Outpatient clerk vs front office clerk

The differences between outpatient clerks 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 an outpatient clerk and a front office clerk. Additionally, an outpatient clerk has an average salary of $32,917, which is higher than the $31,051 average annual salary of a front office clerk.

The top three skills for an outpatient clerk include patients, schedule appointments and data entry. The most important skills for a front office clerk are patients, check-in, and data entry.

Outpatient clerk vs front office clerk overview

	Outpatient Clerk	Front Office Clerk
Yearly salary	$32,917	$31,051
Hourly rate	$15.83	$14.93
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	71,739	163,789
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 29%	Associate Degree, 28%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

Outpatient clerk vs front office clerk salary

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

	Outpatient Clerk	Front Office Clerk
Average salary	$32,917	$31,051
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $42,000	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 outpatient clerk and front office clerk education

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

	Outpatient Clerk	Front Office Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 29%	Associate Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Outpatient clerk vs front office clerk demographics

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

	Outpatient Clerk	Front Office Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6%	Male, 13.9% Female, 86.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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	6%	6%

Differences between outpatient clerk and front office clerk duties and responsibilities

Outpatient clerk example responsibilities.

Manage confidential patient information according to HIPPA guidelines.
File Medicare, follow-up insurance claims, prepare Medicaid logs.
Provide proper CPT codes to outside facilities so that prior authorization can be obtain for the correct exams.
Develop and maintain databases for radiology protocol.
Determine existence of previous registration and/or update insurance and demographic information for patients.
Interact with patients to acquire insurance information, payment arrangements and any other necessary information.

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.

Outpatient clerk vs front office clerk skills

Common outpatient clerk skills

Patients, 23%
Schedule Appointments, 11%
Data Entry, 11%
Insurance Eligibility, 9%
Direct Phone Calls, 8%
Departmental Policies, 6%

Common front office clerk skills

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