What Is the Annual Salary for a Medical Biller?
Medical billing clerks, also known as medical billers, work for doctors and other health care providers, submitting claims to insurance companies in order to receive payment for treatment given to patients who carry insurance through those companies. This may require repeated interaction with the insurance companies in order to reconcile the treatment with the companies' standards for paying the claim in full. The average annual salary for a medical biller is around $31,000, with the top 10% in the field averaging about $41,500. Annual earnings for medical billing clerks show a distinct upward trend, and with a steady demand for their services, there are no signs of decline in the future.
History
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average annual salary for medical billers has increased steadily every year since 2000:
2007: $30,940
2006: $29,790
2005: $28,720
2004: $27,950
2003: $26,530
2002: $25,900
2001: $25,250
2000: $24,390
This rise in salary is due to the increased cost of living and to an increased need for the services of medical billers caused by the rising number of medical claims in the US.
Significance
There are over 200,000 medical billing clerks working in the United States, making it a significant employment sector in the country. The health care industry as a whole is the largest employer in the country, providing over 14 million jobs. As one of the biggest draws, salary can continue to lure in the talent needed to sustain the ever-increasing demand for workers in health care in general and medical billing in particular.
Geography
Medical billing salaries vary by state and city. The top-paying states include: the District of Columbia ($39,280), Alaska ($36,850), Connecticut ($36,220), New Jersey ($35,070) and Massachusetts ($34,130). The top-paying metropolitan areas are: San Francisco, California ($42,440), Danbury, Connecticut ($41,600), Rochester, Minnesota ($40,590), Napa, California ($38,940) and Fairbanks, Alaska ($37,980).
Considerations
How much you get paid as a medical billing clerk depends on where you work -- not just in a geographic sense, but also in terms of the type of facility in which you work.Billers in community care facilities for the elderly, for instance, make $35,780 a year, while those working in dentists' offices ($33,890), nursing and residential care facilities ($32,760) and nursing care facilities ($32,740) also earn more than the national average for the position. Those working in ambulance services, on the other hand, average only $27,410, while those working in optometrists' offices ($27,670) and the offices of mental health practitioners ($27,950) earn significantly less.
Potential
Employment for medical billers is expected to grow by more than 10% over the next decade. As part of the health care industry, the fastest-growing industry in the U.S., job prospects in medical billing benefit from a growing, aging population that is living longer because of both technological and clinical advances and an increased focus on preventive treatment. More patients in hospitals, nursing homes and doctors' offices translate into more jobs for medical billing specialists, and with the increased demand comes increased earnings -- particularly with the historical rise in annual salary for the position.
Tags: medical billing, health care, medical billers, billing clerks, care facilities, annual salary, Annual Salary
