Advocate vs patient advocate

The differences between advocates and patient advocates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an advocate, becoming a patient advocate takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an advocate has an average salary of $39,497, which is higher than the $36,325 average annual salary of a patient advocate.

The top three skills for an advocate include CPR, customer service and developmental disabilities. The most important skills for a patient advocate are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Advocate vs patient advocate overview

	Advocate	Patient Advocate
Yearly salary	$39,497	$36,325
Hourly rate	$18.99	$17.46
Growth rate	12%	-4%
Number of jobs	74,970	88,778
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	43	40
Years of experience	12	4

What does an advocate do?

An advocate is a voice for the voiceless. It is their responsibility to speak on behalf of an individual or a particular cause. Most of the duties will vary depending on the line of organization or duty involved; however, an advocate must have extensive knowledge or background on the subject matter. Furthermore, an advocate must be present at gatherings regarding the cause, assist in the negotiation and mediation processes involving contracts and legal documentation, provide or convey accurate information, and defend what they represent.

What does a patient advocate do?

A patient advocate is responsible for supporting the patients with the medical processes in a healthcare institution, assisting them with insurance claims and medical billing disputes, verifying treatment procedures, and conducting referrals to medical professionals based on the patient's needs. Patient advocates facilitate a payment plan for the patients, discussing this plan to the financial department of the facility. They also address the patients' inquiries and concerns, as well as their complaints with hospital operations, immediately raising these issues to higher management.

Advocate vs patient advocate salary

Advocates and patient advocates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Advocate	Patient Advocate
Average salary	$39,497	$36,325
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $58,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Springfield, MA
Highest paying state	New York	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Microsoft	Cognizant
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between advocate and patient advocate education

There are a few differences between an advocate and a patient advocate in terms of educational background:

	Advocate	Patient Advocate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	SUNY at Binghamton	University of Pennsylvania

Advocate vs patient advocate demographics

Here are the differences between advocates' and patient advocates' demographics:

	Advocate	Patient Advocate
Average age	43	40
Gender ratio	Male, 25.7% Female, 74.3%	Male, 17.5% Female, 82.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.7% Asian, 6.2% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 23.6% Asian, 6.8% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	11%	7%

Differences between advocate and patient advocate duties and responsibilities

Advocate example responsibilities.

Develop and maintain communication and contact with community services organizations and other agencies concern with veterans and public service programs.
Perform CPR and a as needed.
Administer first aid and CPR in emergency situations.
Record daily efforts make into an ETO software system.
Perform basic counseling, basic interviewing, conflict mediation, and advocacy for batter women.
Identify and provide emergency crisis service as needed, often through mediation or phone calls.

Show more

Patient advocate example responsibilities.

Manage the complaint process as required by CMS for the hospital.
Provide support for emergencies by managing inappropriate behaviors, aggressive patients, CPR and persons in crisis.
Train to welcome and register patients at ESI triage window.
Document patients medical problems using ICD 9 and CPT coding for patients diagnosis.
Pull any incoming referrals, triage them, and schedule patients with the appropriate doctor.
Collect and review patient information to determine patients' eligibility for Medicaid and charity program assistance.

Show more

Advocate vs patient advocate skills

Common advocate skills

CPR, 12%
Customer Service, 11%
Developmental Disabilities, 11%
Cleanliness, 10%
Patients, 8%
Crisis Intervention, 6%

Common patient advocate skills

Patients, 28%
Customer Service, 11%
Patient Care, 5%
Medicaid, 4%
Financial Assistance, 4%
Patient Accounts, 4%

Advocate vs. similar jobs

Advocate related careers

Advocate related jobs

Advocate jobs by location

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z