What does an ambulatory care coordinator do?
An ambulatory care coordinator coordinates with physicians to ensure that the patients' individual medical needs are identified and addressed on time. Ambulatory care coordinators work directly under the supervision of an assigned ambulatory manager and supervisor to promote patients' health and welfare through face-to-face, telephone, or email. They maintain knowledge and expertise in electronic software tools so that medical records can be encoded into the computer. Ambulatory care coordinators are also required to take the licensure exams for registered nurses.
Ambulatory care coordinator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real ambulatory care coordinator resumes:
- Manage caseload by providing care coordination to individuals with a primary intellectual/developmental disability diagnosis all of whom receive community-base waiver services.
- Initiate supportive counseling and crisis intervention for groups and individuals in children's rehabilitation hospital setting.
- Conduct NCQA audits and quality surveys for physicians.
- Assist with increasing family unity, life skills and legal entities.
- Assist members with finding placement in the ALF or SNF setting.
- Generate appropriate letters of authorization and denial according to NCQA and CMS guidelines.
- Submit weekly reports, weekly calendars, day by day client and PCC conversation.
- Pass a thorough background check, health assessment, CPR certification and special training classes.
- File caregiver confidential information such as drivers license, CPR card, physicals and CEU.
- Maintain a high level of professionalism when completing the duties and responsibilities of a PCC.
- Assist with facilitating the preparation of staff schedules and ensure documentation of such in the EMR.
- Analyze shared and full risk contracts with MCO's through negotiation of reimbursement and contract language.
- Cross checking information in EMR and insurance plan databases to eliminate clinical gaps that are actually complete.
- Assist the physician's with appropriate levels of care for acute care, SNF, and LTAC.
- Perform telephonic concurrent reviews of the Medicaid population.
Ambulatory care coordinator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Ambulatory Care Coordinators are proficient in Patients, Social Work, and Patient Care. They’re also known for soft skills such as Emotional stability, Physical stamina, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Ambulatory Care Coordinators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 18%
Reviewed administrative eligibility and authorized non-VA care for VA patients in compliance with the national guidelines and established delegation of authority.
- Social Work, 8%
Generated and updated personalized member centered plans of care involving the member's PCP, family/caregiver, Social Worker/Behavioral.
- Patient Care, 6%
Enhance the delivery of patient care by effectively coordinating administrative functions associated with the delivery of clinical services.
- Home Health, 6%
Invited speaker at civic and community events educating public regarding home health care advantages and opportunities.
- Rehabilitation, 5%
Reviewed and approved client transportation requests into the community and established a daily outing and recreational schedule for client rehabilitation.
- Customer Service, 5%
Schedule staff*Order medical supplies*File*Break down and thin charts*Hands on care of residents*Customer Service*Schedule all in-services and staff meetings*Manage staff hours and overtime
Most ambulatory care coordinators use their skills in "patients," "social work," and "patient care" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential ambulatory care coordinator responsibilities here:
Emotional stability. The most essential soft skill for an ambulatory care coordinator to carry out their responsibilities is emotional stability. This skill is important for the role because "registered nurses need emotional resilience and the ability to cope with human suffering, emergencies, and other stressors." Additionally, an ambulatory care coordinator resume shows how their duties depend on emotional stability: "provided services for families of emotionally disturbed children using the strength based/solution focused approach in assessments to work with wraparound process. "
Physical stamina. Another essential skill to perform ambulatory care coordinator duties is physical stamina. Ambulatory care coordinators responsibilities require that "nurses should be comfortable performing physical tasks, such as lifting patients." Ambulatory care coordinators also use physical stamina in their role according to a real resume snippet: "assist patients and coordinate in scheduling appointments, physical therapies, delivery and pick up of dme. "
Detail oriented. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of ambulatory care coordinators is detail oriented. This skill is critical to many everyday ambulatory care coordinator duties, as "registered nurses must be precise because they must ensure that patients get the correct treatments and medicines at the right time." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "instructed, supervised, and oriented 50 home health aides and licensed assistive personnel. "
Compassion. A big part of what ambulatory care coordinators do relies on "compassion." You can see how essential it is to ambulatory care coordinator responsibilities because "registered nurses should be caring and empathetic when working with patients." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical ambulatory care coordinator tasks: "work in team environment to support professional, compassionate patient care. "
Organizational skills. Another common skill required for ambulatory care coordinator responsibilities is "organizational skills." This skill comes up in the duties of ambulatory care coordinators all the time, as "nurses often work with multiple patients who have a variety of health needs." An excerpt from a real ambulatory care coordinator resume shows how this skill is central to what an ambulatory care coordinator does: "utilize appropriate assessments to gather member information, data entry input using organizational software click 4 care. "
