Billing administrator vs medical billing clerk

The differences between billing administrators and medical billing clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a billing administrator and a medical billing clerk. Additionally, a billing administrator has an average salary of $39,442, which is higher than the $33,566 average annual salary of a medical billing clerk.

The top three skills for a billing administrator include data entry, patients and billing issues. The most important skills for a medical billing clerk are patients, medical billing, and healthcare.

Billing administrator vs medical billing clerk overview

	Billing Administrator	Medical Billing Clerk
Yearly salary	$39,442	$33,566
Hourly rate	$18.96	$16.14
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	71,952	164,870
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Associate Degree, 30%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

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 a medical billing clerk do?

A medical billing clerk is primarily in charge of processing payments and creating billing arrangements in clinics and hospitals. Among their responsibilities include gathering and verifying patient identification, handling insurance information, coding, updating databases, and maintaining records. It is also their responsibility to assist patients by filling out forms, answering their inquiries, and referring them to other services. Moreover, a medical billing clerk must monitor patient accounts and follow-up on delinquent patient accounts, coordinating with collection agencies as needed.

Billing administrator vs medical billing clerk salary

Billing administrators and medical billing clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Billing Administrator	Medical Billing Clerk
Average salary	$39,442	$33,566
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $51,000	Between $27,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	San Leandro, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Washington
Best paying company	Buckley King	iCare
Best paying industry	Construction	Health Care

Differences between billing administrator and medical billing clerk education

There are a few differences between a billing administrator and a medical billing clerk in terms of educational background:

	Billing Administrator	Medical Billing Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Associate Degree, 30%
Most common major	Business	Health Care Administration
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Billing administrator vs medical billing clerk demographics

Here are the differences between billing administrators' and medical billing clerks' demographics:

	Billing Administrator	Medical Billing Clerk
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 16.7% Female, 83.3%	Male, 11.3% Female, 88.7%
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, 10.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.9% Asian, 6.8% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between billing administrator and medical billing clerk 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.

Medical billing clerk example responsibilities.

Accept and process healthcare claims and confidential medical records; verify patient eligibility and manage the Medicare and Medicaid billing process.
Interact with patients as part of the quality assurance process (follow-up, EHR confirmation, billing confirmation).
Reconcile insurance and patient payments while researching and resolving incorrect payments, EOB rejections, and assort issues with outstanding accounts.
Utilize medical terminology and follow HIPAA guidelines.
Bill Magellan through Nextgen system.
Double checked CMS-1500 form before posting it out to the insurance companies.

Billing administrator vs medical billing clerk skills

Common billing administrator skills

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

Common medical billing clerk skills

Patients, 18%
Medical Billing, 10%
Healthcare, 7%
Data Entry, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Medicaid, 5%

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Billing Administrator
Billing Administrator vs Medical Billing Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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