Medical office administrative assistant vs medical record assistant

The differences between medical office administrative assistants and medical record assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a medical office administrative assistant and a medical record assistant. Additionally, a medical record assistant has an average salary of $34,870, which is higher than the $33,856 average annual salary of a medical office administrative assistant.

The top three skills for a medical office administrative assistant include patients, CPT and patient care. The most important skills for a medical record assistant are patients, data entry, and HIPAA.

Medical office administrative assistant vs medical record assistant overview

	Medical Office Administrative Assistant	Medical Record Assistant
Yearly salary	$33,856	$34,870
Hourly rate	$16.28	$16.76
Growth rate	16%	11%
Number of jobs	136,278	91,238
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	37	45
Years of experience	12	12

What does a medical office administrative assistant do?

Medical Office Administrative Assistants are responsible for providing administrative support to a medical facility. Their duties include documenting case histories through patient interviews, updating patient health records, scheduling appointments, processing insurance claims adhering to legal regulations, assisting patient paperwork, and managing receivables and payables accounts. They also attend to patient inquiries and assist nurses and doctors with test scheduling, supplies ordering, and medical examinations. Medical Office Administrative Assistants use medical software to process transactions and keep abreast with changes in insurance and medical legislation.

What does a medical record assistant do?

A medical record assistant is responsible for the proper documentation of the patients' information and medical records for reference to the attending physician or other medical professionals. Medical record assistants also track the patient's medical treatments and progress, as well as their health insurance details and coverage. They also respond to the patient's inquiries and concerns, including scheduling physician's appointments and updating the patients for any released medical results. A medical record assistant must have excellent communication and organizational skills, categorizing documents, and retrieving files for medical needs.

Medical office administrative assistant vs medical record assistant salary

Medical office administrative assistants and medical record assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Office Administrative Assistant	Medical Record Assistant
Average salary	$33,856	$34,870
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $28,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	-	Napa, CA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between medical office administrative assistant and medical record assistant education

There are a few differences between a medical office administrative assistant and a medical record assistant in terms of educational background:

	Medical Office Administrative Assistant	Medical Record Assistant
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Medical office administrative assistant vs medical record assistant demographics

Here are the differences between medical office administrative assistants' and medical record assistants' demographics:

	Medical Office Administrative Assistant	Medical Record Assistant
Average age	37	45
Gender ratio	Male, 10.6% Female, 89.4%	Male, 17.3% Female, 82.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% Asian, 9.3% White, 50.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 8.5% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	6%	9%

Differences between medical office administrative assistant and medical record assistant duties and responsibilities

Medical office administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Create and maintain confidential patient files according to HIPAA regulations, and implement log books to automate patient records management.
Provide front and back office support for surgeons by administratively managing and monitoring patients.
Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
Prepare employee schedules, assist with patient triage, assist with cosmetic and medical procedures as needed.
Verify and process patient insurance coverage and handle tasks relate to insurance information of patients.
Recommend and/or initiate patient management in cases of acute distress with medications, laboratory orders and initiation of CPR when necessary.

Medical record assistant example responsibilities.

Lead special department-wide task force initiative to minimize abuse of Oxycontin prescriptions bill to Medicaid.
Manage and organize all paperwork concerning caregivers and patients; organize filing system; ensure operation of electronic filing systems.
Work with EHR, provide medical records to patients and specialty centers.
Guide department through transition from paper charts to EHR system scan all patient records into database.
Scan documents into electronic medical records system and certify HIPAA compliance
Implement HIPAA guidelines in keeping patient information secure and confidential.

Medical office administrative assistant vs medical record assistant skills

Common medical office administrative assistant skills

Patients, 32%
CPT, 5%
Patient Care, 4%
Patient Appointments, 4%
Phone Calls, 4%
Insurance Verification, 4%

Common medical record assistant skills

Patients, 37%
Data Entry, 8%
HIPAA, 6%
Patient Care, 4%
Vital Signs, 4%
Medical Terminology, 3%

Medical Office Administrative Assistant vs. similar jobs

Medical Office Administrative Assistant related careers

Medical Office Administrative Assistant related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Support Industry
Medical Office Administrative Assistant
Medical Office Administrative Assistant vs Medical Record Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare support jobs