Registration clerk vs registration specialist

The differences between registration clerks and registration specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a registration clerk, becoming a registration specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a registration specialist has an average salary of $30,422, which is higher than the $30,061 average annual salary of a registration clerk.

The top three skills for a registration clerk include patients, medical terminology and customer service. The most important skills for a registration specialist are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.

Registration clerk vs registration specialist overview

	Registration Clerk	Registration Specialist
Yearly salary	$30,061	$30,422
Hourly rate	$14.45	$14.63
Growth rate	-	-4%
Number of jobs	123,390	79,118
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	42	40
Years of experience	2	4

What does a registration clerk do?

A registration clerk is responsible for performing administrative and clerical tasks for patients' admission in a health care setting. Registration clerks assist patients with filling out hospital forms, verifying their medical histories, and confirming their insurance details. They also respond to the patients' inquiries and concerns, as well as directing them to the appropriate facility for their medical needs. A registration clerk must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on managing appointments and ensuring that the patients receive the highest quality of health care.

What does a registration specialist do?

A registration specialist is responsible for managing patient information, including the verification of their insurance details and medical treatment schedules. Registration specialists assign admission rooms and processing payments for discharge. They also assist patients with the completion of medical forms by helping them fill-out papers with the most accurate information. A registration specialist performs administrative and clerical duties as needed, requiring them to have excellent data management skills to process information and provide the highest quality care services for the patients.

Registration clerk vs registration specialist salary

Registration clerks and registration specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Registration Clerk	Registration Specialist
Average salary	$30,061	$30,422
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $39,000	Between $23,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	California	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Hancock Wellness	Deloitte
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between registration clerk and registration specialist education

There are a few differences between a registration clerk and a registration specialist in terms of educational background:

	Registration Clerk	Registration Specialist
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Registration clerk vs registration specialist demographics

Here are the differences between registration clerks' and registration specialists' demographics:

	Registration Clerk	Registration Specialist
Average age	42	40
Gender ratio	Male, 11.8% Female, 88.2%	Male, 14.5% Female, 85.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 21.7% Asian, 4.4% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 6.0% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	7%

Differences between registration clerk and registration specialist duties and responsibilities

Registration clerk example responsibilities.

Use EMR software to manage patient records and files, reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic.
Perform EKG for cardiac patients.
Verify eligibility for Medicaid patients register through insurance websites.
Conduct initial intake interview and register patients for hospital procedures and day surgery.
Register patients, including radiology inpatient and outpatient for medical services accordance of insurance guidelines.
Procure past EKG and additional information as per physicians request from ALTHA.

Registration specialist example responsibilities.

Attain and authenticate patient insurance information, counsel patients on changes in insurance policies, verify patient demographics.
Help patients through the registration and admitting processes and also contribute to the PBX department.
Input data entries for insurance billing; adding CPT codes and diagnosis from face sheets as patients arrive.
Act as hospital PBX operator.
Complete all charge entry, enter all CPT and ICD-9 codes for billing for multiple doctors each day.
Enter patient information and verify information according to HIPAA regulations.

Registration clerk vs registration specialist skills

Common registration clerk skills

Patients, 40%
Medical Terminology, 5%
Customer Service, 5%
Patient Registration, 3%
Computer System, 3%
Insurance Verification, 3%

Common registration specialist skills

Patients, 25%
Customer Service, 14%
Medical Terminology, 8%
Patient Registration, 5%
Insurance Verification, 4%
Data Entry, 4%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Registration Clerk
Registration Clerk vs Registration Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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