Senior billing specialist vs medical billing clerk

The differences between senior billing specialists and medical billing clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a senior billing specialist and a medical billing clerk. Additionally, a senior billing specialist has an average salary of $52,255, which is higher than the $33,566 average annual salary of a medical billing clerk.

The top three skills for a senior billing specialist include patients, CPT and billing issues. The most important skills for a medical billing clerk are patients, medical billing, and healthcare.

Senior billing specialist vs medical billing clerk overview

	Senior Billing Specialist	Medical Billing Clerk
Yearly salary	$52,255	$33,566
Hourly rate	$25.12	$16.14
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	40,195	164,870
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Associate Degree, 30%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

What does a senior billing specialist do?

A senior billing specialist processes and manages the billing systems of their company. They are in charge of processing necessary payments to clients and business partners and generating and providing invoices. They keep a record of all payment information. They also manage payment due dates and remind clients of the payment deadlines.

What does a medical billing clerk do?

A medical billing clerk is primarily in charge of processing payments and creating billing arrangements in clinics and hospitals. Among their responsibilities include gathering and verifying patient identification, handling insurance information, coding, updating databases, and maintaining records. It is also their responsibility to assist patients by filling out forms, answering their inquiries, and referring them to other services. Moreover, a medical billing clerk must monitor patient accounts and follow-up on delinquent patient accounts, coordinating with collection agencies as needed.

Senior billing specialist vs medical billing clerk salary

Senior billing specialists and medical billing clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Billing Specialist	Medical Billing Clerk
Average salary	$52,255	$33,566
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $73,000	Between $27,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	San Leandro, CA
Highest paying state	Maryland	Washington
Best paying company	Five9	iCare
Best paying industry	Technology	Health Care

Differences between senior billing specialist and medical billing clerk education

There are a few differences between a senior billing specialist and a medical billing clerk in terms of educational background:

	Senior Billing Specialist	Medical Billing Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Associate Degree, 30%
Most common major	Business	Health Care Administration
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Senior billing specialist vs medical billing clerk demographics

Here are the differences between senior billing specialists' and medical billing clerks' demographics:

	Senior Billing Specialist	Medical Billing Clerk
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 16.2% Female, 83.8%	Male, 11.3% Female, 88.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 7.6% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.9% Asian, 6.8% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between senior billing specialist and medical billing clerk duties and responsibilities

Senior billing specialist example responsibilities.

Manage temporary and internship staff on Medicaid posting project.
Revamp updating process for ICD-9 codes to ensure that federal/state changes.
Code all claims interpret in EOMB's from Medicare & EOB from insurance companies.
Resolve incorrect insurance payments, EOB denials, and any issues with outstanding accounts.
Review outpatient medical records for abstraction of billable physician services and conversion of those services into CPT codes.
Process claims reviewing ICD9-10 and CPT codes on to ensure correct submission on HCFA and UB92 claim forms.

Medical billing clerk example responsibilities.

Accept and process healthcare claims and confidential medical records; verify patient eligibility and manage the Medicare and Medicaid billing process.
Interact with patients as part of the quality assurance process (follow-up, EHR confirmation, billing confirmation).
Reconcile insurance and patient payments while researching and resolving incorrect payments, EOB rejections, and assort issues with outstanding accounts.
Utilize medical terminology and follow HIPAA guidelines.
Bill Magellan through Nextgen system.
Double checked CMS-1500 form before posting it out to the insurance companies.

Senior billing specialist vs medical billing clerk skills

Common senior billing specialist skills

Patients, 12%
CPT, 5%
Billing Issues, 5%
Billing System, 5%
Data Entry, 5%
Billing Process, 5%

Common medical billing clerk skills

Patients, 18%
Medical Billing, 10%
Healthcare, 7%
Data Entry, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Medicaid, 5%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Senior Billing Specialist
Senior Billing Specialist vs Medical Billing Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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