How to hire a medical office administrator

How to hire a medical office administrator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step medical office administrator hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a medical office administrator job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new medical office administrator
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a medical office administrator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The medical office administrator hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A medical office administrator's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, medical office administrators from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of medical office administrators.

   Type of Medical Office Administrator	Description	Hourly rate
   Medical Office Administrator	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$12-19
   Patient Representative	A patient representative is responsible for assisting the patients with their health care needs by identifying their medical concerns, assessing their medical history, and referring them to the appropriate physicians or other medical professionals for immediate treatments and further examinations. Patient representatives verify the patients' insurance information, guiding them on filling out medical forms, processing payments for medical services, and updating them for the release of medical results... Show more	$12-18
   Patient Care Representative	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... Show more	$12-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Patient Care
   • Customer Service
   • Insurance Verification
   • Phone Calls
   • Appointment Scheduling
   • HIPAA
   • Patient Charts
   • Office Equipment
   • Insurance Benefits
   • Data Entry
   • Medical Insurance
   • Medical Terminology
   • Front Desk

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Re-Evaluat & improve policy manual, develop standards for HIPPA, OSHA, manage care, billing and medical compliance.
   • Facilitate client relationships and manage surgery schedules, financial consultations, follow up care and ongoing maintenance.
   • Used knowledge of medical procedures and customer service, record medical histories and schedule patients for hospitalization and other procedures.
   • Scan new information such as daily progress notes, physical exams, labs and diagnostic testing into EMR.
   • Advise and counsel patient regarding food, fluid, medicine intake and restrictions prior to surgery including drop regime.
   • Organize patient charts and loose reports, as well as paper work from daily operations for scanning into EMR system.

   More medical office administrator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your medical office administrator job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A medical office administrator salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a medical office administrator in Oklahoma may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level medical office administrator usually earns less than a senior-level medical office administrator. Additionally, a medical office administrator with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average medical office administrator salary

   $16.47hourly

   $34,252 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level medical office administrator salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 30, 2026

   Average medical office administrator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Alaska	$44,023	$21
   2	Massachusetts	$41,475	$20
   3	California	$39,287	$19
   4	New Hampshire	$37,727	$18
   5	Kansas	$37,668	$18
   6	Oregon	$37,237	$18
   7	New York	$36,410	$18
   8	Colorado	$35,585	$17
   9	Alabama	$35,474	$17
   10	Maryland	$35,056	$17
   11	Arizona	$33,985	$16
   12	Florida	$33,633	$16
   13	North Carolina	$32,761	$16
   14	Georgia	$32,742	$16
   15	Missouri	$32,458	$16
   16	South Carolina	$32,278	$16
   17	Illinois	$32,194	$15
   18	Virginia	$32,153	$15
   19	Arkansas	$31,353	$15
   20	Iowa	$30,223	$15

   Average medical office administrator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of California-Berkeley	$43,051	$20.70	1
   2	Beacon Hill Staffing Group	$39,115	$18.81
   3	Community Health Connections	$37,509	$18.03
   4	CenterPointe Hospital	$37,432	$18.00	1
   5	Prime Healthcare	$37,413	$17.99	61
   6	CoxHealth	$37,365	$17.96
   7	GI Associates	$37,207	$17.89	2
   8	The State of Oregon	$36,976	$17.78	4
   9	San Diego Youth Services	$36,868	$17.73
   10	Bozeman Health	$36,470	$17.53	5
   11	HealthTrust	$36,456	$17.53	1
   12	BayCare Health System	$36,228	$17.42	47
   13	HCA Healthcare	$36,225	$17.42	751
   14	Praxis	$35,978	$17.30	18
   15	Cleveland Clinic	$35,954	$17.29	124
   16	Klamath Health Partnership	$35,928	$17.27	3
   17	Johns Hopkins Medicine	$35,316	$16.98	29
   18	WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA	$35,012	$16.83	28
   19	Griffin Foundation	$34,944	$16.80	6
   20	Lee Hecht Harrison	$34,902	$16.78	6

4. Writing a medical office administrator job description

   A medical office administrator job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a medical office administrator job description:

   Medical office administrator job description example

   Greenspring is a beautiful 58-acre continuing care retirement community located in the heart of Fairfax County in Springfield, Virginia. We're part of a growing network of communities developed and managed by Erickson Senior Living, a national provider of senior living and health care with campuses in 11 states-and growing.
   
   Greenspring is a beautiful 60-acre, 24 hour secured continuing care retirement community in Springfield, Virginia. We're part of a growing network of communities managed by Erickson Senior Living, a national provider of Senior living and health care with campuses in 11 states and growing.
   
   We are hiring a Medical Office Coordinator for our Medical Center, located within our Continuing Care Retirement Community. The Medical Office Coordinator will assume responsibility for the non-clinical and clinical support staff and all Medical Center activities in the absence of the Practice Administrator. This position is responsible for functioning as a Medical Assistant or Medical Office Assistant when the Practice Administrator is present and serves as the administrative lead for Mental Health and Podiatry.
   Up to $25.00 an hour based on experience
   Competitive benefits packages including medical, dental, vision, and PTO
   
   How you will make an impact
   Organize and lead non-clinical staff meetings Carry out the daily/weekly work plan and provide guidance to the non-clinical staff.Assist Community leadership with the implementation and roll-out of policies and procedures.Serve as a backup or additional resource for front desk and other staff positions when needed.Monitors provider schedules and same-day appointments. Ensures acute visits are maintained and available on a daily basis.Provide the non-clinical support staff with verbal and written direction based on work plans jointly developed with the department manager.Ensure that EHMG quality initiatives are being followed effectively and efficiently
   
   What we offer:
   A "career for life" approach to professional and personal development for our greatest asset; our employees. Onsite physicians group dedicated to only serving Erickson Senior Living residents State of the art community campuses, ongoing expansion plans, and design enhancements to ensure Erickson Senior Living continues to set the standard for senior living excellence.Onsite medical centers, providing wellness visits and sick care for all employees over 18 years of age.Education assistance, certification reimbursement, and student loan refinancing partnership programs are available.Competitive benefits packages including medical, dental, vision, and PTO401k for all employees 18 and over. Company contribution up to 3% once eligible.Free onsite parking at all of our communities and corporate offices
   
   What you will need:
   High school diploma or GED required.3-5 years medical front desk office experience.1-2 years prior team-leading or supervisory experience.
   
   Erickson Senior Living, its affiliates, and managed communities are Equal Opportunity Employers and are committed to providing a workplace free of unlawful discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, marital status, veteran status, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information or any other category protected by federal, state or local law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right medical office administrator for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your medical office administrator job on Zippia to find and recruit medical office administrator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting medical office administrators requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new medical office administrator

   Once you have selected a candidate for the medical office administrator position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new medical office administrator first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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