Medical administrator vs front office administrator

The differences between medical administrators and front office administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a medical administrator, becoming a front office administrator takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a medical administrator has an average salary of $35,713, which is higher than the $33,516 average annual salary of a front office administrator.

The top three skills for a medical administrator include patients, patient care and medical terminology. The most important skills for a front office administrator are patients, front desk, and appointment scheduling.

Medical administrator vs front office administrator overview

	Medical Administrator	Front Office Administrator
Yearly salary	$35,713	$33,516
Hourly rate	$17.17	$16.11
Growth rate	-8%	-5%
Number of jobs	104,510	147,279
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	49	47
Years of experience	2	6

What does a medical administrator do?

A medical administrator is in charge of overseeing a medical facility's daily operations, ensuring the efficiency of all services and processes. Among their responsibilities include setting goals and guidelines, studying the feedback of different parties, gathering and analyzing data to identify areas needing improvement, planning and organizing new services and projects, managing the medical staff, and developing strategies to optimize operations. They may also develop training programs for new and current employees, coordinating with experts in the medical field. Furthermore, as a medical administrator, it is essential to lead the workforce while implementing the hospital's policies and regulations.

What does a front office administrator do?

Front desk administrators work for different industries at the front desk of the front office area. They are responsible mostly for handling calls and transfers these calls to extension/local numbers. They manage booking travel appointments, answering inquiries, doing paperwork, and maintaining a professional image. They greet visitors and attend to visitors' inquiries. In addition, they assist other departments by performing other miscellaneous administrative tasks as required, and they often serve as ushers during client visits. Moreover, this job requires excellent interpersonal skills and good communication skills.

Medical administrator vs front office administrator salary

Medical administrators and front office administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Administrator	Front Office Administrator
Average salary	$35,713	$33,516
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $45,000	Between $27,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Hillsborough, NJ	Lakewood, WA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Washington
Best paying company	W. R. Berkley	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Finance	Non Profits

Differences between medical administrator and front office administrator education

There are a few differences between a medical administrator and a front office administrator in terms of educational background:

	Medical Administrator	Front Office Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	California State University - Bakersfield

Medical administrator vs front office administrator demographics

Here are the differences between medical administrators' and front office administrators' demographics:

	Medical Administrator	Front Office Administrator
Average age	49	47
Gender ratio	Male, 23.0% Female, 77.0%	Male, 9.9% Female, 90.1%
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, 9.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 5.2% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	9%	8%

Differences between medical administrator and front office administrator duties and responsibilities

Medical administrator example responsibilities.

Facilitate client relationships and manage surgery schedules, financial consultations, follow up care and ongoing maintenance.
Maintain a working knowledge and understanding of CPT and ICD-10 codes.
Provide patients with information explaining hospital admission policies, time of admission, and HIPPA privacy guidelines.
Receive and fulfill requests for release of information to patients and external providers following HIPPA guidelines
Attend classes to improve proficiency in billing using CPT and ICD9 codes with special modifiers.
Verify coverage for third-party insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, and out of network benefits.

Front office administrator example responsibilities.

Manage correspondence and documentation for OSHA compliance and hold some accounts payable responsibilities by coding invoices for processing and payment.
Handle day to day transactions, schedule patients, place patients onto traction tables and administer E-Stem/Ice.
Observe and perform patient's therapies such as, electric muscle stimulation, mechanical traction and acupuncture.
Cross train in veterinary technician duties including vaccines, administering medications, medical treatment for kennel and hospitalize patients.
Follow HIPPA protocol for sterilization of rooms/instruments.
Create a neck comparison using patient's cervical x-ray.

Medical administrator vs front office administrator skills

Common medical administrator skills

Patients, 29%
Patient Care, 10%
Medical Terminology, 7%
HIPAA, 6%
CPT, 5%
Medicaid, 5%

Common front office administrator skills

Patients, 21%
Front Desk, 6%
Appointment Scheduling, 6%
Phone Calls, 6%
Excellent Interpersonal, 6%
Data Entry, 5%

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Medical Administrator
Medical Administrator vs Front Office Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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