Billing associate vs cash application specialist

The differences between billing associates and cash application 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 associate, becoming a cash application specialist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a cash application specialist has an average salary of $37,558, 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 cash application specialist are customer service, cash application, and patients.

Billing associate vs cash application specialist overview

	Billing Associate	Cash Application Specialist
Yearly salary	$34,612	$37,558
Hourly rate	$16.64	$18.06
Growth rate	-3%	-5%
Number of jobs	23,835	63,925
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	46	51
Years of experience	2	6

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 cash application specialist do?

Cash Application Specialists handle a variety of tasks related to company finances. They manage the organization of the company's financial records and oversee the overall cash inflow. They may also be assigned to handle payment collection, preparation of invoices, and receipts' issuance. They manage their relationship with their counterparts in client organizations to ensure a harmonious work relationship. This will help them follow up payments, communicate better, and resolve any concerns. Cash application specialists are also in charge of updating client records and ensuring that clients' payments are accurate. They also process refunds and facilitate other financial transactions.

Billing associate vs cash application specialist salary

Billing associates and cash application specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Billing Associate	Cash Application Specialist
Average salary	$34,612	$37,558
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $42,000	Between $29,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Washington	Delaware
Best paying company	Huron Consulting Group	Datamatics
Best paying industry	Technology	Transportation

Differences between billing associate and cash application specialist education

There are a few differences between a billing associate and a cash application specialist in terms of educational background:

	Billing Associate	Cash Application Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Billing associate vs cash application specialist demographics

Here are the differences between billing associates' and cash application specialists' demographics:

	Billing Associate	Cash Application Specialist
Average age	46	51
Gender ratio	Male, 20.6% Female, 79.4%	Male, 19.3% Female, 80.7%
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, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between billing associate and cash application specialist 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.

Cash application specialist example responsibilities.

Manage documents for staff collaboration and training in SharePoint.
Work with private, work comp, auto, Medicare and Medicaid insurance companies as well as other payers.
Post daily payments including checks, wires, and automate clearing house (ACH) credit transfers to customer accounts.
Run weekly GL and TB reports.
Contact commercial and Medicaid payers regarding payment issues.
Process non-sufficient funds (NSF) /Chargeback documentation.

Billing associate vs cash application specialist skills

Common billing associate skills

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

Common cash application specialist skills

Customer Service, 14%
Cash Application, 8%
Patients, 6%
Data Entry, 6%
ACH, 5%
Customer Accounts, 5%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Billing Associate
Billing Associate vs Cash Application Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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