Patient accounts clerk vs admitting clerk

The differences between patient accounts clerks and admitting 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 admitting clerk takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a patient accounts clerk has an average salary of $31,951, which is higher than the $31,833 average annual salary of an admitting clerk.

The top three skills for a patient accounts clerk include patients, medical terminology and patient demographics. The most important skills for an admitting clerk are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.

Patient accounts clerk vs admitting clerk overview

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Admitting Clerk
Yearly salary	$31,951	$31,833
Hourly rate	$15.36	$15.30
Growth rate	-4%	-
Number of jobs	161,780	106,698
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Associate Degree, 29%
Average age	40	42
Years of experience	4	2

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 admitting clerk do?

The job of an admitting clerk is to register and admit patients to a hospital. Admitting clerks interview patients in getting the necessary financial and medical information for the admission. They verify the insurance of patients and make sure that their registration forms are accurately signed. Usually, they work on the medical profession and hospital front lines. They welcome and face customers and need to understand medicine. Also, they are expected to manage doctors, nurses, patients, and hospital policies.

Patient accounts clerk vs admitting clerk salary

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

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Admitting Clerk
Average salary	$31,951	$31,833
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $24,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between patient accounts clerk and admitting clerk education

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

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Admitting Clerk
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Associate Degree, 29%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Patient accounts clerk vs admitting clerk demographics

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

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Admitting Clerk
Average age	40	42
Gender ratio	Male, 13.9% Female, 86.1%	Male, 9.3% Female, 90.7%
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, 13.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 22.4% Asian, 4.5% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	7%	9%

Differences between patient accounts clerk and admitting 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.

Admitting clerk example responsibilities.

Manage confidential patient information according to HIPPA guidelines.
Assist patients with benefit verification, including Medicare and Medicaid.
Perform online verification of Medicaid and Medicare admissions to insure eligibility.
Schedule patients for special procedures and radiology exams, obtain prior authorizations and referrals.
Release medical records upon request and maintain confidentiality of patients information under HIPPA law.
Process paperwork for various departments including insurance, surgery, radiology, laboratory and the emergency room.

Patient accounts clerk vs admitting clerk skills

Common patient accounts clerk skills

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

Common admitting clerk skills

Patients, 40%
Customer Service, 10%
Medical Terminology, 5%
Data Entry, 5%
Computer System, 3%
Phone Calls, 3%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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