Billing specialist vs billing administrator

The differences between billing specialists 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 specialist and a billing administrator. Additionally, a billing administrator has an average salary of $39,442, which is higher than the $35,624 average annual salary of a billing specialist.

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

Billing specialist vs billing administrator overview

	Billing Specialist	Billing Administrator
Yearly salary	$35,624	$39,442
Hourly rate	$17.13	$18.96
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	55,205	71,952
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

What does a billing specialist do?

Billing specialists are accounting or finance employees who are responsible for sending out billing invoices to clients. They calculate charges that their clients have incurred. They then write bills, ensure that all details are correct, and send these out to clients. They also manage payment due dates and ensure that clients are duly reminded of such deadlines. Billing specialists also manage client accounts and ensure that they are paying on time. They help identify clients who have outstanding payables and send out collection notices to them. At times, billing specialists also manage the receipt of payments to manage account records better.

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 specialist vs billing administrator salary

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

	Billing Specialist	Billing Administrator
Average salary	$35,624	$39,442
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $45,000	Between $30,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Delaware	New Jersey
Best paying company	TIBCO Software	Buckley King
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Construction

Differences between billing specialist and billing administrator education

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

	Billing Specialist	Billing Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Billing specialist vs billing administrator demographics

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

	Billing Specialist	Billing Administrator
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3%	Male, 16.7% Female, 83.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 7.4% White, 57.3% 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 specialist and billing administrator duties and responsibilities

Billing specialist example responsibilities.

Use of QuickBooks to manage vendors' accounts, set up filing system to maintain files and supporting billing documents.
Manage the daily correspondence with keeping doctor/patient confidentiality under consideration along with HIPPA regulations.
Use independent judgment, manage and impart confidential information appropriately per HIPAA regulations and company requirements.
Accept and process healthcare claims and confidential medical records; verify patient eligibility and manage the Medicare and Medicaid billing process.
Provide additional information/clarification for insurance claims using knowledge of CPT, ICD-9, and HCPCS codes, as well as modifiers.
Assist staff with proper billing for patients, ensure proper coding using ICD-10, ICD-9 and CPT-4 coding.

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 specialist vs billing administrator skills

Common billing specialist skills

Patients, 16%
Customer Service, 10%
Data Entry, 9%
Medical Billing, 7%
Medicaid, 6%
CPT, 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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Billing Specialist
Billing Specialist vs Billing Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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