How To Become A Medical Records Receptionist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a medical records receptionist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a medical records receptionist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $14.59 an hour? That's $30,354 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 11% and produce 23,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreMedical Records ReceptionistUS Average

Salary

2.4

Avg. Salary $30,354

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.8

Growth rate 11%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.28%

Asian 6.87%

Black or African American 8.03%

Hispanic or Latino 18.30%

Unknown 4.22%

White 61.30%

Gender

female 93.70%

male 6.30%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

4.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.1

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.6

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a medical records receptionist

Explore medical records receptionist education requirements

Most common medical records receptionist degrees

Associate

30.6 %

High School Diploma

27.6 %

Bachelor's

18.6 %

Start to develop specific medical records receptionist skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	46.76%
Scheduling Patient Appointments	7.25%
Front Desk	5.60%
Insurance Verification	3.23%
Hippa	2.52%

Complete relevant medical records receptionist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New medical records receptionists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a medical records receptionist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real medical records receptionist resumes.

Gain additional medical records receptionist certifications

Medical records receptionist certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific medical records receptionist certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for medical records receptionists include Medical Assistant and Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS).

More About Certifications

Research medical records receptionist duties and responsibilities

Evaluate all EOB's to insure accurate payment is received and when necessary will file appeals to achieve optimal payments.
Maintain front office operations, complete registration, check-in/out, and insurance verification and process payments for patients.
Input data into hospital system all the while ensuring customers HIPPA regulations are protected.
Handle all confidential files, information, and paperwork according to HIPPA compliance laws.

Prepare your medical records receptionist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your medical records receptionist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a medical records receptionist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable medical records receptionist resume templates

Build a professional medical records receptionist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your medical records receptionist resume.