Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between claims support specialists and claims clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a claims support specialist, becoming a claims clerk takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a claims support specialist has an average salary of $37,033, which is higher than the $32,815 average annual salary of a claims clerk.
The top three skills for a claims support specialist include data entry, dictation and claims support. The most important skills for a claims clerk are data entry, customer service, and clerical support.
| Claims Support Specialist | Claims Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $37,033 | $32,815 |
| Hourly rate | $17.80 | $15.78 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 120,650 | 78,588 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 31% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
Claims support specialists are the ones who make sure that the right amount of reimbursement rates is paid based on their client's contracts. Their job includes processing medical record requests and reviewing the secondary and tertiary claims for legitimacy. Working with physician and billing office employees to find resolutions for outstanding claim issues is a part of their responsibilities as claim support specialists. They also make follow up calls about unprocessed or denied insurance claims. And having good communication skills and knowledge in healthcare receivables and collections will help them succeed.
Claims clerks review the forms and documents for insurance claims to check for missing information and attachments. The data they obtain is entered into their database for safekeeping and quick retrieval. They should know the answers to their clients' questions about the regulations, policies, and procedures covered by their insurance policy. These clerks prepare documents that their agents use to present to their clients. When working for this position, a person must have the ability to communicate well and be familiar with computer applications.
Claims support specialists and claims clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Claims Support Specialist | Claims Clerk | |
| Average salary | $37,033 | $32,815 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $47,000 | Between $27,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Rancho Cordova, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | - |
| Best paying company | W. R. Berkley | - |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | - |
There are a few differences between a claims support specialist and a claims clerk in terms of educational background:
| Claims Support Specialist | Claims Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 31% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between claims support specialists' and claims clerks' demographics:
| Claims Support Specialist | Claims Clerk | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 22.3% Female, 77.7% | Male, 17.5% Female, 82.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 6.8% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 13.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 3.9% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 11% |