Medical billing, receptionist vs medical billing clerk

The differences between medical billings, receptionist and medical billing clerks 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, receptionist and a medical billing clerk. Additionally, a medical billing, receptionist has an average salary of $34,622, which is higher than the $33,566 average annual salary of a medical billing clerk.

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

Medical billing, receptionist vs medical billing clerk overview

	Medical Billing, Receptionist	Medical Billing Clerk
Yearly salary	$34,622	$33,566
Hourly rate	$16.65	$16.14
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	115,714	164,870
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 26%	Associate Degree, 30%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

What does a medical billing, receptionist do?

A medical billing receptionist serves as the main point of contact in a hospital. Their responsibilities revolve around greeting patients and attending to their needs, gathering and maintaining records, and checking-in patients. They also have administrative support tasks such as answering calls and responding to inquiries, arranging appointments and schedules, producing reports, keeping documentation, and handling billing processes, including insurance. Moreover, a medical billing receptionist must be alert and proactive as the conditions in a hospital can be very unpredictable.

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.

Medical billing, receptionist vs medical billing clerk salary

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

	Medical Billing, Receptionist	Medical Billing Clerk
Average salary	$34,622	$33,566
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $41,000	Between $27,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	San Leandro, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Washington
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	iCare
Best paying industry	Technology	Health Care

Differences between medical billing, receptionist and medical billing clerk education

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

	Medical Billing, Receptionist	Medical Billing Clerk
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 26%	Associate Degree, 30%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Health Care Administration
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Medical billing, receptionist vs medical billing clerk demographics

Here are the differences between medical billings, receptionist' and medical billing clerks' demographics:

	Medical Billing, Receptionist	Medical Billing Clerk
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 9.5% Female, 90.5%	Male, 11.3% Female, 88.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.9% Asian, 6.8% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between medical billing, receptionist and medical billing clerk duties and responsibilities

Medical billing, receptionist example responsibilities.

Accept and process healthcare claims and confidential medical records; verify patient eligibility and manage the Medicare and Medicaid billing process.
Revise CPT codes and ICD-10 codes before submitting to insurance for chiropractic services and durable medical equipment.
Review and research ICD-9 and CPT codes that are denied by payers, and contact physician offices to assist with correction.
Submit secondary insurance claims with primary insurance EOB.
Facilitate medical billing and coding by interfacing with insurance companies and patients to ensure proper billing procedures.
Discuss physicians' choice of E/M level when in question.

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 billing, receptionist vs medical billing clerk skills

Common medical billing, receptionist skills

Patients, 21%
Medical Billing, 7%
Data Entry, 5%
Customer Service, 5%
CPT, 4%
Medicaid, 4%

Common medical billing clerk skills

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

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Office and Administrative Industry
Medical Billing, Receptionist
Medical Billing, Receptionist vs Medical Billing Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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