Billing Specialist: What is the cost of hiring?

Why hire a billing specialist?

Hiring a billing specialist can have a huge impact on your workplace. Billing concerns are sure to arise, and providing clients, patients or employees with someone dedicated and knowledgeable in the field gives them the support they need. A billing specialist can provide the following: 

• Accurate and timely billing
• Specialized help for employees with questions or concerns
• Support for Human Resources

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance billing specialist

Determining whether you should hire a full-time or freelance billing specialist depends on the specific needs of your company. Full-time billing specialists are available five days a week to handle day-to-day billing and invoicing matters and resolve billing conflicts as they arise.

A freelance billing specialist would generally be hired for overflow work or if a business only needs assistance with invoices and billing during a certain time, such as tax season. You may also consider hiring a freelance billing specialist if the budget of your practice or business doesn’t allow for a full-time worker on the payroll. 

What are the levels of billing specialists?

Billing specialists work in business offices and medical practices, and they assist providers in all areas of billing. The position starts as entry level, and there’s some room for advancement. Here are the common levels of billing specialists. 

• Entry-level billing clerk: Billing clerks start off as entry-level employees. They receive training from billing specialists and managers, and they assist with answering office phones, handling billing data entry and performing other administrative tasks directly related to billing.
• Billing specialist: Billing specialists work in medical and office settings. They work directly with insurance companies to coordinate balances due, and they assist patients and customers with setting up payment plans. Billing specialists also enter financial data into business databases.
• Billing specialist manager: Billing specialist managers oversee staff that work in billing departments. They maintain billing records and handle billing questions from patients and insurance companies. They’re also responsible for resolving conflicts when patients or customers have issues with invoices and other billing procedures. 

Where to find billing specialists

To find the right billing specialist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies. 

• Hire from within. If your office currently employs an administrative assistant or intern, consider offering them a position in your billing department. Hiring from within ensures candidates are already familiar with your office procedures, which helps save time in the interview and training process.
• Post flyers. If your practice or business is located in an office building, posting flyers in common areas such as breakrooms or on community bulletin boards is a good way to recruit interested candidates. 
• Ask colleagues for referrals. Consider asking colleagues who run their own practices for referrals. They may have a part-time employee in their office who’s looking to change positions or in need of additional work hours. 
• Post your job online. Try posting your billing specialist job on Indeed to find and attract quality billing specialist candidates. 

Skills to look for in a great Billing Specialist

A great billing specialist candidate will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:

• Advanced experience in medical billing
• Knowledge of insurance plans and premiums
• Responsible handling of sensitive information
• Organization
• Attention to detail
• Accountability

Writing a billing specialist job description

A thoughtful description is important in finding qualified billing specialist candidates. A billing specialist job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your billing specialist job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting . These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on billing specialist jobs, according to Indeed data. 

• Billing specialist
• Medical billing
• Accounting
• Billing
• Data entry
• Medical biller
• Medical billing specialist
• Remote work from home
• Medical coding 
• Accounts receivable

Interviewing billing specialist candidates

Strong candidates for billing specialist positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Their experience interacting with insurance companies
• Their method for submitting bills
• How they manage their time effectively

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of billing specialist interview questions for examples (with sample answers).