Billing administrator vs account specialist

The differences between billing administrators and account 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 billing administrator, becoming an account specialist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an account specialist has an average salary of $42,586, which is higher than the $39,442 average annual salary of a billing administrator.

The top three skills for a billing administrator include data entry, patients and billing issues. The most important skills for an account specialist are customer service, patients, and account management.

Billing administrator vs account specialist overview

	Billing Administrator	Account Specialist
Yearly salary	$39,442	$42,586
Hourly rate	$18.96	$20.47
Growth rate	-3%	-8%
Number of jobs	71,952	116,010
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	12

What does a billing administrator do?

A billing administrator is primarily in charge of managing the billing and collection procedures of a company. They mostly handle administrative tasks such as gathering and organizing patient information, preparing billing data and invoices, maintaining and updating databases, and keeping an eye for any errors and inconsistencies, taking corrective measures right away. In some industries, a billing administrator must coordinate and submit receipts to insurance companies, answer client inquiries, discuss products and services, and produce regular reports. Moreover, as a billing administrator, it is essential to maintain a clear line of communication with staff for an efficient workflow.

What does an account specialist do?

An account specialist is responsible for reaching out to customers or potential clients through calls, emails, and other forms of correspondence to secure sales and strengthen business relations. An account specialist may also perform other tasks such as arranging appointment schedules with clients, providing price quotes and responding to further inquiries, process orders, generating sales leads, and handling complaints and resolving issues. Furthermore, an account specialist may also be involved in developing strategies, finding new opportunities, producing and completing necessary documents, and preparing reports, all in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.

Billing administrator vs account specialist salary

Billing administrators and account specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Billing Administrator	Account Specialist
Average salary	$39,442	$42,586
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $51,000	Between $28,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Virginia
Best paying company	Buckley King	Microsoft
Best paying industry	Construction	Finance

Differences between billing administrator and account specialist education

There are a few differences between a billing administrator and an account specialist in terms of educational background:

	Billing Administrator	Account Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

Billing administrator vs account specialist demographics

Here are the differences between billing administrators' and account specialists' demographics:

	Billing Administrator	Account Specialist
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 16.7% Female, 83.3%	Male, 32.2% Female, 67.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 7.2% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 3.7% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	8%

Differences between billing administrator and account specialist duties and responsibilities

Billing administrator example responsibilities.

Manage facility procedures relate to insurance and billing and solve patients' queries regarding their insurance renewal and expiry.
Perform coding of inpatient/outpatient office, endoscopy, & pathology services and ensure proper assignment of ICD-9 and CPT codes.
Experience with CMS FISS systems.
Coordinate HCPC and ICD-9 codes for billing.
Reconcile JDE invoicing reports to CMS invoicing reports.
Implement corporate or departmental policies, HIPAA compliance, and service standards in conjunction with clinical and billing.

Account specialist example responsibilities.

Cultivate productive long-term relationships with all assign accounts, and manage all reporting and presentation needs for RFP's.
Manage a portfolio of accounts end to end RFP program execution inclusive of pricing, contracting, process and technology solutions.
Manage the daily correspondence from assign practices with keeping doctor/patient confidentiality under consideration along with HIPPA regulations.
Deliver exceptional customer service to hospital accounts and internal sales representatives in accordance to revenue recognition policies and HIPAA regulations.
Experience with CMS 1500 and UB-04 claims using HCPC/CPT codes as well as NDC codes
Monitor CMS and real time aux codes.

Billing administrator vs account specialist skills

Common billing administrator skills

Data Entry, 12%
Patients, 12%
Billing Issues, 7%
Financial Reports, 4%
Billing System, 4%
Medical Billing, 3%

Common account specialist skills

Customer Service, 25%
Patients, 13%
Account Management, 6%
PowerPoint, 4%
Data Entry, 4%
Catheter, 3%

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Billing Administrator
Billing Administrator vs Account Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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