Billing associate vs billing administrator

The differences between billing associates and billing administrators 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 associate and a billing administrator. Additionally, a billing administrator has an average salary of $39,442, which is higher than the $34,612 average annual salary of a billing associate.

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

Billing associate vs billing administrator overview

	Billing Associate	Billing Administrator
Yearly salary	$34,612	$39,442
Hourly rate	$16.64	$18.96
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	23,835	71,952
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

What does a billing associate do?

A billing associate is responsible for processing payments and invoices for customers and ensuring accurate financial reports for auditing purposes. Billing associates utilize the business' accounting systems to monitor billing transactions and resolve account discrepancies accordingly. They also update customer records in the database, post payments timely, and escalate outstanding bills to the supervisor for resolution. A billing associate reaches out to the clients and customers for payment responsibility and respond to the inquiries and concerns they may have.

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.

Billing associate vs billing administrator salary

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

	Billing Associate	Billing Administrator
Average salary	$34,612	$39,442
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $42,000	Between $30,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Washington	New Jersey
Best paying company	Huron Consulting Group	Buckley King
Best paying industry	Technology	Construction

Differences between billing associate and billing administrator education

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

	Billing Associate	Billing Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Billing associate vs billing administrator demographics

Here are the differences between billing associates' and billing administrators' demographics:

	Billing Associate	Billing Administrator
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 20.6% Female, 79.4%	Male, 16.7% Female, 83.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 7.6% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between billing associate and billing administrator duties and responsibilities

Billing associate example responsibilities.

Manage the submission and reimbursement of claims bill to insurance companies using ICD-9 coding.
Accept and process healthcare claims and confidential medical records; verify patient eligibility and manage the Medicare and Medicaid billing process.
Verify correct ICD-9 and CPT codes for a variety of specialties submission of electronic claims to clearinghouse.
Ensure appropriate medical terminology and HIPAA compliance for all claims entry/online submissions, payment posting, insurance and patient aging.
Help office transition from patient charts to new EMR system.
Scan in all documents to EMR routing reports and labs to ordering physicians.

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.

Billing associate vs billing administrator skills

Common billing associate skills

Patients, 15%
Customer Service, 12%
Data Entry, 11%
Medical Billing, 5%
Insurance Billing, 3%
Billing Inquiries, 3%

Common billing administrator skills

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

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Office and Administrative Industry
Billing Associate
Billing Associate vs Billing Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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