Health care administrator vs medical records clerk

The differences between health care administrators and medical records clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a health care administrator and a medical records clerk. Additionally, a health care administrator has an average salary of $68,187, which is higher than the $32,491 average annual salary of a medical records clerk.

The top three skills for a health care administrator include patients, patient care and health care services. The most important skills for a medical records clerk are patients, customer service, and data entry.

Health care administrator vs medical records clerk overview

	Health Care Administrator	Medical Records Clerk
Yearly salary	$68,187	$32,491
Hourly rate	$32.78	$15.62
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	161,949	129,998
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Associate Degree, 29%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	12	12

What does a health care administrator do?

A health care administrator is primarily in charge of overseeing the daily administrative operations of medical and health care facilities. They are responsible for setting objectives, establishing guidelines and employee schedules, maintaining accurate records, gathering and analyzing data, developing strategies to optimize operations, and coordinating with nurses, physicians, patients, and other health care experts. Moreover, as a health care administrator, it is essential to address and resolve issues and concerns, implement the facility's policies and regulations, and ensure that procedures comply with health care laws and standards.

What does a medical records clerk do?

Medical records clerks are employees in hospitals or clinics who manage office records. They are in charge of creating, updating, and filing patient-related medical records and other related documents. They ensure that all documents are correctly filled out and labeled before storing them safely in their respective storage areas. They may also be in charge of digitizing forms for easier access to files and back up purposes. They ensure that medical records are exact and updated. Medical records clerks should be organized and must always be on top of all tasks related to patient or medical records.

Health care administrator vs medical records clerk salary

Health care administrators and medical records clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Health Care Administrator	Medical Records Clerk
Average salary	$68,187	$32,491
Salary range	Between $48,000 And $95,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Sacramento, CA	Rochester, NY
Highest paying state	Nevada	Alaska
Best paying company	One Brooklyn Health	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Professional	Health Care

Differences between health care administrator and medical records clerk education

There are a few differences between a health care administrator and a medical records clerk in terms of educational background:

	Health Care Administrator	Medical Records Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Associate Degree, 29%
Most common major	Nursing	Health Care Administration
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Health care administrator vs medical records clerk demographics

Here are the differences between health care administrators' and medical records clerks' demographics:

	Health Care Administrator	Medical Records Clerk
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7%	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 8.5% White, 60.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 7.8% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between health care administrator and medical records clerk duties and responsibilities

Health care administrator example responsibilities.

Research and resolve recipients complaints relate to Medicaid service limitations, accessibility of MediPass manage services and provider treatment of recipients.
Interview prospective adopters and communicate the pet's needs.
Design training for EMR implementation for staff and medical providers.
Oversee pet care technician staff and report issues to management.
Utilize electronic medical records (EMR) technology for military members.
Supervise the maintenance and safeguarding of medical records and compliance with HIPAA regulations.

Medical records clerk example responsibilities.

Manage transition from in-house transcription system to outsource transcription service.
Manage front office check-in, insurance verification and certifications from doctors.
Accept and process healthcare claims and confidential medical records; verify patient eligibility and manage the Medicare and Medicaid billing process.
Perform infant labs and update the system with results, triage incoming patients, perform necessary resuscitation to baby and mom.
Provide information to medical facilities and patients when necessary and respond to subpoenas and other general release of patient information.
Experience in CPT and ICD-10 coding.

Health care administrator vs medical records clerk skills

Common health care administrator skills

Patients, 26%
Patient Care, 9%
Health Care Services, 6%
Home Health, 6%
Mental Health, 6%
Vital Signs, 4%

Common medical records clerk skills

Patients, 27%
Customer Service, 9%
Data Entry, 7%
Medical Terminology, 6%
HIPAA, 5%
Patient Care, 4%

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Health Care Administrator vs Medical Records Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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