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What does a claims associate do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
What does a claims associate do

Claims associates control claims for insurance companies. Their job duties include determining a customer's insurance coverage and evaluating those who have filed a claim. Also, they must make sure that a claim is analyzed correctly for the clients to receive their entitled financial settlement. The work may require the agent to travel to generate information about the claim and may vary from a different position in the insurance industry. Qualifications for the job include an associate degree, excellent interpersonal and research skills as well as relevant experience in customer service.

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Claims associate responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real claims associate resumes:

  • Investigate, evaluate, and manage call to complete coverage analysis confirming or denying coverage using Xactimate estimating software.
  • Obtain vehicle information from the DMV.
  • Follow HIPAA policy on each and every call.
  • Abided by the laws and regulations associate under HIPAA and patient confidentiality.
  • Receive recognition for creating a workflow and database for all incoming subpoenas.
  • Assist in training new CSA s on job responsibilities, which increase office productivity.
  • Ensure compliance with company regulations and Medicaid requirements.
  • Coordinate Medicare, Medicaid, and secondary insurance coverage.
  • Gather and compile evidence to support contest claims in litigation.
  • Review automobile titles, completing transfers and owner retention DMV documents with customers
  • Conduct detail bill reviews to implement sound litigation management and expense control.
  • Identify claims for potential fraud and abuse and process expedited appeals and organizational determinations
  • Devise creative and cost-effective incentive and morale-boosting programs that increase CSA satisfaction and productivity.
  • Execute effective and efficient claim dispute resolutions in regard to provider and facility appeals.
  • Assist veterans and their dependents in determining eligibility for VA benefits via phone contact and personal interview.

Claims associate skills and personality traits

We calculated that 14% of Claims Associates are proficient in Customer Service, Medical Claims, and Phone Calls. They’re also known for soft skills such as Organizational skills, Math skills, and Communication skills.

We break down the percentage of Claims Associates that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Customer Service, 14%

    Awarded company based certifications in anatomy, medical terminology, claims resolution, customer service, and customer conflict resolution.

  • Medical Claims, 8%

    Process incoming medical claims from providers*Responded and acted upon verbal and written requests with thorough follow-up leading to resolution.

  • Phone Calls, 8%

    Responded to priority telephone calls courteously and professionally and maintained appropriate documentation of phone inquiries.

  • Claims Handling, 7%

    Demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of property and casualty claims handling.

  • Insurance Claims, 6%

    Dedicated dual skilled insurance professional with experience in investigating and processing automobile and home insurance claims.

  • Medical Terminology, 5%

    Directed walk-in assistance for one-on-one interaction with customers while utilizing medical terminology.

Most claims associates use their skills in "customer service," "medical claims," and "phone calls" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential claims associate responsibilities here:

Organizational skills. One of the key soft skills for a claims associate to have is organizational skills. You can see how this relates to what claims associates do because "financial clerks must be able to arrange files so they can find them quickly and efficiently." Additionally, a claims associate resume shows how claims associates use organizational skills: "full understanding of benefits coordination verification of coding and keying of claims effective customer service, organizational and presentation skills. "

Math skills. Many claims associate duties rely on math skills. "the job duties of financial clerks includes calculating charges and updating financial records.," so a claims associate will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways claims associate responsibilities rely on math skills: "keep inventory accurate skills used strong communication skills, customer service skills and basic math skills"

Communication skills. claims associates are also known for communication skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to claims associate responsibilities, because "financial clerks should be able to explain policies and procedures to colleagues and customers." A claims associate resume example shows how communication skills is used in the workplace: "researched telecommunications insurance claims for fraud prevention. "

Most common claims associate skills

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Compare different claims associates

Claims associate vs. Insurance biller

An insurance biller is responsible for making daily reviews and processing documents concerning the insurance payment and bills of a client. They assess if all requirements are correct and complete, obtain different referrals and authorization papers, and prepare and transmit document claims using a particular software. Also, they do follow ups regarding unpaid claims and update spreadsheets for record purposes.

The annual salary of insurance billers is $736 lower than the average salary of claims associates.Even though claims associates and insurance billers are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require medical claims, insurance claims, and medical terminology in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, claims associate responsibilities require skills like "taking care," "customer service," "phone calls," and "claims handling." Meanwhile a typical insurance biller has skills in areas such as "patients," "cpt," "medi-cal," and "data entry." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

On average, insurance billers reach similar levels of education than claims associates. Insurance billers are 2.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Claims associate vs. Insurance clerk

An insurance clerk usually works to process insurance, reinstatement, changes, or cancellations for a company or an individual account. They are responsible for monitoring, processing, and organizing different insurance claims for a client. They usually work closely with the company's insurance agent to provide necessary information to process the clients' application. This career requires a broad knowledge of local and state insurance policies, good attention to detail, excellent communication skills, customer service skills, and administrative skills.

A career as a insurance clerk brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a claims associate. In fact, insurance clerks salary is $3,469 lower than the salary of claims associates per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both claims associates and insurance clerks have skills such as "customer service," "medical terminology," and "telephone calls. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that claims associate responsibilities requires skills like "taking care," "medical claims," "phone calls," and "claims handling." But an insurance clerk might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "patients," "insurance verification," "data entry," and "insurance coverage."

On average, insurance clerks earn a lower salary than claims associates. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, insurance clerks earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $33,939. Whereas claims associates have higher pay in the insurance industry, with an average salary of $36,073.In general, insurance clerks achieve similar levels of education than claims associates. They're 2.0% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Claims associate vs. Insurance coordinator

An insurance coordinator is responsible for evaluating and validating insurance information to verify claims and process the necessary claims resolutions for parties. Insurance coordinators submit claims statements timely to the insurance officers for review, coordinate with the clients for inquiries and updates, and reach out to medical institutions for accurate filing of payments. An insurance coordinator must have excellent communication and analytical skills to assess reports, resolve claims discrepancies, and escalate high-level complaints to the officers for immediate action.

On average, insurance coordinators earn lower salaries than claims associates, with a $3,770 difference per year.Using the responsibilities included on claims associates and insurance coordinators resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "customer service," "medical claims," and "insurance claims.rdquo;

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a claims associate is likely to be skilled in "taking care," "phone calls," "claims handling," and "inbound calls," while a typical insurance coordinator is skilled in "patients," "insurance verification," "strong customer service," and "insurance eligibility."

Insurance coordinators earn the highest salary when working in the pharmaceutical industry, where they receive an average salary of $33,609. Comparatively, claims associates have the highest earning potential in the insurance industry, with an average salary of $36,073.When it comes to education, insurance coordinators tend to earn similar degree levels compared to claims associates. In fact, they're 0.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Claims associate vs. Social insurance administrator

Social insurance administrators typically earn lower pay than claims associates. On average, social insurance administrators earn a $342 lower salary per year.According to resumes from claims associates and social insurance administrators, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "medical claims," "insurance claims," and "inbound calls. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "taking care," "customer service," "phone calls," and "claims handling" are skills that commonly show up on claims associate resumes. On the other hand, social insurance administrators use skills like patients, insurance benefits, medical necessity, and life insurance on their resumes.The average resume of social insurance administrators showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to claims associates. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 1.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.3%.

Types of claims associate

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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