When we process insurance-related claims, we usually begin by coordinating with the insurance agent involved or with the customer service representative of the insurance company. If transactions can be processed by the people we first talk to; we are not endorsed to the other steps. However, some cases need authorization. As such, authorization specialists become involved. Authorization specialists are members of the insurance company.
They are responsible for taking pre-authorization information from the client or the representative. Upon receipt of the information, they check whether these are consistent with the system. Upon assessment, they would then inform the client or representative if their request can be granted or if there are more requirements needed. Afterward, they endorse the documents to the processing team.
If you would like to try this job, you should be organized, and you should have good decision-making skills. You should also think on your feet. Authorization specialists also need to be stern but fair.
How to Become an Authorization Specialist
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an authorization specialist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $17.81 an hour? That's $37,053 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -2% and produce -51,600 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does an Authorization Specialist Do
There are certain skills that many authorization specialists have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed computer skills, listening skills and patience.
How To Become an Authorization Specialist
If you're interested in becoming an authorization specialist, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 32.6% of authorization specialists have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 3.6% of authorization specialists have master's degrees. Even though some authorization specialists have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become an authorization specialist. When we researched the most common majors for an authorization specialist, we found that they most commonly earn bachelor's degree degrees or associate degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on authorization specialist resumes include high school diploma degrees or diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become an authorization specialist. In fact, many authorization specialist jobs require experience in a role such as customer service representative. Meanwhile, many authorization specialists also have previous career experience in roles such as medical assistant or administrative assistant.
Authorization Specialist Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of team leader you might progress to a role such as manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title practice manager.
Average Salary for an Authorization Specialist
What Am I Worth?
Top Colleges for Authorization Specialists
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
2. New York University
New York, NY • Private
3. Maria College of Albany
Albany, NY • Private
4. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
5. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
7. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
8. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
10. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Top Skills For an Authorization Specialist
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 31.5% of authorization specialists listed insurance companies on their resume, but soft skills such as computer skills and listening skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Authorization Specialist Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Authorization Specialist templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Authorization Specialist resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Authorization Specialist Demographics
Authorization Specialist Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among authorization specialists, 84.6% of them are women, while 15.4% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among authorization specialists is White, which makes up 58.4% of all authorization specialists.
- The most common foreign language among authorization specialists is Spanish at 77.9%.
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Best States For an Authorization Specialist
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an authorization specialist. The best states for people in this position are New York, Alaska, Minnesota, and California. Authorization specialists make the most in New York with an average salary of $43,655. Whereas in Alaska and Minnesota, they would average $42,039 and $40,461, respectively. While authorization specialists would only make an average of $39,580 in California, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Alaska
$42,039
Avg. Salary
2. New York
$43,655
Avg. Salary
3. Pennsylvania
$38,038
Avg. Salary
How Do Authorization Specialist Rate Their Jobs?
Top Authorization Specialist Employers
Most Common Employers For Authorization Specialist
| Rank  | Company  | Average Salary  | Hourly Rate  | Job Openings  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Scientific | $41,722 | $20.06 | 7 |
| 2 | Intrepid USA | $40,592 | $19.52 | 7 |
| 3 | HealthNet | $38,915 | $18.71 | 9 |
| 4 | Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital | $38,694 | $18.60 | 12 |
| 5 | BioScrip | $38,559 | $18.54 | 8 |
| 6 | Apria Healthcare | $38,296 | $18.41 | 6 |
| 7 | PeaceHealth | $37,998 | $18.27 | 7 |
| 8 | Coram | $37,993 | $18.27 | 6 |
| 9 | Cleveland Clinic | $37,314 | $17.94 | 7 |
| 10 | CenterLight Health System | $37,053 | $17.81 | 10 |
Authorization Specialist Videos
