Medical administrator vs medical receptionist

The differences between medical administrators and medical receptionists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a medical administrator and a medical receptionist. Additionally, a medical administrator has an average salary of $35,713, which is higher than the $31,960 average annual salary of a medical receptionist.

The top three skills for a medical administrator include patients, patient care and medical terminology. The most important skills for a medical receptionist are patients, customer service, and check-in.

Medical administrator vs medical receptionist overview

	Medical Administrator	Medical Receptionist
Yearly salary	$35,713	$31,960
Hourly rate	$17.17	$15.37
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	104,510	118,048
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Associate Degree, 28%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	2	2

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 medical receptionist do?

Medical receptionists are responsible for manning the front desk at a medical facility such as a clinic or a hospital. They manage schedules and appointments in the clinic or hospital. They help patients to their respective appointments. They also assist doctors, nurses, and other medical practitioners by ensuring that the schedule for the day is being followed. They are also in charge of assisting visitors by directing them wherever they would need to go. Medical receptionists also answer inquiries by patients or visitors. Medical knowledge, great customer service skills, and a friendly attitude are needed.

Medical administrator vs medical receptionist salary

Medical administrators and medical receptionists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Administrator	Medical Receptionist
Average salary	$35,713	$31,960
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $45,000	Between $26,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Hillsborough, NJ	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Maine
Best paying company	W. R. Berkley	CENTER FOR SIGHT
Best paying industry	Finance	Health Care

Differences between medical administrator and medical receptionist education

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

	Medical Administrator	Medical Receptionist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Associate Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Health Care Administration
Most common college	-	-

Medical administrator vs medical receptionist demographics

Here are the differences between medical administrators' and medical receptionists' demographics:

	Medical Administrator	Medical Receptionist
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 23.0% Female, 77.0%	Male, 5.2% Female, 94.8%
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 medical administrator and medical receptionist 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.

Medical receptionist example responsibilities.

Conduct analysis to address long wait times which lead to faster triage, shorter wait times.
Evaluate all EOB's to insure accurate payment is received and when necessary will file appeals to achieve optimal payments.
Greet and check-in patients, including obtaining accurate patient demographic information, patient registration, and checking insurance eligibility.
Learned and operate chiropractic equipment (decompression; Leander) & x-rays; enabling Dr to have more time for patients.
Resolve concerns of terminally ill patients with compassion and professionalism.
Identify patients' specific scheduling requirements while demonstrating care and compassion via telephone.

Medical administrator vs medical receptionist skills

Common medical administrator skills

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

Common medical receptionist skills

Patients, 30%
Customer Service, 9%
Check-In, 6%
Medical Terminology, 6%
Patient Care, 4%
Front Desk, 4%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Medical Administrator
Medical Administrator vs Medical Receptionist

Updated January 8, 2025

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