Medical billing clerk vs customer service and billing

The differences between medical billing clerks and customer service and billings 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 clerk, becoming a customer service and billing takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a medical billing clerk has an average salary of $33,566, which is higher than the $32,444 average annual salary of a customer service and billing.

The top three skills for a medical billing clerk include patients, medical billing and healthcare. The most important skills for a customer service and billing are strong customer service, patients, and data entry.

Medical billing clerk vs customer service and billing overview

	Medical Billing Clerk	Customer Service And Billing
Yearly salary	$33,566	$32,444
Hourly rate	$16.14	$15.60
Growth rate	-3%	-4%
Number of jobs	164,870	205,689
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 30%	Associate Degree, 27%
Average age	46	40
Years of experience	2	12

What does a medical billing clerk do?

A medical billing clerk is primarily in charge of processing payments and creating billing arrangements in clinics and hospitals. Among their responsibilities include gathering and verifying patient identification, handling insurance information, coding, updating databases, and maintaining records. It is also their responsibility to assist patients by filling out forms, answering their inquiries, and referring them to other services. Moreover, a medical billing clerk must monitor patient accounts and follow-up on delinquent patient accounts, coordinating with collection agencies as needed.

What does a customer service and billing do?

A customer service and billing worker primarily assists customers when it comes to billing matters. They answer calls or correspondence from customers to identify their needs, respond to inquiries, discuss product or service specifications, manage billing arrangements, provide price quotes, and offer other services. They may also arrange appointments, process refunds, and solve issues and concerns, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. Additionally, customer service and billing maintains records of all transactions and reports to managers regularly.

Medical billing clerk vs customer service and billing salary

Medical billing clerks and customer service and billings have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Billing Clerk	Customer Service And Billing
Average salary	$33,566	$32,444
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $40,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	San Leandro, CA	Vancouver, WA
Highest paying state	Washington	New Hampshire
Best paying company	iCare	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Health Care	Utilities

Differences between medical billing clerk and customer service and billing education

There are a few differences between a medical billing clerk and a customer service and billing in terms of educational background:

	Medical Billing Clerk	Customer Service And Billing
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 30%	Associate Degree, 27%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	-

Medical billing clerk vs customer service and billing demographics

Here are the differences between medical billing clerks' and customer service and billings' demographics:

	Medical Billing Clerk	Customer Service And Billing
Average age	46	40
Gender ratio	Male, 11.3% Female, 88.7%	Male, 22.0% Female, 78.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.9% Asian, 6.8% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 6.0% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between medical billing clerk and customer service and billing duties and responsibilities

Medical billing clerk example responsibilities.

Accept and process healthcare claims and confidential medical records; verify patient eligibility and manage the Medicare and Medicaid billing process.
Interact with patients as part of the quality assurance process (follow-up, EHR confirmation, billing confirmation).
Reconcile insurance and patient payments while researching and resolving incorrect payments, EOB rejections, and assort issues with outstanding accounts.
Utilize medical terminology and follow HIPAA guidelines.
Bill Magellan through Nextgen system.
Double checked CMS-1500 form before posting it out to the insurance companies.

Customer service and billing example responsibilities.

Manage daily payroll preparation and enter data into cumulative payroll system.
Manage all billing accounts including Medicare/Medicaid, HMO and individual accounts.
Help troubleshoot various operating systems and set up email accounts.
Verify eligibility through all payer sites and used the EMR system.
Listen in detail customers requests and troubleshoot any issues they are having.
Prepare claims, including CPT and ICD-9 codes, to be process by health insurance companies.

Medical billing clerk vs customer service and billing skills

Common medical billing clerk skills

Patients, 18%
Medical Billing, 10%
Healthcare, 7%
Data Entry, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Medicaid, 5%

Common customer service and billing skills

Strong Customer Service, 51%
Patients, 7%
Data Entry, 6%
Inbound Calls, 3%
Billing Issues, 2%
Credit Card Payments, 2%

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Medical Billing Clerk
Medical Billing Clerk vs Customer Service And Billing

Updated January 8, 2025

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