Patient account coordinator vs medical billing clerk

The differences between patient account coordinators and medical billing clerks 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 medical billing clerk takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a patient account coordinator has an average salary of $35,695, which is higher than the $33,566 average annual salary of a medical billing clerk.

The top three skills for a patient account coordinator include patients, patient accounts and credit balances. The most important skills for a medical billing clerk are patients, medical billing, and healthcare.

Patient account coordinator vs medical billing clerk overview

	Patient Account Coordinator	Medical Billing Clerk
Yearly salary	$35,695	$33,566
Hourly rate	$17.16	$16.14
Growth rate	-8%	-3%
Number of jobs	148,258	164,870
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Associate Degree, 30%
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 medical billing clerk do?

A medical billing clerk is primarily in charge of processing payments and creating billing arrangements in clinics and hospitals. Among their responsibilities include gathering and verifying patient identification, handling insurance information, coding, updating databases, and maintaining records. It is also their responsibility to assist patients by filling out forms, answering their inquiries, and referring them to other services. Moreover, a medical billing clerk must monitor patient accounts and follow-up on delinquent patient accounts, coordinating with collection agencies as needed.

Patient account coordinator vs medical billing clerk salary

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

	Patient Account Coordinator	Medical Billing Clerk
Average salary	$35,695	$33,566
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $41,000	Between $27,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	San Leandro, CA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	iCare
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between patient account coordinator and medical billing clerk education

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

	Patient Account Coordinator	Medical Billing Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Associate Degree, 30%
Most common major	Business	Health Care Administration
Most common college	-	Stanford University

Patient account coordinator vs medical billing clerk demographics

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

	Patient Account Coordinator	Medical Billing Clerk
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 12.0% Female, 88.0%	Male, 11.3% Female, 88.7%
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, 10.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.9% Asian, 6.8% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	7%

Differences between patient account coordinator and medical billing clerk 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

Medical billing clerk example responsibilities.

Accept and process healthcare claims and confidential medical records; verify patient eligibility and manage the Medicare and Medicaid billing process.
Interact with patients as part of the quality assurance process (follow-up, EHR confirmation, billing confirmation).
Reconcile insurance and patient payments while researching and resolving incorrect payments, EOB rejections, and assort issues with outstanding accounts.
Utilize medical terminology and follow HIPAA guidelines.
Bill Magellan through Nextgen system.
Double checked CMS-1500 form before posting it out to the insurance companies.

Patient account coordinator vs medical billing clerk skills

Common patient account coordinator skills

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

Common medical billing clerk skills

Patients, 18%
Medical Billing, 10%
Healthcare, 7%
Data Entry, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Medicaid, 5%

Patient Account Coordinator vs. similar jobs

Patient Account Coordinator related careers

Patient Account Coordinator related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Patient Account Coordinator
Patient Account Coordinator vs Medical Billing Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs