Patient account coordinator vs billing specialist

The differences between patient account coordinators and billing specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a patient account coordinator, becoming a billing specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a patient account coordinator has an average salary of $35,695, which is higher than the $35,624 average annual salary of a billing specialist.

The top three skills for a patient account coordinator include patients, patient accounts and credit balances. The most important skills for a billing specialist are patients, customer service, and data entry.

Patient account coordinator vs billing specialist overview

	Patient Account Coordinator	Billing Specialist
Yearly salary	$35,695	$35,624
Hourly rate	$17.16	$17.13
Growth rate	-8%	-3%
Number of jobs	148,258	55,205
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	12	2

What does a patient account coordinator do?

A patient account coordinator ensures that the medical records of a patient are consolidated and updated with necessary and accurate information for ease of access by medical staff and other departments within a medical facility. You will capture and record patient information for easy access, handle patient billing and related inquiries, and help patients fill out the required paperwork. Patient account coordinators schedule and follow up patient appointments, set up and manage patient accounts and information therein, and coordinate and follow up on insurance benefits.

What does a billing specialist do?

Billing specialists are accounting or finance employees who are responsible for sending out billing invoices to clients. They calculate charges that their clients have incurred. They then write bills, ensure that all details are correct, and send these out to clients. They also manage payment due dates and ensure that clients are duly reminded of such deadlines. Billing specialists also manage client accounts and ensure that they are paying on time. They help identify clients who have outstanding payables and send out collection notices to them. At times, billing specialists also manage the receipt of payments to manage account records better.

Patient account coordinator vs billing specialist salary

Patient account coordinators and billing specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Account Coordinator	Billing Specialist
Average salary	$35,695	$35,624
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $41,000	Between $27,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Delaware
Best paying company	-	TIBCO Software
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between patient account coordinator and billing specialist education

There are a few differences between a patient account coordinator and a billing specialist in terms of educational background:

	Patient Account Coordinator	Billing Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Patient account coordinator vs billing specialist demographics

Here are the differences between patient account coordinators' and billing specialists' demographics:

	Patient Account Coordinator	Billing Specialist
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 12.0% Female, 88.0%	Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 4.0% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 7.4% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	8%	7%

Differences between patient account coordinator and billing specialist duties and responsibilities

Patient account coordinator example responsibilities.

Accept and process healthcare claims and confidential medical records; verify patient eligibility and manage the Medicare and Medicaid billing process.
Perform appropriate follow-up for missing data elements such as CPT, HCPCS, ICD-9 codes and modifiers.
Be able to work with the current CPT, ICD-9 books, CPC certification are required for this position
Provide quality customer service, maintain confidentiality, problem solving, and accuracy while complying with all HIPAA regulations.
Provide adequate documentation to insurance carriers for appeals and reconsideration of soft and technical denials.
See that records are store securely and handle in compliance with HIPAA privacy and security regulations

Billing specialist example responsibilities.

Use of QuickBooks to manage vendors' accounts, set up filing system to maintain files and supporting billing documents.
Manage the daily correspondence with keeping doctor/patient confidentiality under consideration along with HIPPA regulations.
Use independent judgment, manage and impart confidential information appropriately per HIPAA regulations and company requirements.
Accept and process healthcare claims and confidential medical records; verify patient eligibility and manage the Medicare and Medicaid billing process.
Provide additional information/clarification for insurance claims using knowledge of CPT, ICD-9, and HCPCS codes, as well as modifiers.
Assist staff with proper billing for patients, ensure proper coding using ICD-10, ICD-9 and CPT-4 coding.

Patient account coordinator vs billing specialist skills

Common patient account coordinator skills

Patients, 20%
Patient Accounts, 10%
Credit Balances, 9%
Appeals, 7%
Medical Billing, 4%
Data Entry, 3%

Common billing specialist skills

Patients, 16%
Customer Service, 10%
Data Entry, 9%
Medical Billing, 7%
Medicaid, 6%
CPT, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Patient Account Coordinator
Patient Account Coordinator vs Billing Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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