Patient accounts clerk vs patient advocate

The differences between patient accounts clerks and patient advocates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a patient accounts clerk and a patient advocate. Additionally, a patient advocate has an average salary of $36,325, 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 a patient advocate are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Patient accounts clerk vs patient advocate overview

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Patient Advocate
Yearly salary	$31,951	$36,325
Hourly rate	$15.36	$17.46
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	161,780	88,778
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

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 a patient advocate do?

A patient advocate is responsible for supporting the patients with the medical processes in a healthcare institution, assisting them with insurance claims and medical billing disputes, verifying treatment procedures, and conducting referrals to medical professionals based on the patient's needs. Patient advocates facilitate a payment plan for the patients, discussing this plan to the financial department of the facility. They also address the patients' inquiries and concerns, as well as their complaints with hospital operations, immediately raising these issues to higher management.

Patient accounts clerk vs patient advocate salary

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

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Patient Advocate
Average salary	$31,951	$36,325
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	Springfield, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Cognizant
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between patient accounts clerk and patient advocate education

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

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Patient Advocate
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Patient accounts clerk vs patient advocate demographics

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

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Patient Advocate
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 13.9% Female, 86.1%	Male, 17.5% Female, 82.5%
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, 10.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 23.6% Asian, 6.8% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between patient accounts clerk and patient advocate 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.

Patient advocate example responsibilities.

Manage the complaint process as required by CMS for the hospital.
Provide support for emergencies by managing inappropriate behaviors, aggressive patients, CPR and persons in crisis.
Train to welcome and register patients at ESI triage window.
Document patients medical problems using ICD 9 and CPT coding for patients diagnosis.
Pull any incoming referrals, triage them, and schedule patients with the appropriate doctor.
Collect and review patient information to determine patients' eligibility for Medicaid and charity program assistance.

Patient accounts clerk vs patient advocate skills

Common patient accounts clerk skills

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

Common patient advocate skills

Patients, 28%
Customer Service, 11%
Patient Care, 5%
Medicaid, 4%
Financial Assistance, 4%
Patient Accounts, 4%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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