What does a medical records administrator do?
Medical records administrators oversee written and electronic medical records and reports. The duties of a medical records administrator are to maintain patient records, collect admission reports, liaise with other medical staff, compile documentation from different medical records, respond to enquiries and records requests from patients and physicians, and create a database for patient records. They are also tasked with ensuring the records comply with all policies protecting patient privacy and confidentiality.
Medical records administrator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real medical records administrator resumes:
- Manage medical records in accordance with federal and state HIPAA guidelines, maintaining confidentiality of patient information.
- Bill Medicaid and pertinent insurance companies for payment on services.
- Respond swiftly to provider questions and ensure claims are processed through MMIS system properly to meet Medicaid eligibility.
- Demonstrate knowledge of HIPAA privacy and security regulations by appropriately handling patient information.
- Ensure evacuated patients are moved to the appropriate medical treatment facility or warrior transition units.
- Interact with patients and associate medical professionals in order to supply and forward correct documentation for clinical visits.
- Lead and develop the technical strategy for improving architectural and design elements of SharePoint to enhance utilization and drive user functionality.
- Organize weekly package of EOB's, insurance payments and patient demographic/insurance changes for pick up.
- Handle patient billing questions, review billing for proper coding, review EOB's for proper reimbursement.
- Interview patients; verify demographic and insurance information in the Invision application program.
Medical records administrator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 28% of Medical Records Administrators are proficient in Patients, Medical Terminology, and HIPAA. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Leadership skills, and Technical skills.
We break down the percentage of Medical Records Administrators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 28%
Interacted with patients and associated medical professionals in order to supply and forward correct documentation for clinical visits.
- Medical Terminology, 12%
Utilized medical terminology such as hospital terms and abbreviations to perform medical record clerical assignments.
- HIPAA, 7%
Confirmed all HIPAA information on medical records request and attachments *Processed Medical/Imaging orders.
- Patient Care, 7%
Directed clinical and support services staff to ensure the provision of convenient cost effective and quality patient care.
- Patient Charts, 7%
Developed and created a more effective filing system to accelerate paperwork processing *Scanned and organized patient charts *Data entry
- Transcription, 4%
Directed the activities of the records personal including coding and transcription completion.
Most medical records administrators use their skills in "patients," "medical terminology," and "hipaa" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential medical records administrator responsibilities here:
Detail oriented. The most essential soft skill for a medical records administrator to carry out their responsibilities is detail oriented. This skill is important for the role because "medical and health services managers must pay attention to detail." Additionally, a medical records administrator resume shows how their duties depend on detail oriented: "performed icd-9 coding and submitted insurance claims with attention to detail and a commitment to accuracy. "
Leadership skills. Many medical records administrator duties rely on leadership skills. "medical and health services managers hire, train, and direct staff," so a medical records administrator will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways medical records administrator responsibilities rely on leadership skills: "provide point of contact between patient service representatives and clinic leadership. "
Technical skills. medical records administrators are also known for technical skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to medical records administrator responsibilities, because "medical and health services managers must stay up to date with advances in healthcare technology, such as the coding and electronic health record (ehr) systems their facility adopts." A medical records administrator resume example shows how technical skills is used in the workplace: "maintain competency requirements for patient service representatives train psr's on all technical requirements if their jobs and updated as appropriated. "
Analytical skills. medical records administrator responsibilities often require "analytical skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "medical and health services managers review and evaluate healthcare metrics for ways to improve efficiency and meet goals." This resume example shows what medical records administrators do with analytical skills on a typical day: "served as the subject matter expert in coding for the data quality management team. "
Communication skills. While "communication skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to medical records administrator responsibilities. Much of what a medical records administrator does relies on this skill, seeing as "medical and health services managers must convey information to their staff, other healthcare workers, and, sometimes, patients and insurance agents." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of medical records administrators: "coordinated telephonic communication through the hospital computer system, between patients and the medical staff. "
The three companies that hire the most medical records administrators are:
- CARTI2 medical records administrators jobs
- Community Medical Services1 medical records administrators jobs
- Apicha Community Health Center1 medical records administrators jobs
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Compare different medical records administrators
Medical records administrator vs. Patient care manager
Patient care managers are executives who are in charge of supervising a clinical team. The managers take responsibility for directing patient care within an organization. Also called health care managers, they protect every patient's safety and health in a clinical setting. They interact with the healthcare team members to maintain open communication. It is also part of their duties to supervise the daily operations in the clinical care units. Managing clinical budgets and maintaining quality health services are also their responsibilities.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a medical records administrator are more likely to require skills like "medical terminology," "patient care," "patient charts," and "transcription." On the other hand, a job as a patient care manager requires skills like "home health," "quality care," "social work," and "community resources." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Patient care managers really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $54,278. Comparatively, medical records administrators tend to make the most money in the health care industry with an average salary of $74,853.The education levels that patient care managers earn slightly differ from medical records administrators. In particular, patient care managers are 7.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a medical records administrator. Additionally, they're 1.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Medical records administrator vs. Nurse manager
The primary role of nurse managers is to supervise the nursing staff in a clinical or hospital setting. They are the ones who are in charge of patient care, setting work schedules, and making budgetary and management decisions. They are also responsible for making personnel decisions, coordinating meetings, and creating safe environments that promote patient engagement and aid the healthcare team's work. Their role is vital in promoting a culture in which team members contribute to professional growth and patient outcomes.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real medical records administrator resumes. While medical records administrator responsibilities can utilize skills like "medical terminology," "patient care," "patient charts," and "transcription," nurse managers use skills like "home health," "cpr," "customer service," and "performance improvement."
On average, nurse managers earn a higher salary than medical records administrators. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, nurse managers earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $90,775. Whereas medical records administrators have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $74,853.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Nurse managers tend to reach higher levels of education than medical records administrators. In fact, they're 6.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Medical records administrator vs. Pharmacist manager
A pharmacist manager is responsible for monitoring the daily operations of a pharmacy, ensuring that all pharmacy personnel provides the right medication to the customers based on the prescription. Pharmacist managers assist in advising the customers for the instructions of their medications, including its dosage and instructions of intake. They manage the inventory and keep safe and clean storage for the products at all times. A pharmacist manager must have a comprehensive knowledge of the medical industry, as well as excellent communication skills, especially in responding to the customers' concerns and inquiries.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a medical records administrator is likely to be skilled in "medical terminology," "patient charts," "transcription," and "epic," while a typical pharmacist manager is skilled in "customer service," "compassion," "inventory management," and "federal laws."
Pharmacist managers earn the highest salary when working in the health care industry, where they receive an average salary of $100,580. Comparatively, medical records administrators have the highest earning potential in the health care industry, with an average salary of $74,853.pharmacist managers typically earn similar educational levels compared to medical records administrators. Specifically, they're 2.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 28.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Medical records administrator vs. Practice manager
A practice manager is responsible for supervising daily operations, especially on the side of the medical industry. Practice managers monitor staffing needs, train new employees, and evaluate the employees' productivity and performance. They also enforce strict guidelines and procedures, ensuring that the processes adhere to the legal standards and regulatory requirements. Practice managers also maintain budget goals, creating cost estimates and expense reports. A practice manager must have strong communication, analytical, and critical-thinking skills, as well as comprehensive knowledge of the medical industry practices.
Types of medical records administrator
Updated January 8, 2025
