Patient accounts clerk vs patient registrar

The differences between patient accounts clerks and patient registrars 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 registrar. Additionally, a patient registrar has an average salary of $33,494, 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 registrar are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.

Patient accounts clerk vs patient registrar overview

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Patient Registrar
Yearly salary	$31,951	$33,494
Hourly rate	$15.36	$16.10
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	161,780	86,721
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
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 registrar do?

A patient registrar is responsible for receiving patients in a hospital or other health care institutions, verifying their information, and leading them to the appropriate facility for their health care needs. Patient registrars manage the hospital's database, updating patients' information, confirming insurance details, taking calls, responding to patients' inquiries and concerns, scheduling appointments, and performing related administrative and clerical tasks as needed. A patient registrar must have excellent communication and organizational skills to provide the best quality care services to the patients.

Patient accounts clerk vs patient registrar salary

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

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Patient Registrar
Average salary	$31,951	$33,494
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $26,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Guidehouse
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between patient accounts clerk and patient registrar education

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

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Patient Registrar
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Patient accounts clerk vs patient registrar demographics

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

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Patient Registrar
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 13.9% Female, 86.1%	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
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, 11.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 23.0% Asian, 6.4% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

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

Process release of information requests according to HIPAA regulations and manage valuables safe for entire facility.
Specialize in high degree of compassion when communicating with patients providing information and insurance details.
Receive patients, record patient demographic information and verify insurance for emergency department, laboratory, and radiology
Register patients and ensure correctness of all demographic information in AS400, verify insurance on various websites and collect patient co-payments.
Update demographics, billing information, Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance during patient interviews to obtain pertinent registration information.
Enter confidential personal health information and financial information into IDX system with a high rate of accuracy and confidentiality.

Patient accounts clerk vs patient registrar skills

Common patient accounts clerk skills

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

Common patient registrar skills

Patients, 25%
Customer Service, 11%
Medical Terminology, 11%
Patient Registration, 4%
Patient Care, 4%
Insurance Verification, 3%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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