Medical office secretary vs front office clerk

The differences between medical office secretaries and front office 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 office secretary and a front office clerk. Additionally, a medical office secretary has an average salary of $32,609, which is higher than the $31,051 average annual salary of a front office clerk.

The top three skills for a medical office secretary include patients, patient appointments and front desk. The most important skills for a front office clerk are patients, check-in, and data entry.

Medical office secretary vs front office clerk overview

	Medical Office Secretary	Front Office Clerk
Yearly salary	$32,609	$31,051
Hourly rate	$15.68	$14.93
Growth rate	-8%	-5%
Number of jobs	115,116	163,789
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 29%	Associate Degree, 28%
Average age	49	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a medical office secretary do?

A medical office secretary carries out clerical duties in a health professional's office. They are responsible for typing correspondence and reports, maintaining files, paying vendors, handling insurance forms, billing patients, dealing with clients, scheduling appointments, taking phone calls, and greeting patients when they get to the office. The qualifications for this position include knowledge of computer software, medical terminology, health insurance rules, and medical building procedures.

What does a front office clerk do?

A front office clerk performs various administrative and secretarial duties, including welcoming and greeting clients and visitors, answering telephone calls, and managing the office budget. You will be responsible for monitoring, organizing, and forwarding emails and maintaining files and records. Other duties include following company policies and procedures, organizing transportation for guests, and handling and resolving guest complaints. In addition, you will also be responsible for invoicing and billing guests for their stay and used services.

Medical office secretary vs front office clerk salary

Medical office secretaries and front office clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Office Secretary	Front Office Clerk
Average salary	$32,609	$31,051
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $39,000	Between $25,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Limbach
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between medical office secretary and front office clerk education

There are a few differences between a medical office secretary and a front office clerk in terms of educational background:

	Medical Office Secretary	Front Office Clerk
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 29%	Associate Degree, 28%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Medical office secretary vs front office clerk demographics

Here are the differences between medical office secretaries' and front office clerks' demographics:

	Medical Office Secretary	Front Office Clerk
Average age	49	47
Gender ratio	Male, 9.8% Female, 90.2%	Male, 13.9% Female, 86.1%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 24.3% Asian, 7.0% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	9%	6%

Differences between medical office secretary and front office clerk duties and responsibilities

Medical office secretary example responsibilities.

Evaluate all EOB's to insure accurate payment is received and when necessary will file appeals to achieve optimal payments.
Enter new patients confidential information into computer database also discharge patients and enter chart information containing ICD-9 and CPT codes.
Attend various billing, Medicare, Medicaid and HIPPA workshops to stay abreast of changing policies.
Greet patients -schedule appointments -Answered telephones and direct calls -obtain demographic and insurance information -collect co-payments -verify insurance coverage
Obtain patient demographics and record patient information including health history, insurance responsibility forms, and appropriate HIPAA documentation.
Comply with all HIPAA laws and patient privacy policies.

Front office clerk example responsibilities.

Manage front office check-in, insurance verification and certifications from doctors.
Maintain a high knowledge level of regulations on the confidentiality of medical records (HIPAA).
Verify releases of information according to HIPPA regulations.
Maintain confidentiality of patient information; abiding by HIPPA guidelines.
Register all patients per registration protocols, schedule appointments, and provide appointment reminder calls.
Respond to routine technical questions regarding patients' right and responsibilities and medical eligibility for care.

Medical office secretary vs front office clerk skills

Common medical office secretary skills

Patients, 35%
Patient Appointments, 13%
Front Desk, 5%
Medical Terminology, 5%
Check-In, 4%
Data Entry, 3%

Common front office clerk skills

Patients, 34%
Check-In, 8%
Data Entry, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Front Desk, 4%
Appointment Scheduling, 4%

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Medical Office Secretary
Medical Office Secretary vs Front Office Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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