Code clerk vs front office clerk

The differences between code clerks and front office clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a code clerk and a front office clerk. Additionally, a code clerk has an average salary of $34,847, which is higher than the $31,051 average annual salary of a front office clerk.

The top three skills for a code clerk include patients, data entry and CPT. The most important skills for a front office clerk are patients, check-in, and data entry.

Code clerk vs front office clerk overview

	Code Clerk	Front Office Clerk
Yearly salary	$34,847	$31,051
Hourly rate	$16.75	$14.93
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	69,446	163,789
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 31%	Associate Degree, 28%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

Code clerk vs front office clerk salary

Code clerks and front office clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Code Clerk	Front Office Clerk
Average salary	$34,847	$31,051
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $42,000	Between $25,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Limbach
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between code clerk and front office clerk education

There are a few differences between a code clerk and a front office clerk in terms of educational background:

	Code Clerk	Front Office Clerk
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 31%	Associate Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Code clerk vs front office clerk demographics

Here are the differences between code clerks' and front office clerks' demographics:

	Code Clerk	Front Office Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 13.3% Female, 86.7%	Male, 13.9% Female, 86.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 7.6% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 24.3% Asian, 7.0% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between code clerk and front office clerk duties and responsibilities

Code clerk example responsibilities.

Accept and process healthcare claims and confidential medical records; verify patient eligibility and manage the Medicare and Medicaid billing process.
Attend HIPAA and Medicare meetings.
Specialize in submission of Medicaid and Medicare claims to insurance.
File Medicare and Medicaid as well as some private insurance.
Review each record request to ensure HIPPA compliance guidelines are followed.
Code both CPT (HCPCS) and ICD-9 medical codes for patient encounters.

Front office clerk example responsibilities.

Manage front office check-in, insurance verification and certifications from doctors.
Maintain a high knowledge level of regulations on the confidentiality of medical records (HIPAA).
Verify releases of information according to HIPPA regulations.
Maintain confidentiality of patient information; abiding by HIPPA guidelines.
Register all patients per registration protocols, schedule appointments, and provide appointment reminder calls.
Respond to routine technical questions regarding patients' right and responsibilities and medical eligibility for care.

Code clerk vs front office clerk skills

Common code clerk skills

Patients, 24%
Data Entry, 18%
CPT, 8%
EMR, 4%
Medicaid, 4%
Computer System, 4%

Common front office clerk skills

Patients, 34%
Check-In, 8%
Data Entry, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Front Desk, 4%
Appointment Scheduling, 4%