Receptionist/billing clerk vs dental receptionist

The differences between receptionist/billing clerks and dental receptionists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a receptionist/billing clerk and a dental receptionist. Additionally, a dental receptionist has an average salary of $34,359, which is higher than the $31,932 average annual salary of a receptionist/billing clerk.

The top three skills for a receptionist/billing clerk include patients, data entry and customer service. The most important skills for a dental receptionist are patients, customer service, and phone calls.

Receptionist/billing clerk vs dental receptionist overview

	Receptionist/Billing Clerk	Dental Receptionist
Yearly salary	$31,932	$34,359
Hourly rate	$15.35	$16.52
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	129,530	66,076
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	High School Diploma, 32%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	2	2

What does a receptionist/billing clerk do?

A receptionist/billing clerk is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties as needed to maintain a smooth flow of operations for the business. Receptionist/billing clerks process the customers' payment transactions, manage account payables, releasing invoices, and immediately resolve account discrepancies. A receptionist/billing clerk must have excellent communication and analytical skills, responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, escalating high-level complaints to the billing management. They should also maintain records of financial documentation for reference and reconciliation as needed.

What does a dental receptionist do?

A dental receptionist is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support dental office operations and ensure that the patients receive the highest quality care services. Dental receptionists manage and schedule the patients' appointments, determine the availability of the dentist, process dental reports and service payments, and ensure the adequacy of dental inventories. They also organize the database system by updating patients' information, sending referrals to medical specialists, pulling-up patient charts, and responding to the patients' dental inquiries and concerns.

Receptionist/billing clerk vs dental receptionist salary

Receptionist/billing clerks and dental receptionists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Receptionist/Billing Clerk	Dental Receptionist
Average salary	$31,932	$34,359
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $39,000	Between $27,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Santa Maria, CA	Bellingham, WA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Leggett & Platt	University of Southern California
Best paying industry	Technology	Health Care

Differences between receptionist/billing clerk and dental receptionist education

There are a few differences between a receptionist/billing clerk and a dental receptionist in terms of educational background:

	Receptionist/Billing Clerk	Dental Receptionist
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	High School Diploma, 32%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Receptionist/billing clerk vs dental receptionist demographics

Here are the differences between receptionist/billing clerks' and dental receptionists' demographics:

	Receptionist/Billing Clerk	Dental Receptionist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 7.2% Female, 92.8%	Male, 4.9% Female, 95.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 25.0% Asian, 5.7% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 27.0% Asian, 5.5% White, 52.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between receptionist/billing clerk and dental receptionist duties and responsibilities

Receptionist/billing clerk example responsibilities.

Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Obtain and track all insurance referrals for patients with HMO products.
Coordinate in-processing of all patients, to include accurate insurance information and payments are entered correctly into office computer system.
Move from SNF billing to HMO outpatient billing and keep a large alpha current.
Maintain confidentiality and adherence to HIPAA guidelines.
Develop effective billing strategies for Medicaid recipients according to HIPPA rules and regulations.

Dental receptionist example responsibilities.

Manage an adjoining veterinary supply shop that sell medications, animal food and pet equipment.
Perform administrative and receptionist duties by managing patient records while staying in compliance with HIPAA and JCAHO.
Manage Eaglesoft system thereby maximizing and balancing the calendar of appointments to drive practice revenue while maintaining optimal practice productivity.
Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Register new patients according to office protocol using EagleSoft.
Experience in PPO and some HMO insurances.

Receptionist/billing clerk vs dental receptionist skills

Common receptionist/billing clerk skills

Patients, 25%
Data Entry, 11%
Customer Service, 9%
Telephone Calls, 7%
Appointment Scheduling, 6%
Front Desk, 5%

Common dental receptionist skills

Patients, 35%
Customer Service, 17%
Phone Calls, 10%
Patient Accounts, 8%
Front Desk, 3%
HMO, 3%

Receptionist/Billing Clerk vs. similar jobs

Receptionist/Billing Clerk related careers

Receptionist/Billing Clerk related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Receptionist/Billing Clerk
Receptionist/Billing Clerk vs Dental Receptionist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs