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What does a biller do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
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.

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Biller responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real biller resumes:

  • 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.
  • Complete all basic secondary claims to appropriate assign payers on a daily basis includes pulling EOB's and re-bill reports.
  • Acquire and maintain an up to date detail working knowledge of Medicare, Medi-Cal and CCS billing/coding guidelines and regulations.
  • Experience with EMR, updating patient information, completing EOB's, resolving denials, posting charges, and coding procedures.
  • Process appeals regarding inappropriate payments and rejections.
  • Verify patient eligibility through Medi-Cal and CCS websites.
  • Gather Medicaid billing information by reviewing patient hospital records, checking for completeness.
  • Review patients bills for accuracy and completeness to obtain any missing information where need.
  • Prepare and submit claims for a durable medical equipment company specializing in workers compensation patients.
  • Prepare and submit all Medicaid billing, turn-around documents and claims adjustments, including Medicare/Medicaid crossover co-insurance claims.

Biller skills and personality traits

We calculated that 18% of Billers are proficient in Patients, Customer Service, and Data Entry. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Math skills, and Organizational skills.

We break down the percentage of Billers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Patients, 18%

    Review E-charts, Verify patients demographics, personal patient information and insurance information and completion of all required signatures.

  • Customer Service, 10%

    Invoiced customers by organizing and distributing all department paperwork and working with customer service representatives and sales managers.

  • Data Entry, 6%

    Completed heavy data entry, answered phones, filed, faxed and copied documents regarding medical/insurance information while maintaining confidentiality.

  • CPT, 5%

    Review and complete CPT, HCPCS, and ICD-9 coding to medical records for accuracy.

  • Medicaid, 4%

    Spearhead Medicaid related billing and program oversight on behalf of thirteen skilled nursing facilities while maintaining quality, accuracy and timeliness.

  • Patient Accounts, 4%

    Adjust patient accounts regarding electronic and manual payments including any write-off of services.

"patients," "customer service," and "data entry" are among the most common skills that billers use at work. You can find even more biller responsibilities below, including:

Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a biller to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what billers do because "financial clerks should be able to explain policies and procedures to colleagues and customers." Additionally, a biller resume shows how billers use communication skills: "have great customer service and communication skills"

Math skills. Another essential skill to perform biller duties is math skills. Billers responsibilities require that "the job duties of financial clerks includes calculating charges and updating financial records." Billers also use math skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "communicate with branches and program coordinators processing claims, using basic math methods. "

Organizational skills. billers are also known for organizational skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to biller responsibilities, because "financial clerks must be able to arrange files so they can find them quickly and efficiently." A biller resume example shows how organizational skills is used in the workplace: "utilize exceptional organizational skills to compile code and input billing data from various areas of the hospital. "

All biller skills

The three companies that hire the most billers are:

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Compare different billers

Biller vs. Prior authorization specialist

Prior Authorization Specialists are individuals responsible for the entire process of prior authorization for a client. They manage communication between stakeholders of clients, healthcare providers, and insurance companies to request for prior authorizations. Their duties include ensuring complete and updated patient and claim documentation, performing daily billings, auditing accounts for accurate submissions claim, and making sure patient treatment reimbursements are processed effectively. Prior Authorization Specialists also review outstanding accounts and handle reimbursement or billing issues to ensure clean billing claims.

The annual salary of prior authorization specialists is $2,213 lower than the average salary of billers.Even though billers and prior authorization specialists are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require patients, customer service, and data entry in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between billers and prior authorization specialist. For instance, biller responsibilities require skills such as "patient accounts," "medical billing," "math," and "billing process." Whereas a prior authorization specialist is skilled in "medical necessity," "clinical judgment," "medical terminology," and "clinical resource." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Prior authorization specialists tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $34,460. In contrast, billers make the biggest average salary, $42,377, in the manufacturing industry.prior authorization specialists tend to reach similar levels of education than billers. In fact, prior authorization specialists are 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.9% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Biller vs. Authorization specialist

An authorization specialist is responsible for reviewing insurance claims and determining the necessary settlement for the clients and involved parties. Authorization specialists file documents and gather the required information for further investigation and analysis. They coordinate with the insurance agency and the medical institution and ensure that the correct communications are being sent out for reference. An authorization specialist must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in writing authorization requests and resolve claims timely and efficiently.

Authorization specialist positions earn lower pay than biller roles. They earn a $1,815 lower salary than billers per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both billers and authorization specialists have skills such as "patients," "customer service," and "data entry. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that biller responsibilities requires skills like "medical billing," "math," "billing process," and "dmv." But an authorization specialist might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "medical terminology," "veterans," "medical necessity," and "clinical data."

Authorization specialists earn a lower average salary than billers. But authorization specialists earn the highest pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $35,974. Additionally, billers earn the highest salaries in the manufacturing with average pay of $42,377 annually.authorization specialists earn similar levels of education than billers in general. They're 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Biller vs. Patient care specialist

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.

An average patient care specialist eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of billers. The difference in salaries amounts to patient care specialists earning a $4,176 lower average salary than billers.Using the responsibilities included on billers and patient care specialists resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "patients," "customer service," and "data entry.rdquo;

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a biller is likely to be skilled in "math," "appeals," "icd-10," and "billing process," while a typical patient care specialist is skilled in "patient care," "medical terminology," "cpr," and "phone calls."

Patient care specialists earn the highest salary when working in the health care industry, where they receive an average salary of $32,483. Comparatively, billers have the highest earning potential in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $42,377.When it comes to education, patient care specialists tend to earn similar degree levels compared to billers. In fact, they're 2.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Biller vs. Registration specialist

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.

Registration specialists average a lower salary than the annual salary of billers. The difference is about $7,911 per year.According to resumes from billers and registration specialists, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "patients," "customer service," and "data entry. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between billers and registration specialists, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a biller might have more use for skills like "medical billing," "math," "appeals," and "icd-10." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of registration specialists require skills like "medical terminology," "patient registration," "patient care," and "phone calls. "

In general, registration specialists earn the most working in the health care industry, with an average salary of $30,648. The highest-paying industry for a biller is the manufacturing industry.In general, registration specialists hold similar degree levels compared to billers. Registration specialists are 0.5% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of biller

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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