Medical billing, receptionist vs medical clerk

The differences between medical billings, receptionist and medical 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 clerk. Additionally, a medical billing, receptionist has an average salary of $34,622, which is higher than the $32,439 average annual salary of a medical clerk.

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

Medical billing, receptionist vs medical clerk overview

	Medical Billing, Receptionist	Medical Clerk
Yearly salary	$34,622	$32,439
Hourly rate	$16.65	$15.60
Growth rate	-3%	-8%
Number of jobs	115,714	166,322
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 26%	Bachelor's Degree, 26%
Average age	46	49
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 clerk do?

A medical clerk works in the administrative area of a medical facility or hospital. The medical clerk collects all patient information and medical records. The clerk also does all the clinic or hospital paperwork and generates reports of all transactions that transpired in a day's work. The medical clerk also processes admission and discharge papers, medical charts, properly file and safeguard all patient records and secure them from unauthorized access. The medical clerk is expected to be highly organized, capable of handling pressure, and has good communication skills.

Medical billing, receptionist vs medical clerk salary

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

	Medical Billing, Receptionist	Medical Clerk
Average salary	$34,622	$32,439
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $41,000	Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Minnesota
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Brinks Gilson
Best paying industry	Technology	Government

Differences between medical billing, receptionist and medical clerk education

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

	Medical Billing, Receptionist	Medical Clerk
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 26%	Bachelor's Degree, 26%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	-

Medical billing, receptionist vs medical clerk demographics

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

	Medical Billing, Receptionist	Medical Clerk
Average age	46	49
Gender ratio	Male, 9.5% Female, 90.5%	Male, 15.5% Female, 84.5%
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, 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, receptionist and medical 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 clerk example responsibilities.

Evaluate all EOB's to insure accurate payment is received and when necessary will file appeals to achieve optimal payments.
Follow HIPPA patient confidentiality guidelines making patients or facility have filled proper forms to release records.
File results of laboratory tests, x-rays, EKG's, etc., in patients records.
Respond and resolve patient inquiries with compassion and patience.
Prepare request for EKG tests, eye examinations, audio and dental records.
Enter deficiencies into MediTech program.

Medical billing, receptionist vs medical clerk skills

Common medical billing, receptionist skills

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

Common medical clerk skills

Patients, 32%
Medical Terminology, 6%
Data Entry, 6%
Phone Calls, 5%
Patient Care, 4%
Telephone Calls, 3%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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