Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between cancer registrars and reimbursement specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a cancer registrar and a reimbursement specialist. Additionally, a cancer registrar has an average salary of $49,393, which is higher than the $38,273 average annual salary of a reimbursement specialist.
The top three skills for a cancer registrar include patients, CTR and medical terminology. The most important skills for a reimbursement specialist are patients, customer service, and appeals.
| Cancer Registrar | Reimbursement Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $49,393 | $38,273 |
| Hourly rate | $23.75 | $18.40 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 11,722 | 32,292 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Cancer registrars collect and report data related to cancer. They gather information like the history, treatment used, diagnosis, and current status of cancer patients. The data collected will be used by cancer treatment facilities, healthcare workers, researchers, and several others to improve the knowledge that every health care department have and to increase the chances of survival of cancer patients. Some of the basic skills that a cancer registrar should have are analytical skills, detail orientation, and critical thinking skills to make sure that all data gathered are documented and stored in a safe place.
A reimbursement specialist is responsible for analyzing insurance documents, processing reimbursement claims, and releasing accurate billing statements for insurance claims. Reimbursement specialists must have excellent analytical skills, especially on performing clerical tasks to evaluate insurance cases, investigate cases, and update the account information of the clients on the database. They should also have impeccable communication skills and understanding of the insurance processes to be able to coordinate with the clients, explaining the procedures of their claims accurately, and coordinate with the insurance management to improve the claims processes.
Cancer registrars and reimbursement specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cancer Registrar | Reimbursement Specialist | |
| Average salary | $49,393 | $38,273 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $72,000 | Between $29,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Lynchburg, VA |
| Highest paying state | - | Virginia |
| Best paying company | - | Novartis |
| Best paying industry | - | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a cancer registrar and a reimbursement specialist in terms of educational background:
| Cancer Registrar | Reimbursement Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Health Care Administration | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between cancer registrars' and reimbursement specialists' demographics:
| Cancer Registrar | Reimbursement Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 7.8% Female, 92.2% | Male, 15.2% Female, 84.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 8.7% White, 58.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 8.1% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |