How Much Can You Make Working in Healthcare Accounting?

Key Insights:

• Because several factors can affect pay in healthcare accounting positions, there is no simple answer to the question about how much they can make. Level of education and experience, certifications, and even geographic location are a few of the factors that can impact pay for these roles.
• Several online resources are available to help you determine a wage range based on factors that align with your situation and qualifications.
• If this career path interests you, Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA) can help provide the knowledge and skills needed to pursue entry-level healthcare accounting roles such as bookkeeper, accounting clerk, and auditing clerk.

Individuals working in the healthcare accounting field help organizations such as physicians' offices and hospitals collect, organize, and track their financial data. This can involve ensuring that this information is accurate, along with providing financial reports when necessary.

If you're interested in pursuing an entry-level role in healthcare accounting, such as a bookkeeper or accounting clerk, you may be wondering what someone in this type of position can earn. Here's what you should know.

Several Factors Can Impact Healthcare Accounting Pay

There is no single (or easy) answer to how much someone in a healthcare accounting role makes per hour or year. That's because several factors can impact this pay rate. One could be the individual's level of education.

Other factors that could impact pay in the healthcare accounting field include:

• Geographical location, because wages can vary depending on the state in which you work and whether the area is urban or rural²
• Whether you hold any certifications, licenses, and/or other professional credentials
• Your level of experience and skill sets
• The tasks you are assigned
• Your workplace performance

How to Find Healthcare Accounting Wage Information Aligned With Your Skills and Background

Online websites and resources can help you find wage information for healthcare accounting roles that align with your level of education, experience, and credentials. One resource is BLS. This federal agency provides pay information for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks¹, including those working in the healthcare field.

Other options include inputting your information into online salary search sites, such as Indeed and ZipRecruiter. Many of these platforms enable you to filter the results based on information that could affect your pay rate, such as if you hold an associate degree in healthcare accounting and the state in which you plan to work.

Ready to Pursue Training for a Job Involving Healthcare Accounting?

If healthcare accounting interests you, UMA offers an online Healthcare Accounting Associate of Science / Associate of Applied Science Degree program. This program can be completed in 18 months or more.³

The information you learn can help prepare you to pursue entry-level positions that may involve responsibility for basic financial tasks. It covers topics such as accounting principles, an overview of cost and payroll accounting, and ways to optimize the reimbursement cycle.

Some of the courses are focused on healthcare specifically. For instance, not only do you learn about medical terminology, but you'll also study diagnostic and procedural coding (which helps to determine expenses reimbursed by insurance), claims processing, and medical law and ethics.

What should you know about UMA as a prospective student?

UMA offers a learner-centered experience, which means that we are here to help guide and support you throughout your academic journey. We also offer career services for when you're ready to enter the job market, which can include assisting you with your resume, prepping you for interviews, and helping you pursue work in the healthcare field, potentially with one of our employer partners.

Contact us to learn more about how we can help you prepare for a career in healthcare, whether in healthcare accounting or another important area of this broad field.

FAQs

• Does UMA's program prepare me to work as a healthcare accountant? UMA's Healthcare Accounting Associate of Science / Associate of Applied Science Degree program does not prepare you to work as a healthcare accountant, as these professionals typically need a bachelor's degree.⁴ Instead, it is designed to help prepare individuals for entry-level accounting, bookkeeping, and auditing clerk positions within healthcare organizations.
• Can I take the CPA exam after completing UMA's program? UMA's program does not qualify or prepare students to sit for certification or licensure exams. Each state sets its own Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam requirements, many of which include having a bachelor's degree in this field.⁵ UMA's program is designed to help prepare learners to perform basic accounting duties for healthcare organizations in positions such as bookkeeper, accounting clerk, and auditing clerk.