Communication skills. Lastly, "communication skills" is an important element of what an ambulatory care coordinator does. Ambulatory care coordinator responsibilities require this skill because "registered nurses must be able to communicate effectively with patients in order to understand their concerns and evaluate their health conditions." This resume example highlights how ambulatory care coordinator duties rely on this skill: "maintain communication for service needs and concerns with home health/ppec providers, dme providers, cms/hmo case managers and physicians. "
The three companies that hire the most ambulatory care coordinators are:
- Centene26 ambulatory care coordinators jobs
- UnitedHealth Group21 ambulatory care coordinators jobs
- Brown & Brown10 ambulatory care coordinators jobs
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Ambulatory care coordinator vs. Registered nurse supervisor
A Registered Nurse Supervisor oversees a team of registered nurses in a hospital or clinic, making sure that all operations are efficient and up to standard. Moreover, they are responsible for the daily management of nurses, such as when it comes to evaluation, development, and assigning schedules and patients. Aside from supervising and ensuring that everything is running smoothly in their field, they also have to communicate and coordinate with physicians and even families of patients. The responsibilities of a Nurse Supervisor is challenging; this is why they must be proactive and excellent at communication.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, ambulatory care coordinator responsibilities require skills like "social work," "community resources," "behavioral health," and "quality care." Meanwhile a typical registered nurse supervisor has skills in areas such as "acute care," "resident care," "acls," and "quality patient care." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Registered nurse supervisors earn the highest salaries when working in the professional industry, with an average yearly salary of $78,568. On the other hand, ambulatory care coordinators are paid more in the health care industry with an average salary of $40,878.On average, registered nurse supervisors reach lower levels of education than ambulatory care coordinators. Registered nurse supervisors are 10.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Ambulatory care coordinator vs. Staff nurse
Staff nurses are registered nurses who are usually assigned to work in a care home, a company, or in a clinical setting. They advise the physical assessments of patients, employees, and residents. They also handle the checking of vital signs, providing basic medical procedures, giving first aid, and, if possible, providing over the counter medication. Staff nurses provide medical attention to the people in their place of assignment. They help pave the path to their patients' full recovery. Staff nurses are expected to be patient and have good interpersonal skills.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that ambulatory care coordinator responsibilities requires skills like "social work," "home health," "customer service," and "community resources." But a staff nurse might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "bls," "acls," "acute care," and "direct patient care."
On average, staff nurses earn a higher salary than ambulatory care coordinators. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, staff nurses earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $58,739. Whereas ambulatory care coordinators have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $40,878.In general, staff nurses achieve lower levels of education than ambulatory care coordinators. They're 11.9% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Ambulatory care coordinator vs. Nurse
Nurses are medical professionals assigned to a specific department in the hospital and provide their trusted department services. Nurses are in charge of taking patients' medical histories, getting vital signs, preparing patients for checkups or procedures, explaining upcoming practices, answering any questions, and communicating any concerns to the assigned doctor. Nurses should ensure that patients follow the medical advice given to them. They also assist patients in completing administrative requirements, such as filling out forms, validating details, and endorsing payments.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from ambulatory care coordinator resumes include skills like "social work," "customer service," "community resources," and "behavioral health," whereas a nurse is more likely to list skills in "bls," "acute care," "acls," and "infection control. "
Nurses earn the highest salary when working in the government industry, where they receive an average salary of $63,263. Comparatively, ambulatory care coordinators have the highest earning potential in the health care industry, with an average salary of $40,878.nurses typically earn lower educational levels compared to ambulatory care coordinators. Specifically, they're 10.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Ambulatory care coordinator vs. Student nurse
A Student Nurse is responsible for treating and taking care of a patient's needs while upholding all the rules and medical regulations of a hospital or clinic. They work and function under the supervision of a Clinical Instructor while still gaining practical experience. Furthermore, among the duties of a Student Nurse revolves around following guidelines given by superiors, administering medication according to schedule, dressing patients, handing meals and changing beds, gathering and charting data, and coordinating with the instructor at all times.
Types of ambulatory care coordinator
Updated January 8, 2025
