is wider and more dynamic than it has ever been. Whether you're drawn to the clinical intimacy of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, the autonomy of physician assistant practice in a growing community like Idaho Falls, or the tech-forward world of health informatics and telehealth, opportunities abound. The professionals who thrive in this expanding landscape are the ones who stay curious, stack their credentials thoughtfully, and remain open to roles and locations they might not have initially considered. We built healthcareers.app to help you find exactly those opportunities — the ones that match not just your qualifications, but the career and life you actually want to build.
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