Credentialing specialist vs medical clerk

The differences between credentialing specialists and medical 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 credentialing specialist and a medical clerk. Additionally, a credentialing specialist has an average salary of $40,899, which is higher than the $32,439 average annual salary of a medical clerk.

The top three skills for a credentialing specialist include patients, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for a medical clerk are patients, medical terminology, and data entry.

Credentialing specialist vs medical clerk overview

	Credentialing Specialist	Medical Clerk
Yearly salary	$40,899	$32,439
Hourly rate	$19.66	$15.60
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	68,021	166,322
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 26%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	2	2

What does a credentialing specialist do?

Credentialing specialists are employed by healthcare organizations, primarily to make sure that medical personnel and health facilities maintain compliance with regulations. They keep a record of the medical practitioner's credentials and make sure that their licenses are updated and issued legally for their specialty. They have to inform the medical staff of the upcoming renewal dates of their license and advise them on how to keep their credentials updated. Potential new employees are also monitored and screened for their current and required licenses before getting hired. Applicants for this job must have excellent knowledge and understanding of health information management. They must also work on maintaining licensure and credentials while applying the governing rules and standards.

What does a medical clerk do?

A medical clerk works in the administrative area of a medical facility or hospital. The medical clerk collects all patient information and medical records. The clerk also does all the clinic or hospital paperwork and generates reports of all transactions that transpired in a day's work. The medical clerk also processes admission and discharge papers, medical charts, properly file and safeguard all patient records and secure them from unauthorized access. The medical clerk is expected to be highly organized, capable of handling pressure, and has good communication skills.

Credentialing specialist vs medical clerk salary

Credentialing specialists and medical clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Credentialing Specialist	Medical Clerk
Average salary	$40,899	$32,439
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $57,000	Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Maine	Minnesota
Best paying company	Hawaii Pacific Health	Brinks Gilson
Best paying industry	Insurance	Government

Differences between credentialing specialist and medical clerk education

There are a few differences between a credentialing specialist and a medical clerk in terms of educational background:

	Credentialing Specialist	Medical Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 26%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Credentialing specialist vs medical clerk demographics

Here are the differences between credentialing specialists' and medical clerks' demographics:

	Credentialing Specialist	Medical Clerk
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 14.5% Female, 85.5%	Male, 15.5% Female, 84.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between credentialing specialist and medical clerk duties and responsibilities

Credentialing specialist example responsibilities.

Establish rapport with all PCP offices, hospital personnel, and manage care representatives.
Manage and administer the programs CME accredit education programs/Conferences.
Ensure enrollment and participation with all organization contract managed care plans and perform Medicaid/Medicare provider enrollment.
Process and manage all requests and applications for CME certification and supervise activities relate to credentialing process.
Perform spot claims audits to ensure CMS compliance with ICD-9, HCPCS, CPT, and other requirements.
Maintain and track data for OPPE and FPPE according to hospital policy and regulatory requirements.

Medical clerk example responsibilities.

Evaluate all EOB's to insure accurate payment is received and when necessary will file appeals to achieve optimal payments.
Follow HIPPA patient confidentiality guidelines making patients or facility have filled proper forms to release records.
File results of laboratory tests, x-rays, EKG's, etc., in patients records.
Respond and resolve patient inquiries with compassion and patience.
Prepare request for EKG tests, eye examinations, audio and dental records.
Enter deficiencies into MediTech program.

Credentialing specialist vs medical clerk skills

Common credentialing specialist skills

Patients, 10%
Customer Service, 8%
Data Entry, 6%
Primary Source Verification, 5%
NCQA, 5%
CAQH, 4%

Common medical clerk skills

Patients, 32%
Medical Terminology, 6%
Data Entry, 6%
Phone Calls, 5%
Patient Care, 4%
Telephone Calls, 3%

Credentialing Specialist vs. similar jobs

Credentialing Specialist related careers

Credentialing Specialist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Credentialing Specialist
Credentialing Specialist vs Medical Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs