Health unit clerk vs medical clerk

The differences between health unit clerks and medical 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 health unit clerk, becoming a medical clerk takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a medical clerk has an average salary of $32,439, which is higher than the $31,986 average annual salary of a health unit clerk.

The top three skills for a health unit clerk include patients, patient care and medical terminology. The most important skills for a medical clerk are patients, medical terminology, and data entry.

Health unit clerk vs medical clerk overview

	Health Unit Clerk	Medical Clerk
Yearly salary	$31,986	$32,439
Hourly rate	$15.38	$15.60
Growth rate	11%	-8%
Number of jobs	130,920	166,322
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 26%
Average age	45	49
Years of experience	12	2

Health unit clerk vs medical clerk salary

Health unit clerks and medical clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Health Unit Clerk	Medical Clerk
Average salary	$31,986	$32,439
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Minnesota
Best paying company	-	Brinks Gilson
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between health unit clerk and medical clerk education

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

	Health Unit Clerk	Medical Clerk
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 26%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

Health unit clerk vs medical clerk demographics

Here are the differences between health unit clerks' and medical clerks' demographics:

	Health Unit Clerk	Medical Clerk
Average age	45	49
Gender ratio	Male, 12.2% Female, 87.8%	Male, 15.5% Female, 84.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 8.0% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	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 health unit clerk and medical clerk duties and responsibilities

Health unit clerk example responsibilities.

Manage inpatient transfers to rehabilitation and medical facilities, along with preparing and monitoring outpatient billings insurance verification and referrals.
Perform debt collections, copy and file medical information, and administer affidavits and subpoenas on patient orders.
Organize, analyze and technically evaluate inpatient and outpatient medical records for physician completeness according to hospital bylaws and JCAHO standards.
Safeguard patient information according to the HIPPA policy.
Remain up to date on HIPPA regulations and utilize them to obtain inmate medical records from outside providers.
Comply with the rule and regulations of HIPAA.

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.

Health unit clerk vs medical clerk skills

Common health unit clerk skills

Patients, 29%
Patient Care, 19%
Medical Terminology, 13%
CPR, 7%
Data Entry, 5%
Computer Programs, 3%

Common medical clerk skills

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

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Health Unit Clerk
Health Unit Clerk vs Medical Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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