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The differences between medical claims specialists and authorization specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a medical claims specialist, becoming an authorization specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an authorization specialist has an average salary of $36,518, which is higher than the $35,706 average annual salary of a medical claims specialist.
The top three skills for a medical claims specialist include customer service, patients and medicaid. The most important skills for an authorization specialist are patients, customer service, and insurance verification.
| Medical Claims Specialist | Authorization Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $35,706 | $36,518 |
| Hourly rate | $17.17 | $17.56 |
| Growth rate | 11% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 82,897 | 71,831 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Average age | 45 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
A medical claims specialist is responsible for gathering and processing the information required to complete the medical insurance claims process. Typical duties include determining covered medical insurance losses, documenting medical claims actions, and resolving claims through approval or denial of documentation. In addition, you will be responsible for maintaining excellent customer service by responding to customer inquiries and following best practices. You will also be responsible for protecting company operations by maintaining the confidentiality of information.
An authorization specialist is responsible for reviewing insurance claims and determining the necessary settlement for the clients and involved parties. Authorization specialists file documents and gather the required information for further investigation and analysis. They coordinate with the insurance agency and the medical institution and ensure that the correct communications are being sent out for reference. An authorization specialist must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in writing authorization requests and resolve claims timely and efficiently.
Medical claims specialists and authorization specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Claims Specialist | Authorization Specialist | |
| Average salary | $35,706 | $36,518 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $43,000 | Between $28,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Attleboro, MA | Milford, MA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Total Medical Personnel Staffing | Guidehouse |
| Best paying industry | Government | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a medical claims specialist and an authorization specialist in terms of educational background:
| Medical Claims Specialist | Authorization Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between medical claims specialists' and authorization specialists' demographics:
| Medical Claims Specialist | Authorization Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 16.7% Female, 83.3% | Male, 15.4% Female, 84.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 8.3% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 22.6% Asian, 6.9% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 7% |