A healthcare administrative assistant works to insure that the clinic, doctor’s office, or hospital they work at functions as smoothly as possible. You are not just in charge of checking patients in when they arrive, your responsibilities are much more than that. As a healthcare administrative assistant, you would provide a wide variety of support to one or more departments or managers. You would prepare documents for personnel changes, produce operating reports for your respective department, and serve as a liaison for internal and external inquiries for your respective department.

Education/ Experience

• Generally, a Bachelor’s degree is required, although some companies may accept a High School Diploma or GED as well
• Minimum of a couple years’ experience with Microsoft Office is required for most positions
• Previous experience with administrative support duties are generally preferred, though not always required
• Being bilingual is a requirement for some positions, but is generally preferred for good customer service
• The ability to multi-task in a fast paced environment is generally a required ability

Job Duties

• Performing clerical duties such as photocopying, faxing, mail distribution, and filing
• Maintains records for staff, phones, company credit cards, and office keys
• Creates various types of documentation using Microsoft Office
• Coordinates meetings or conference calls as needed
• Answers phones in a timely manner using good customer service skills and judgement in the distribution of messages
• In charge of keeping inventory of all office supplies, and placing replenishment orders as needed
• Records minutes at meetings and archives them accordingly
• Performs other related duties as assigned

Healthcare accounting clerks can work at various healthcare facilities, including hospitals and private practices. They are responsible for collecting account payments for the services performed on patients, maintaining all staff and patient files, and handling all billing duties.

Education, Experience, and Responsibilities

At a minimum, a high school diploma or equivalent training is required to take on this position. An accounting clerk job usually requires a few years of experience in accounting and payroll duties, and a firm understanding of numbers and ledgers and how they relate to invoices. Experience processing claims in health, disability, and accident insurance is a definite plus.

Some of the duties accounting clerks in the healthcare field are responsible for are:

• Balancing patient accounts and taking payments for services rendered,
• Reviewing bills and claims for accurate information,
• Entering data into the company’s database,
• Handling incoming and outgoing email and physical mail,
• Maintaining and protecting employee payrolls,
• Maintaining all staff and patient files in the company’s database,
• Preparing billing reports and other documents to provide to state or federal government agencies as needed,
• Identifying and resolving problems and inaccuracies in date entries, and
• Extensively interacting with patients, physicians, policy representatives, and other people as necessary to collect payments.

The healthcare accountant clerk may be required to perform other specialized clerical duties, as needed.

A healthcare accountant can specialize in several positions, such as bookkeeping, internal accounting and auditing, budgeting, and managing finances. Accountants balance the financial records of hospitals, private care facilities, health insurance companies, and other health-related organizations.

Education and Training

Most of these positions require a two-year bachelor’s degree at a minimum, from an accredited institution, but exact requirements may vary. A master’s degree in accounting or healthcare (with an optional concentration in business accounting) can help you find the position that’s right for you.

The Commission on Accreditation Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) often hosts workshops and seminars to keep professionals in the field up-to-date with the latest advancements and legal changes in healthcare. Healthcare accountants are required to operate according to all legal codes regarding healthcare and business.

Responsibilities of a Healthcare Accountant

The balance sheet is one of the most important things healthcare accountants handle. A balance sheet presents monetary estimates of real financial assets, along with intangible assets the company has legal claim to. It also shows the total amount of debt the company owes and the difference between total assets and total debt. Altogether, the statement the balance sheet makes provides the total of the company’s assets as the combination of the sum of its debt and the value of its net worth.

At year’s end, and generally at the close of each quarter, the healthcare accountant estimates and reports the dollar values of everything on the balance sheet, as accurately as possible.