Medical billing clerk vs patient care representative

The differences between medical billing clerks and patient care 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 care representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a patient care representative has an average salary of $33,709, 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 care representative are patients, patient care, and home health.

Medical billing clerk vs patient care representative overview

	Medical Billing Clerk	Patient Care Representative
Yearly salary	$33,566	$33,709
Hourly rate	$16.14	$16.21
Growth rate	-3%	-4%
Number of jobs	164,870	133,317
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
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 care representative do?

PCRs (Patient Care Representatives) are given responsibilities like updating and verifying patient information after every visit, scheduling and reminding patients about appointments, and informing patients about delays and how long the estimated waiting times will be. They are also responsible for obtaining patients' personal information like their address, contact details, insurance information, and medical and surgical history. They must be able to communicate with patients, family members, and medical staff to give them all the information they need to treat the person looking for medical help.

Medical billing clerk vs patient care representative salary

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

	Medical Billing Clerk	Patient Care Representative
Average salary	$33,566	$33,709
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $40,000	Between $27,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	San Leandro, CA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Washington	Alaska
Best paying company	iCare	Massachusetts General Hospital
Best paying industry	Health Care	Technology

Differences between medical billing clerk and patient care representative education

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

	Medical Billing Clerk	Patient Care Representative
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Medical billing clerk vs patient care representative demographics

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

	Medical Billing Clerk	Patient Care Representative
Average age	46	40
Gender ratio	Male, 11.3% Female, 88.7%	Male, 17.1% Female, 82.9%
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, 20.3% Asian, 6.3% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between medical billing clerk and patient care 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 care representative example responsibilities.

Manage cash and co-payments accurately and discharge patients providing them with proper medical notes and information before exiting.
Verify insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, register patients, and code proper ICD-9 and CPT codes on encounters.
Utilize medical terminology, CPT, HCPC and ICD-9 and patient information into new authorizations.
Interview patients to gather information pertinent to their Medicaid application.
Screen, identify, and enter ICD-9 coding from treatment record forms.
Maintain patient confidentiality and follow HIPAA rules.

Medical billing clerk vs patient care representative skills

Common medical billing clerk skills

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

Common patient care representative skills

Patients, 25%
Patient Care, 13%
Home Health, 7%
Cash Management, 5%
Phone Calls, 4%
CPT, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Medical Billing Clerk
Medical Billing Clerk vs Patient Care Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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