Patient service associate vs clerical associate

The differences between patient service associates and clerical associates 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 service associate, becoming a clerical associate takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a patient service associate has an average salary of $31,992, which is higher than the $30,024 average annual salary of a clerical associate.

The top three skills for a patient service associate include patients, customer service and medical terminology. The most important skills for a clerical associate are patients, data entry, and customer service.

Patient service associate vs clerical associate overview

	Patient Service Associate	Clerical Associate
Yearly salary	$31,992	$30,024
Hourly rate	$15.38	$14.43
Growth rate	-4%	-5%
Number of jobs	96,748	78,648
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Average age	40	47
Years of experience	4	2

What does a patient service associate do?

A patient service associate is responsible for providing high-quality care services to the patients, ensuring their satisfaction by assisting their medical needs and concerns. Patient service associates perform administrative duties, such as helping patients to fill-out forms, updating patients' information on the database, processing payments for medical procedures, storing patients' medical files, and monitoring the adequacy of medical tools and supplies. They may also conduct basic medical operations under the supervision of a physician or a health professional, adhering to strict protocols and regulations at all times to avoid hazards and health risks.

What does a clerical associate do?

A clerical associate is someone who carries out administrative tasks. Clerical associates photocopy, distribute mail, put together mailings, send faxes, respond to emails, and type letters. The associate's order office supplies, convey messages to staff members, handle payroll, and manage conference rooms. They check records for information accuracy and policy and procedure conformity. It is part of their responsibilities to perform projects for patient care facilitation. Also, they provide support to the mental health clinic in terms of patient care and satisfaction survey distribution and collection.

Patient service associate vs clerical associate salary

Patient service associates and clerical associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Service Associate	Clerical Associate
Average salary	$31,992	$30,024
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $39,000	Between $24,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Bakersfield, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Alaska
Best paying company	Virginia Eye Institute	GBS
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between patient service associate and clerical associate education

There are a few differences between a patient service associate and a clerical associate in terms of educational background:

	Patient Service Associate	Clerical Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Patient service associate vs clerical associate demographics

Here are the differences between patient service associates' and clerical associates' demographics:

	Patient Service Associate	Clerical Associate
Average age	40	47
Gender ratio	Male, 18.2% Female, 81.8%	Male, 20.3% Female, 79.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 7.2% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.0% Asian, 7.7% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	7%	6%

Differences between patient service associate and clerical associate duties and responsibilities

Patient service associate example responsibilities.

Verify patient's insurance eligibility and other pertinent information according to HIPAA regulations and hospital policies.
Screen uninsure patients for medicaid and other programs, complete medicaid applications for qualify applicants.
Interview patients and conduct an analysis of potential eligibility for Medicaid and hospital charity programs.
Obtain accurate and detail diagnostic, demographic and financial information for patients requesting emergency hospital services.
Limit experience in attending patients needs, while perform in accordance with existing regulatory and hospital standards.
Obtain all necessary documentation prior to surgery such as proof of identification, copy of insurance and require insurance referrals.

Clerical associate example responsibilities.

Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Apply ICD-9, CPT and HCPCS codes for outpatient treatments.
Obtain and properly distributes messages using EMR.
Fax radiology reports and make calls regarding abnormal reports.
Coordinate patient radiology exams as well as patient procedures.
Update clinical records associate with patient visits in MYSIS EMR system.

Patient service associate vs clerical associate skills

Common patient service associate skills

Patients, 22%
Customer Service, 12%
Medical Terminology, 6%
Patient Care, 6%
Patient Service, 6%
HIPAA, 4%

Common clerical associate skills

Patients, 23%
Data Entry, 11%
Customer Service, 11%
Phone Calls, 5%
Clerical Functions, 5%
Patient Care, 5%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Patient Service Associate
Patient Service Associate vs Clerical Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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