Appointment scheduler vs patient care representative

The differences between appointment schedulers and patient care representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an appointment scheduler, becoming a patient care representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an appointment scheduler has an average salary of $34,414, which is higher than the $33,709 average annual salary of a patient care representative.

The top three skills for an appointment scheduler include patients, phone calls and scheduling patient appointments. The most important skills for a patient care representative are patients, patient care, and home health.

Appointment scheduler vs patient care representative overview

	Appointment Scheduler	Patient Care Representative
Yearly salary	$34,414	$33,709
Hourly rate	$16.55	$16.21
Growth rate	-8%	-4%
Number of jobs	17,639	133,317
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age	49	40
Years of experience	2	4

What does an appointment scheduler do?

An appointment scheduler works in the health care field in a medical office. Appointment schedulers contact patients with regards to their upcoming appointments. They direct calls to the appropriate staff members, pull medical records, and perform general clerical works. Their job involves educating patients or clients on health products and services. They also resolve the complaints and inquiries of the patients as well as other administrative duties.

What does a patient care representative do?

PCRs (Patient Care Representatives) are given responsibilities like updating and verifying patient information after every visit, scheduling and reminding patients about appointments, and informing patients about delays and how long the estimated waiting times will be. They are also responsible for obtaining patients' personal information like their address, contact details, insurance information, and medical and surgical history. They must be able to communicate with patients, family members, and medical staff to give them all the information they need to treat the person looking for medical help.

Appointment scheduler vs patient care representative salary

Appointment schedulers and patient care representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Appointment Scheduler	Patient Care Representative
Average salary	$34,414	$33,709
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $42,000	Between $27,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Alaska
Best paying company	UC Santa Barbara	Massachusetts General Hospital
Best paying industry	Internet	Technology

Differences between appointment scheduler and patient care representative education

There are a few differences between an appointment scheduler and a patient care representative in terms of educational background:

	Appointment Scheduler	Patient Care Representative
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Appointment scheduler vs patient care representative demographics

Here are the differences between appointment schedulers' and patient care representatives' demographics:

	Appointment Scheduler	Patient Care Representative
Average age	49	40
Gender ratio	Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6%	Male, 17.1% Female, 82.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 6.3% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	9%	7%

Differences between appointment scheduler and patient care representative duties and responsibilities

Appointment scheduler example responsibilities.

Manage patient pre-op responsibilities, and generate all necessary paperwork.
Utilize the appropriate screening tools to accurately schedule internally refer patients for MRI appointments.
Obtain and enter complete registration demographic and insurance verification information (primary and secondary) into EMR system.
Implement a new TCMS and EHR database for the doctor's internal use.
Organize & archive electronic documents; scan and link charts and documents into the EHR
Used knowledge of key medical terms to determine patient's symptoms and refer to triage nurse when applicable.

Patient care representative example responsibilities.

Manage cash and co-payments accurately and discharge patients providing them with proper medical notes and information before exiting.
Verify insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, register patients, and code proper ICD-9 and CPT codes on encounters.
Utilize medical terminology, CPT, HCPC and ICD-9 and patient information into new authorizations.
Interview patients to gather information pertinent to their Medicaid application.
Screen, identify, and enter ICD-9 coding from treatment record forms.
Maintain patient confidentiality and follow HIPAA rules.

Appointment scheduler vs patient care representative skills

Common appointment scheduler skills

Patients, 33%
Phone Calls, 10%
Scheduling Patient Appointments, 8%
Customer Service, 5%
Outbound Calls, 4%
Medical Terminology, 4%

Common patient care representative skills

Patients, 25%
Patient Care, 13%
Home Health, 7%
Cash Management, 5%
Phone Calls, 4%
CPT, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Appointment Scheduler
Appointment Scheduler vs Patient Care Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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