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.
Appointment scheduler responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real appointment scheduler resumes:
- 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.
- Schedule appoints with the above mention as well as outside entities for further follow up treatments and MRI's.
- Adhere to all HIPPA guidelines/regulations.
- Maintain and update patient records electronically using EMR system.
- Maintain patient's confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA Guidelines/Regulations.
- Adhere to HIPPA standards concerning confidentiality and information standards.
- Gather and verify all require customer information according to HIPAA guidelines.
- Schedule appointments verify demographic and insurance information triage messages for nurses and providers
- Listen attentively to ensure a positive customer experience while checking in patients and verifying insurance information.
- Gather all necessary documents when checking patients in and out, including demographics, insurance information and any applicable co-payment.
Appointment scheduler skills and personality traits
We calculated that 33% of Appointment Schedulers are proficient in Patients, Phone Calls, and Scheduling Patient Appointments. They’re also known for soft skills such as Organizational skills, Writing skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Appointment Schedulers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 33%
Gathered all necessary documents when checking patients in and out, including demographics, insurance information and any applicable co-payment.
- Phone Calls, 10%
Answered high volume telephone calls for very active medical office* Accurately scheduled all patient appointments and gathered required information for new patients
- Scheduling Patient Appointments, 8%
Optimized organizational skills by ensuring the maximization of provider time and treatment room utilization by strategically scheduling patient appointments.
- Customer Service, 5%
Maintained multiple doctor schedules at different locations by providing quality customer service to each patient needing an appointment.
- Outbound Calls, 4%
Checked faxes daily, received and entered referrals for patients and made outbound calls to schedule new appointments from referrals received.
- Medical Terminology, 4%
Received training on HIPAA guidelines and regulations and medical terminology.
Common skills that an appointment scheduler uses to do their job include "patients," "phone calls," and "scheduling patient appointments." You can find details on the most important appointment scheduler responsibilities below.
Organizational skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an appointment scheduler to have is organizational skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in order so that an office runs efficiently." Appointment schedulers often use organizational skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "required excellent organizational skills, data entry, and administration duties. "
Writing skills. Another essential skill to perform appointment scheduler duties is writing skills. Appointment schedulers responsibilities require that "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers." Appointment schedulers also use writing skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "assist in writing up repair orders, diagnosing problems with vehicles, roadside assistance and details. "
Interpersonal skills. appointment schedulers are also known for interpersonal skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to appointment scheduler responsibilities, because "secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff." An appointment scheduler resume example shows how interpersonal skills is used in the workplace: "experienced individual with excellent interpersonal and project management skills. "
The three companies that hire the most appointment schedulers are:
- Catholic Health Initiatives - Colorado10 appointment schedulers jobs
- Area Temps7 appointment schedulers jobs
- Monarch4 appointment schedulers jobs
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Compare different appointment schedulers
Appointment scheduler vs. Medical receptionist
Medical receptionists are responsible for manning the front desk at a medical facility such as a clinic or a hospital. They manage schedules and appointments in the clinic or hospital. They help patients to their respective appointments. They also assist doctors, nurses, and other medical practitioners by ensuring that the schedule for the day is being followed. They are also in charge of assisting visitors by directing them wherever they would need to go. Medical receptionists also answer inquiries by patients or visitors. Medical knowledge, great customer service skills, and a friendly attitude are needed.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an appointment scheduler are more likely to require skills like "outbound calls," "emr," "inbound calls," and "health insurance." On the other hand, a job as a medical receptionist requires skills like "check-in," "patient referrals," "patient flow," and "insurance forms." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Medical receptionists earn the highest salaries when working in the health care industry, with an average yearly salary of $32,483. On the other hand, appointment schedulers are paid more in the internet industry with an average salary of $35,201.medical receptionists tend to reach similar levels of education than appointment schedulers. In fact, medical receptionists are 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Appointment scheduler vs. Medication coordinator
A medication care coordinator communicates on the job with basic knowledge of medical terminology and human anatomy to ensure that patient medication plans are correct. Medication care coordinators establish relationships with healthcare clinic partners. They serve as liaisons between pharmacies and patients. Their skills to acquire include knowledge and experience in patient care, customer service, medical standards, and treatment plans. They should also develop strong communication skills, attention to detail, and patient relations.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that appointment scheduler responsibilities requires skills like "phone calls," "scheduling patient appointments," "outbound calls," and "inbound calls." But a medication coordinator might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "vital signs," "standing orders," "medical services," and "allergies."
Medication coordinators may earn a higher salary than appointment schedulers, but medication coordinators earn the most pay in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $44,322. On the other hand, appointment schedulers receive higher pay in the internet industry, where they earn an average salary of $35,201.medication coordinators earn higher levels of education than appointment schedulers in general. They're 7.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Appointment scheduler vs. Referral coordinator
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.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from appointment scheduler resumes include skills like "scheduling patient appointments," "outbound calls," "inbound calls," and "health insurance," whereas a referral coordinator is more likely to list skills in "cpt," "patient referrals," "appointment scheduling," and "home health. "
Referral coordinators make a very good living in the health care industry with an average annual salary of $35,297. On the other hand, appointment schedulers are paid the highest salary in the internet industry, with average annual pay of $35,201.When it comes to education, referral coordinators tend to earn similar degree levels compared to appointment schedulers. In fact, they're 3.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Appointment scheduler vs. Medical office administrator
A medical office administrator is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties within a health care institution, supplying physicians and medical professionals with patients' information, and coordinating with insurance companies. Medical office administrators handle the information and data management system to ensure the accuracy of patients' details, medical history, and treatment plans. They also schedule doctor appointments and cancellations, as well as monitoring the inventory of medical supplies. A medical office administrator submits payment reports, respond to patients' inquiries and concerns, and process billing disputes.
Types of appointment scheduler
Updated January 8, 2025
