Patient accounts clerk vs patient liaison

The differences between patient accounts clerks and patient liaisons 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 liaison. Additionally, a patient liaison has an average salary of $32,314, 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 liaison are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.

Patient accounts clerk vs patient liaison overview

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Patient Liaison
Yearly salary	$31,951	$32,314
Hourly rate	$15.36	$15.54
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	161,780	84,302
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
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 liaison do?

Patient Liaisons are intermediaries addressing concerns on behalf of patients and families working in tandem with the hospital administrator. They are responsible for gathering data regarding patient care issues and inquiries, assessing patient well-being, suggesting improvements, and interpreting hospital service, policies, and procedures to patients and families. Patient Liaisons also work to educate health care professionals in humanizing the hospital experience for patients. They work in a hospital, clinic, nursing home, or programs related to public health.

Patient accounts clerk vs patient liaison salary

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

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Patient Liaison
Average salary	$31,951	$32,314
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $24,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Brigham and Women's Hospital
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between patient accounts clerk and patient liaison education

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

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Patient Liaison
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Patient accounts clerk vs patient liaison demographics

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

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Patient Liaison
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 13.9% Female, 86.1%	Male, 16.2% Female, 83.8%
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, 11.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.9% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between patient accounts clerk and patient liaison 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 liaison example responsibilities.

Provide support for emergencies by managing inappropriate behaviors, aggressive patients, CPR and persons in crisis.
Conduct all insurance verification and obtain authorization to treat sub-acute rehabilitation patients.
Attend Michigan state eligibility hearings, when necessary to assist and gain Medicaid disability benefits for patients.
Interview patients of hospital facility to obtain necessary documentation to secure Medicaid coverage as payment of inpatient hospital charges.
Set up payment plan, verify personal information per HIPAA guidelines.
Respect and maintain HIPPA and patient confidentiality and dignity of patients at all times.

Patient accounts clerk vs patient liaison skills

Common patient accounts clerk skills

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

Common patient liaison skills

Patients, 37%
Customer Service, 16%
Medical Terminology, 4%
Health System, 3%
HIPAA, 3%
Surgery, 2%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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