Medical billing clerk vs patient access representative

The differences between medical billing clerks and patient access representatives 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 patient access representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a patient access representative has an average salary of $33,603, which is higher than the $33,566 average annual salary of a medical billing clerk.

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

Medical billing clerk vs patient access representative overview

	Medical Billing Clerk	Patient Access Representative
Yearly salary	$33,566	$33,603
Hourly rate	$16.14	$16.16
Growth rate	-3%	-4%
Number of jobs	164,870	151,077
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	46	40
Years of experience	2	4

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 patient access representative do?

A Patient Access Representative is the first point of contact of a patient in a hospital facility. Among the duties include the checking-in and out of a patient, gathering a patient's information for the Doctors and Nurses to use, communicates with the patient's family or caregivers, and processes insurance billing. Most of the time, A Patient Access Representative encounters the critically ill or injured which is why one must possess great communication skills and compassion.

Medical billing clerk vs patient access representative salary

Medical billing clerks and patient access representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Billing Clerk	Patient Access Representative
Average salary	$33,566	$33,603
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $40,000	Between $27,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	San Leandro, CA	Springfield, MA
Highest paying state	Washington	Massachusetts
Best paying company	iCare	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between medical billing clerk and patient access representative education

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

	Medical Billing Clerk	Patient Access Representative
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Medical billing clerk vs patient access representative demographics

Here are the differences between medical billing clerks' and patient access representatives' demographics:

	Medical Billing Clerk	Patient Access Representative
Average age	46	40
Gender ratio	Male, 11.3% Female, 88.7%	Male, 14.5% Female, 85.5%
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, 12.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between medical billing clerk and patient access representative 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.

Patient access representative example responsibilities.

Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPPA and clinic.
Conduct intensive screening of all Medicare, Medicaid and manage care patients for provider service eligibility.
Educate eligible applicants about Medicaid manage care and how to access benefits in a manage care environment.
Run internal reports to ensure ICD 9 and CPT procedure codes are accurate for billing for Medicare and Medicaid patients.
Deliver quality customer service and compassion while obtaining demographic and financial data from patients seeking emergency medical services.
Operate front desk check-in, preparation of charts, receive payments and balance books at the end of the day.

Medical billing clerk vs patient access representative skills

Common medical billing clerk skills

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

Common patient access representative skills

Patients, 20%
Customer Service, 13%
Medical Terminology, 9%
Patient Care, 5%
Patient Registration, 5%
Insurance Verification, 4%

Medical Billing Clerk vs. similar jobs

Medical Billing Clerk related careers

Medical Billing Clerk related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Medical Billing Clerk
Medical Billing Clerk vs Patient Access Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs