Admissions clerk vs registration specialist

The differences between admissions clerks and registration specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an admissions clerk, becoming a registration specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an admissions clerk has an average salary of $31,980, which is higher than the $30,422 average annual salary of a registration specialist.

The top three skills for an admissions clerk include patients, data entry and customer service. The most important skills for a registration specialist are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.

Admissions clerk vs registration specialist overview

	Admissions Clerk	Registration Specialist
Yearly salary	$31,980	$30,422
Hourly rate	$15.38	$14.63
Growth rate	-5%	-4%
Number of jobs	123,555	79,118
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 29%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	47	40
Years of experience	2	4

What does an admissions clerk do?

An admissions clerk caters to all incoming customers, applicants, or patients in a facility. Their primary job is to handle the personal data of those customers, applicants, or patients. They are responsible for communicating this data to their organization's faculty and management, as well as ensuring data security. On a secondary basis, an admissions clerk is responsible for addressing the needs or inquiries of the customers, applicants, or patients they serve. For this position, it is necessary to have strong customer service skills, strong communication skills, and strong problem-solving abilities.

What does a registration specialist do?

A registration specialist is responsible for managing patient information, including the verification of their insurance details and medical treatment schedules. Registration specialists assign admission rooms and processing payments for discharge. They also assist patients with the completion of medical forms by helping them fill-out papers with the most accurate information. A registration specialist performs administrative and clerical duties as needed, requiring them to have excellent data management skills to process information and provide the highest quality care services for the patients.

Admissions clerk vs registration specialist salary

Admissions clerks and registration specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Admissions Clerk	Registration Specialist
Average salary	$31,980	$30,422
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $41,000	Between $23,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Deloitte
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between admissions clerk and registration specialist education

There are a few differences between an admissions clerk and a registration specialist in terms of educational background:

	Admissions Clerk	Registration Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 29%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Admissions clerk vs registration specialist demographics

Here are the differences between admissions clerks' and registration specialists' demographics:

	Admissions Clerk	Registration Specialist
Average age	47	40
Gender ratio	Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3%	Male, 14.5% Female, 85.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 7.0% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 6.0% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	7%

Differences between admissions clerk and registration specialist duties and responsibilities

Admissions clerk example responsibilities.

Manage an adjoining veterinary supply shop that sell medications, animal food and pet equipment.
Register patients via ambulances and lobby registration.
Utilize ICD-9 and CPT-4 coding in admitting patients and pre-certifications/authorizations for admissions and procedures.
Interview incoming patients or representatives and enter information require for admission and emergency department registration into the computer.
Interpret institutes regulations and charges to patients and/or family members, obtaining necessary information and signatures where necessary.
Maintain communications with physicians' offices and unit secretaries/nursing coordinator to ensure bed placement of direct admissions and in-patient surgery candidates.

Registration specialist example responsibilities.

Attain and authenticate patient insurance information, counsel patients on changes in insurance policies, verify patient demographics.
Help patients through the registration and admitting processes and also contribute to the PBX department.
Input data entries for insurance billing; adding CPT codes and diagnosis from face sheets as patients arrive.
Act as hospital PBX operator.
Complete all charge entry, enter all CPT and ICD-9 codes for billing for multiple doctors each day.
Enter patient information and verify information according to HIPAA regulations.

Admissions clerk vs registration specialist skills

Common admissions clerk skills

Patients, 42%
Data Entry, 7%
Customer Service, 4%
Insurance Forms, 3%
Computer System, 3%
Patient Demographics, 3%

Common registration specialist skills

Patients, 25%
Customer Service, 14%
Medical Terminology, 8%
Patient Registration, 5%
Insurance Verification, 4%
Data Entry, 4%

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Admissions Clerk vs Registration Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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