Medical office secretary vs office secretary

The differences between medical office secretaries and office secretaries 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 an office secretary. Additionally, an office secretary has an average salary of $33,118, 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 an office secretary are data entry, phone calls, and telephone calls.

Medical office secretary vs office secretary overview

	Medical Office Secretary	Office Secretary
Yearly salary	$32,609	$33,118
Hourly rate	$15.68	$15.92
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	115,116	87,771
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 29%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	49	50
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 an office secretary do?

An office secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to ensure the smooth flow of operations and prevent delays with project deliverables. Office secretaries also welcome guests, respond to their inquiries and concerns, and direct them to the appropriate department or personnel for their appointments. They schedule meetings, sort documents, handle incoming and outgoing mail, as well as manage inventories for the adequacy of office supplies. An office secretary must have excellent time-management and multitasking skills to conduct tasks within a strict deadline and minimal supervision.

Medical office secretary vs office secretary salary

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

	Medical Office Secretary	Office Secretary
Average salary	$32,609	$33,118
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $39,000	Between $25,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	-	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Guidehouse
Best paying industry	-	Telecommunication

Differences between medical office secretary and office secretary education

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

	Medical Office Secretary	Office Secretary
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 29%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Medical office secretary vs office secretary demographics

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

	Medical Office Secretary	Office Secretary
Average age	49	50
Gender ratio	Male, 9.8% Female, 90.2%	Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3%
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, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	6%

Differences between medical office secretary and office secretary 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.

Office secretary example responsibilities.

Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
Research and keep updated on Medicare and Medicaid benefits, qualification requirements, and the legal and financial effects of options.
Determine client eligibility for Medicaid transportation.
Process and submit payroll information and invoices.
Maintain departmental inventory, purchasing/travel paperwork, and process payroll.
Answer customer phone calls-Record daily business transactions-Manage QuickBooks and bank accounts-Enter parts invoices and take inventory

Medical office secretary vs office secretary skills

Common medical office secretary skills

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

Common office secretary skills

Data Entry, 12%
Phone Calls, 11%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Scheduling Appointments, 7%
Office Procedures, 7%
Payroll, 6%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Medical Office Secretary
Medical Office Secretary vs Office Secretary

Updated January 8, 2025

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