Patient accounts clerk vs accounts receivable clerk

The differences between patient accounts clerks and accounts receivable clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a patient accounts clerk, becoming an accounts receivable clerk takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an accounts receivable clerk has an average salary of $36,425, which is higher than the $31,951 average annual salary of a patient accounts clerk.

The top three skills for a patient accounts clerk include patients, medical terminology and patient demographics. The most important skills for an accounts receivable clerk are customer service, data entry, and collection calls.

Patient accounts clerk vs accounts receivable clerk overview

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Yearly salary	$31,951	$36,425
Hourly rate	$15.36	$17.51
Growth rate	-4%	-5%
Number of jobs	161,780	87,935
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	40	51
Years of experience	4	6

What does a patient accounts clerk do?

A Patient Accounts Clerk is primarily in charge of computing, billing, and collecting payments in hospitals, clinics, and other medical facilities. They may assist patients or families by answering inquiries, explaining payment procedures, and processing requests. Aside from serving as the point of contact regarding payment concerns, a patient accounts clerk is also responsible for liaising with health care providers and insurance companies, gathering and reviewing data for submissions, preparing and processing the necessary documents, and maintaining accurate records.

What does an accounts receivable clerk do?

An Accounts Receivable Clerk specializes in processing payment records and bill statements of a company or organization. Among the duties include calculating total revenues and unpaid invoices, maintaining financial records and keeping a detailed and organized database, and verifying financial transactions and payment delinquencies. Furthermore, an Accounts Receivable Clerk must resolve and examine deductions, prepare invoices and necessary documentation, and review customer payment plans and history records and coordinate with the collections department should there be any issues.

Patient accounts clerk vs accounts receivable clerk salary

Patient accounts clerks and accounts receivable clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Average salary	$31,951	$36,425
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	IBM
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between patient accounts clerk and accounts receivable clerk education

There are a few differences between a patient accounts clerk and an accounts receivable clerk in terms of educational background:

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Patient accounts clerk vs accounts receivable clerk demographics

Here are the differences between patient accounts clerks' and accounts receivable clerks' demographics:

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Average age	40	51
Gender ratio	Male, 13.9% Female, 86.1%	Male, 13.7% Female, 86.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 6.0% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.5% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between patient accounts clerk and accounts receivable clerk duties and responsibilities

Patient accounts clerk example responsibilities.

Develop and execute policies and procedures that effectively manage the information needs of the organization and always following HIPAA guidelines.
Research ICD-9 and CPT codes on reject claims.
Adhere to all company policies, processes and procedures in compliance with HIPPA.
Practice HIPAA compliant rules and regulations while updating the patient information and entering the charges.
Verify charges on claims and assign valid ICD-9 and CPT codes to ensure appropriate reimbursement.
Research, appeal and resolve claims, rejections and denials with Medicare, Medicaid and private insurances.

Accounts receivable clerk example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor weekly bank deposit runs and record deposits into QuickBooks.
Manage profitable accounts receivable ledgers for existing and new clientele maintaining accuracy of monies enter to appropriate relate account.
Obtain online reports of bank transactions, including deposits, ACH, EFT and wire payments from multiple banking institutions.
Utilize QuickBooks accounting software for billing/invoices, generate statements.
Perform necessary adjustments using knowledge of Medicare and all third party insurance.
Investigate and resolve any out-of-balances including credit card discrepancies / lockbox exceptions.

Patient accounts clerk vs accounts receivable clerk skills

Common patient accounts clerk skills

Patients, 24%
Medical Terminology, 14%
Patient Demographics, 9%
Customer Service, 8%
Data Entry, 7%
PBX, 4%

Common accounts receivable clerk skills

Customer Service, 12%
Data Entry, 9%
Collection Calls, 8%
Financial Data, 7%
Credit Card Payments, 5%
Process Payments, 5%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Patient Accounts Clerk
Patient Accounts Clerk vs Accounts Receivable Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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