How to hire an authorization specialist

How to hire an authorization specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step authorization specialist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an authorization specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new authorization specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an authorization specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the authorization specialist you need to hire. Certain authorization specialist roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect authorization specialist also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents authorization specialist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Authorization Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Authorization Specialist	Customer service representatives interact with customers to handle complaints, process orders, and provide information about an organization’s products and services.	$13-22
   Patient Access Representative	A Patient Access Representative is the first point of contact of a patient in a hospital facility. Among the duties include the checking-in and out of a patient, gathering a patient's information for the Doctors and Nurses to use, communicates with the patient's family or caregivers, and processes insurance billing... Show more	$12-19
   Patient Care Representative	PCRs (Patient Care Representatives) are given responsibilities like updating and verifying patient information after every visit, scheduling and reminding patients about appointments, and informing patients about delays and how long the estimated waiting times will be. They are also responsible for obtaining patients' personal information like their address, contact details, insurance information, and medical and surgical history... Show more	$12-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Customer Service
   • Insurance Verification
   • Medical Terminology
   • Insurance Eligibility
   • Veterans
   • EMR
   • Insurance Coverage
   • Home Health
   • CPT
   • Insurance Benefits
   • Medical Necessity
   • Medicaid
   • Clinical Data

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Demonstrate knowledge of HIPAA by appropriately managing patient confidentiality.
   • Utilize CMS and InterQual criteria to establish authorizations for members requiring medical services for a Medicare advantage insurance company.
   • Build authorization, match ICD-10 codes with there procedure codes
   • Provide patients with patient registration forms in order to follow up on patient check-in and check-out utilizing a proprietary management system.
   • Obtain verification of insurance coverage and authorizations for clinical visits and surgical procedures for patients.
   • Perform all components of the office registration including arrival, check-in and future appointments.

   More authorization specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the authorization specialist job description is a good way to get more applicants. An authorization specialist salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for an authorization specialist in Alabama may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level authorization specialist. Additionally, an authorization specialist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average authorization specialist salary

   $36,518yearly

   $17.56 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level authorization specialist salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 26, 2025

   Average authorization specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$57,136	$27
   2	Maryland	$55,581	$27
   3	New York	$49,752	$24
   4	New Jersey	$48,815	$23
   5	Illinois	$48,432	$23
   6	Alaska	$47,261	$23
   7	Pennsylvania	$47,053	$23
   8	Minnesota	$46,346	$22
   9	Washington	$40,307	$19
   10	California	$38,926	$19
   11	Ohio	$38,266	$18
   12	Oregon	$37,815	$18
   13	Virginia	$37,654	$18
   14	Missouri	$36,251	$17
   15	Kansas	$35,841	$17
   16	Colorado	$35,412	$17
   17	North Carolina	$35,367	$17
   18	Indiana	$35,004	$17
   19	Texas	$33,600	$16
   20	Georgia	$33,429	$16

   Average authorization specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Guidehouse	$81,118	$39.00	41
   2	Westinghouse Appliances Australia	$80,104	$38.51	1
   3	Cognizant	$70,628	$33.96	12
   4	Catholic Health East	$58,359	$28.06	9
   5	Dana-Farber Cancer Institute	$55,702	$26.78	10
   6	General Dynamics Mission Systems	$54,239	$26.08	1
   7	Prime Healthcare	$53,642	$25.79	48
   8	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	$49,248	$23.68	3
   9	UBS	$49,086	$23.60	1
   10	UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital	$47,002	$22.60
   11	General Dynamics	$46,904	$22.55	9
   12	Myriad Genetics	$45,443	$21.85	4
   13	Health Alliance	$44,831	$21.55	50
   14	Lancaster General Health	$43,054	$20.70
   15	Grene Vision Group	$42,878	$20.61	3
   16	eyecarecenter	$42,725	$20.54	4
   17	Southern Ohio Medical Center	$42,161	$20.27	2
   18	Telecare	$41,200	$19.81	1
   19	Loma Linda University Health	$40,446	$19.45	3
   20	University of Kentucky	$40,434	$19.44	9

4. Writing an authorization specialist job description

   An authorization specialist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an authorization specialist job description:

   Authorization specialist job description example

   Authorization Specialist
   Pay: $18-21/hr (based on experience)
   Job Type: Full-time, Permanent
   Hours: M-F Flexible 8-hr day between 7AM-8:30AM start time
   Location: Nashville, TN (hybrid - 3 days in office, 2 days remote)
   
   The purpose of the Classification/Authorization Specialist role is to complete relevant documents and follow established protocol to either close out these documents and/or to ensure relevant documents flow to the proper channel. Review authorization documentation and accurately collect required financial information for all subscribers from multiple key stakeholders ranging from Government to Local Agencies, while utilizing current skills to accurately multitask in a fast-paced environment. If you want to positively impact patient lives by joining a successful healthcare company, apply today!
   
   A Day in the Life: Review and process all incoming documents via multiple programs, updating subscriber specifics systems as needed Obtaining and entering Medicaid authorizations for treatment from various payers and following up on authorization requests, running reports, and identifying expiring authorizations Accurately maintaining patient files and current authorization information Coordinating with various locations regarding authorization statuses and assist with insurance verification and other billing office related activities Receive incoming documents, review and determine correct document classification.
   Requirements: 2+ years in medical billing, authorization, or documentation review
   
   Addison Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Addison Group provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Addison Group complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. Reasonable accommodation is available for qualified individuals with disabilities, upon request. #talenthc

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find authorization specialists for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your authorization specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit authorization specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with authorization specialist candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new authorization specialist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the authorization specialist position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new authorization specialist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an authorization specialist?