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The differences between case managers and patient advocates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a case manager and a patient advocate. Additionally, a case manager has an average salary of $43,118, which is higher than the $36,325 average annual salary of a patient advocate.
The top three skills for a case manager include social work, patients and community resources. The most important skills for a patient advocate are patients, customer service, and patient care.
| Case Manager | Patient Advocate | |
| Yearly salary | $43,118 | $36,325 |
| Hourly rate | $20.73 | $17.46 |
| Growth rate | 9% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 84,959 | 88,778 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 45 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A case manager is responsible for giving advice, handling plans for the client's recovery, and connecting with other human service professionals to ask for further options and recommendations for the client's concerns. Case managers should have excellent communication and listening skills to evaluate the client's needs, ensuring that they will have the utmost care and safety through efficient advocacy. A case manager should be able to provide a reliable support system for the client and monitor progress to achieve wellness and guarantee satisfaction.
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.
Case managers and patient advocates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Case Manager | Patient Advocate | |
| Average salary | $43,118 | $36,325 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $61,000 | Between $29,000 And $45,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Springfield, MA |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Wellpath | Cognizant |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a case manager and a patient advocate in terms of educational background:
| Case Manager | Patient Advocate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between case managers' and patient advocates' demographics:
| Case Manager | Patient Advocate | |
| Average age | 45 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6% | Male, 17.5% Female, 82.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | 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 | 15% | 7% |