Medical office secretary vs medical office administrator

The differences between medical office secretaries and medical office administrators 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 medical office administrator. Additionally, a medical office administrator has an average salary of $34,252, which is higher than the $32,609 average annual salary of a medical office secretary.

The top three skills for a medical office secretary include patients, patient appointments and front desk. The most important skills for a medical office administrator are patients, patient care, and customer service.

Medical office secretary vs medical office administrator overview

	Medical Office Secretary	Medical Office Administrator
Yearly salary	$32,609	$34,252
Hourly rate	$15.68	$16.47
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	115,116	179,503
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 29%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Average age	49	49
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 medical office administrator do?

A medical office administrator is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties within a health care institution, supplying physicians and medical professionals with patients' information, and coordinating with insurance companies. Medical office administrators handle the information and data management system to ensure the accuracy of patients' details, medical history, and treatment plans. They also schedule doctor appointments and cancellations, as well as monitoring the inventory of medical supplies. A medical office administrator submits payment reports, respond to patients' inquiries and concerns, and process billing disputes.

Medical office secretary vs medical office administrator salary

Medical office secretaries and medical office administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Office Secretary	Medical Office Administrator
Average salary	$32,609	$34,252
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $39,000	Between $27,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	-	Anchorage, AK
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between medical office secretary and medical office administrator education

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

	Medical Office Secretary	Medical Office Administrator
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 29%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Health Care Administration
Most common college	-	-

Medical office secretary vs medical office administrator demographics

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

	Medical Office Secretary	Medical Office Administrator
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 9.8% Female, 90.2%	Male, 9.4% Female, 90.6%
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, 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	9%	9%

Differences between medical office secretary and medical office administrator 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.

Medical office administrator example 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.

Medical office secretary vs medical office administrator skills

Common medical office secretary skills

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

Common medical office administrator skills

Patients, 21%
Patient Care, 10%
Customer Service, 8%
Insurance Verification, 5%
Phone Calls, 5%
Appointment Scheduling, 4%

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Medical Office Secretary
Medical Office Secretary vs Medical Office Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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