Biller vs patient care specialist

The differences between billers and patient care specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a biller, becoming a patient care specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a biller has an average salary of $38,333, which is higher than the $34,157 average annual salary of a patient care specialist.

The top three skills for a biller include patients, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for a patient care specialist are patients, patient care, and data entry.

Biller vs patient care specialist overview

	Biller	Patient Care Specialist
Yearly salary	$38,333	$34,157
Hourly rate	$18.43	$16.42
Growth rate	-3%	-4%
Number of jobs	35,740	146,861
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	46	40
Years of experience	2	4

What does a biller do?

Billers are medical professionals who are responsible for translating health care services into medical claims to be submitted to insurance companies. These billers are required to obtain patient medical records and interpret them to determine the billable units and services. They must manage all aspects of the medical billing process and make necessary contacts with insurance payers or patients to ensure maximum reimbursements. Billers must also provide services that are associated with internal and external customer billing and payment processing operations.

What does a patient care specialist do?

A patient service or care specialist works at different medical facilities. Primary responsibilities include checking patients in and out, scheduling follow-up appointments as well as checking patient eligibility for services or programs. Patient service specialists should maintain a systematic referral log to correlate patient referrals to other specialists. Applicants for the job should have the basic computer knowledge to effectively manage data of patient's files, knowledge of medical terminologies, and possess good interpersonal and customer service skills.

Biller vs patient care specialist salary

Billers and patient care specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Biller	Patient Care Specialist
Average salary	$38,333	$34,157
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $49,000	Between $20,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Washington	Massachusetts
Best paying company	UC Merced	KPG
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Health Care

Differences between biller and patient care specialist education

There are a few differences between a biller and a patient care specialist in terms of educational background:

	Biller	Patient Care Specialist
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Biller vs patient care specialist demographics

Here are the differences between billers' and patient care specialists' demographics:

	Biller	Patient Care Specialist
Average age	46	40
Gender ratio	Male, 11.6% Female, 88.4%	Male, 20.3% Female, 79.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 6.8% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 6.3% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between biller and patient care specialist duties and responsibilities

Biller example responsibilities.

Manage payer requirements, regulatory compliance requirements, HIPAA privacy and security requirements, medical terminology and general revenue cycle procedures.
Ensure all ICD-9 and CPT coding are correct and forward any errors to the appropriate departments to correct.
Prepare forms for CPT-4 and ICD-9 coding.
Acquire a working knowledge of revenue codes and HCPCS codes.
Answer phones, review, verifying insurance and ICD-9 coding of service reports.
Maintain confidentiality of all pertinent client information in compliance with HIPAA laws and regulations.

Patient care specialist example responsibilities.

Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic.
Utilize software applications to document call interactions using medical terminology and responsible for initially engaging patients by explaining the services.
Verify CPT codes along with diagnosis code for guarantee payment for surgeries.
Process daily fee tickets and correctly enter office visit ICD 9 and CPT codes into the system for billing.
Adhere to HIPPA confidentiality guidelines.
Track Medicaid eligibility of clients.

Biller vs patient care specialist skills

Common biller skills

Patients, 18%
Customer Service, 10%
Data Entry, 6%
CPT, 5%
Medicaid, 4%
Patient Accounts, 4%

Common patient care specialist skills

Patients, 33%
Patient Care, 17%
Data Entry, 5%
Medical Terminology, 4%
CPT, 2%
CPR, 2%

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Office and Administrative Industry
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Biller vs Patient Care Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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