Appointment scheduler vs referral coordinator

The differences between appointment schedulers and referral coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an appointment scheduler and a referral coordinator. Additionally, a referral coordinator has an average salary of $35,179, which is higher than the $34,414 average annual salary of an appointment scheduler.

The top three skills for an appointment scheduler include patients, phone calls and scheduling patient appointments. The most important skills for a referral coordinator are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.

Appointment scheduler vs referral coordinator overview

	Appointment Scheduler	Referral Coordinator
Yearly salary	$34,414	$35,179
Hourly rate	$16.55	$16.91
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	17,639	65,934
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	2	2

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 referral coordinator do?

A referral coordinator works with insurance companies and care providers to share essential patient information and assists primarily in scheduling appointments and managing health insurance issues. As a referral coordinator, you will work directly with the patient, patient families, or even social workers, depending on the job and patient needs. Other job responsibilities include general administrative or clerical tasks such as setting up appointments for new and existing patients, verifying insurance information before appointments, and answering phone calls.

Appointment scheduler vs referral coordinator salary

Appointment schedulers and referral coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Appointment Scheduler	Referral Coordinator
Average salary	$34,414	$35,179
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $42,000	Between $27,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Maine
Best paying company	UC Santa Barbara	Horizon Laser Vision
Best paying industry	Internet	Health Care

Differences between appointment scheduler and referral coordinator education

There are a few differences between an appointment scheduler and a referral coordinator in terms of educational background:

	Appointment Scheduler	Referral Coordinator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Appointment scheduler vs referral coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between appointment schedulers' and referral coordinators' demographics:

	Appointment Scheduler	Referral Coordinator
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6%	Male, 10.2% Female, 89.8%
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, 9.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between appointment scheduler and referral coordinator 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.

Referral coordinator example responsibilities.

Establish rapport with all PCP offices, hospital personnel, and manage care representatives.
Ensure CPT and ICD-9 coding are accurate and complete according to AMA's guidelines and for third party intermediaries.
Contact medical insurance companies and provide ICD-9 diagnosis and CPT procedure codes for patient's illness, condition or injury.
Apply ICD-9 and CPT-4 codes to complete referral requests online or via fax.
Conduct the entire office's EHR process and create a system to track old and new patient's records.
Incorporate core organizational values of quality, respect, integrity, partnership, and compassion in all activities and decisions.

Appointment scheduler vs referral coordinator skills

Common appointment scheduler skills

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

Common referral coordinator skills

Patients, 30%
Customer Service, 12%
Medical Terminology, 7%
Patient Care, 4%
Data Entry, 4%
EMR, 3%

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Appointment Scheduler
Appointment Scheduler vs Referral Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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