Medical billing and coding externship vs registration specialist

The differences between medical billing and coding externships and registration specialists 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 billing and coding externship, becoming a registration specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a medical billing and coding externship has an average salary of $36,112, which is higher than the $30,422 average annual salary of a registration specialist.

The top three skills for a medical billing and coding externship include patients, insurance eligibility and data entry. The most important skills for a registration specialist are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.

Medical billing and coding externship vs registration specialist overview

	Medical Billing And Coding Externship	Registration Specialist
Yearly salary	$36,112	$30,422
Hourly rate	$17.36	$14.63
Growth rate	-3%	-4%
Number of jobs	98,089	79,118
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Diploma, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	46	40
Years of experience	2	4

Medical billing and coding externship vs registration specialist salary

Medical billing and coding externships and registration specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Billing And Coding Externship	Registration Specialist
Average salary	$36,112	$30,422
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $42,000	Between $23,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Deloitte
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between medical billing and coding externship and registration specialist education

There are a few differences between a medical billing and coding externship and a registration specialist in terms of educational background:

	Medical Billing And Coding Externship	Registration Specialist
Most common degree	Diploma, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	Boston University	University of Pennsylvania

Medical billing and coding externship vs registration specialist demographics

Here are the differences between medical billing and coding externships' and registration specialists' demographics:

	Medical Billing And Coding Externship	Registration Specialist
Average age	46	40
Gender ratio	Male, 11.8% Female, 88.2%	Male, 14.5% Female, 85.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 6.8% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 6.0% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between medical billing and coding externship and registration specialist duties and responsibilities

Medical billing and coding externship example responsibilities.

Manage chart completion (ICD-9-CM and CPT coding/abstracting), chart assembly and analysis, patient admission and patient information privacy/security.
Verify correct ICD-10 and CPT codes for a variety of specialties.
Review physicians' appointment notes to determine appropriate ICD-9 and HCPCS code for the medical service render.
Identify and code the principal diagnosis and procedures using ICD-9-CM and CPT-4 codes to each patient's medical records
Perform billing and collection procedures, utilize CPT-4 and ICD-9 coding, insurance claim preparation, processing and follow-ups.
Resolve and research of insurance denials, rejections, providing correction of claims, involving CPT and HCPCS codes.

Registration specialist example responsibilities.

Attain and authenticate patient insurance information, counsel patients on changes in insurance policies, verify patient demographics.
Help patients through the registration and admitting processes and also contribute to the PBX department.
Input data entries for insurance billing; adding CPT codes and diagnosis from face sheets as patients arrive.
Act as hospital PBX operator.
Complete all charge entry, enter all CPT and ICD-9 codes for billing for multiple doctors each day.
Enter patient information and verify information according to HIPAA regulations.

Medical billing and coding externship vs registration specialist skills

Common medical billing and coding externship skills

Patients, 23%
Insurance Eligibility, 6%
Data Entry, 5%
EOB, 5%
Insurance Verification, 4%
CPT-4, 3%

Common registration specialist skills

Patients, 25%
Customer Service, 14%
Medical Terminology, 8%
Patient Registration, 5%
Insurance Verification, 4%
Data Entry, 4%

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Medical Billing And Coding Externship vs Registration Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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