A medical record clerk is responsible for maintaining patient records in a doctor’s office, hospital, or medical billing office. A medical record clerk typically only needs a high school diploma or equivalent to work in this position, which is considered an entry-level position. A record clerk may also be required to provide customer service to patients, depending on the size of the office.
A medical record clerk’s daily responsibilities may include checking to see which patients have appointments that day and retrieving copies of their records or charts from a filing system for use by the physician and nursing staff throughout the day. Medical records are sometimes kept in two copies, one on paper and one on the computer, in some offices. Medical records may need to be transcribed into digital form and updated as needed as patient records change. A medical record clerk may also be the first person a patient encounters when they walk into the office, and the clerk may be in charge of creating the chart and gathering basic information from the patient, such as address, phone number, and emergency contact information.
A medical record clerk may be required to answer phones and assist patients in scheduling appointments in a smaller office. Some may also be able to answer billing-related questions. Making copies of records and forwarding them to the appropriate locations is an important part of a medical record clerk’s job. For example, copies may be requested by insurance companies, hospitals, other doctor’s offices, or patients themselves, and they must be produced quickly and accurately. Because patient privacy is a serious issue, the records clerk is often in charge of signing out and keeping track of the records.
A medical record clerk may be required to learn insurance billing codes and assist medical billers in the preparation of insurance forms. A records clerk may also enter patient lab results and any other necessary forms, such as growth charts or allergy lists, into the patient’s records. Duties may vary depending on the situation, but it is critical for anyone interested in becoming a record clerk to be organized, efficient, and detail-oriented in order to keep the records accurate. Working in a doctor’s office or other medical facility for a period of time to gain experience and familiarity with the practice may be required to become a medical record clerk. The majority of record clerks work regular, full-time hours, and many employers provide benefits.