Medical billing clerk vs medical scheduler

The differences between medical billing clerks and medical schedulers 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 billing clerk and a medical scheduler. Additionally, a medical billing clerk has an average salary of $33,566, which is higher than the $32,201 average annual salary of a medical scheduler.

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

Medical billing clerk vs medical scheduler overview

	Medical Billing Clerk	Medical Scheduler
Yearly salary	$33,566	$32,201
Hourly rate	$16.14	$15.48
Growth rate	-3%	-8%
Number of jobs	164,870	67,831
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 30%	Associate Degree, 30%
Average age	46	49
Years of experience	2	2

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 medical scheduler do?

A medical scheduler typically works with patients to coordinate appointment dates and times with health care professionals. Medical schedulers often work in hospitals, outpatient care centers, and other medical practices. They perform other duties aside from managing patients' schedules that includes providing patients the information they need about the hospital and its policies, providing patient support, and handling and managing questions from patients. Medical schedulers also act as a link between patients, clinical staff, and referral sources.

Medical billing clerk vs medical scheduler salary

Medical billing clerks and medical schedulers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Billing Clerk	Medical Scheduler
Average salary	$33,566	$32,201
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $40,000	Between $26,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	San Leandro, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	iCare	Beacon Hill Staffing Group
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between medical billing clerk and medical scheduler education

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

	Medical Billing Clerk	Medical Scheduler
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 30%	Associate Degree, 30%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Health Care Administration
Most common college	Stanford University	-

Medical billing clerk vs medical scheduler demographics

Here are the differences between medical billing clerks' and medical schedulers' demographics:

	Medical Billing Clerk	Medical Scheduler
Average age	46	49
Gender ratio	Male, 11.3% Female, 88.7%	Male, 8.0% Female, 92.0%
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, 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	7%	9%

Differences between medical billing clerk and medical scheduler 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.

Medical scheduler example responsibilities.

Manage patient pre-op responsibilities, and generate all necessary paperwork.
Schedule patients for any testing that is necessary including MRI's, EMG's and Doppler's.
Transcribe physician orders including schedule labs, testing and screening/specimens and occasionally transport patients to various location of the hospital.
Prepare class for transition techniques to transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10.
Perform basic medical assistant duties such as triage, vitals, administer IM injections.
Answer multiple phone lines simultaneously, schedule patient appointments, and interact with physicians and triage patient calls.

Medical billing clerk vs medical scheduler skills

Common medical billing clerk skills

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

Common medical scheduler skills

Patients, 29%
Customer Service, 15%
Medical Terminology, 6%
EMR, 5%
Data Entry, 3%
Insurance Verification, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Medical Billing Clerk
Medical Billing Clerk vs Medical Scheduler

Updated January 8, 2025

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