Central scheduler vs medical support assistant

The differences between central schedulers and medical support assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a central scheduler and a medical support assistant. Additionally, a medical support assistant has an average salary of $35,390, which is higher than the $32,993 average annual salary of a central scheduler.

The top three skills for a central scheduler include patients, customer service and medical terminology. The most important skills for a medical support assistant are patients, patient care, and advanced life support.

Central scheduler vs medical support assistant overview

	Central Scheduler	Medical Support Assistant
Yearly salary	$32,993	$35,390
Hourly rate	$15.86	$17.01
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	55,861	190,633
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 29%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	2	2

What does a central scheduler do?

Central schedulers are professionals who are responsible for setting up all the appointments from various departments in a medical facility. These schedulers are required to receive incoming medical records of patients while contacting their families to schedule clinic appointments. They must contact the offices of physicians and various hospital personnel so that they can coordinate patient care with multiple health facilities and providers. Central schedulers must also facilitate phone calls from patients to schedule medical procedures.

What does a medical support assistant do?

A medical support assistant job is mainly in health care services, such as hospitals, medical clinics, and private doctors who perform administrative duties and organizing schedules and records. They work together with patients' physicians, nurses, and other medical personnel. Assistants can directly work with patients and call insurance firms on their behalf to inquire about insurance coverage. Medical support assistants encode data on a computer regarding patients' medications, treatment, and lab test results.

Central scheduler vs medical support assistant salary

Central schedulers and medical support assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Central Scheduler	Medical Support Assistant
Average salary	$32,993	$35,390
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $40,000	Between $28,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	-	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	-	Connecticut
Best paying company	-	Microsoft
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between central scheduler and medical support assistant education

There are a few differences between a central scheduler and a medical support assistant in terms of educational background:

	Central Scheduler	Medical Support Assistant
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 29%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Central scheduler vs medical support assistant demographics

Here are the differences between central schedulers' and medical support assistants' demographics:

	Central Scheduler	Medical Support Assistant
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 8.9% Female, 91.1%	Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1%
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 central scheduler and medical support assistant duties and responsibilities

Central scheduler example responsibilities.

Manage patient pre-op responsibilities, and generate all necessary paperwork.
Bill HMO's and commercial insurances.
Adjust medical providers' schedule templates within EMR software.
Check for correct CPt and ICD-10 matches to ensure correct billing.
Train new hires and cross-train current employees in two EMR software programs.
Check all physicians orders for correct CPT, ICD-10 codes, and prior authorizations.

Medical support assistant example responsibilities.

Provide pharmaceutical services to Medicaid recipients through manage care organizations and fee-for-service programs.
Coordinate front and back office tasks such as checking in and checking out patients, triage, and insurance verification.
Assist with enrolling patients into the TRICARE online website so patients can access appointments remotely from any web enable device.
Analyze patients' financial information to recommend suitable programs and lifesaving aid for both veterans and eligible family members.
Review and audit payroll reports.
Apply knowledge of coding systems, including ICD-9-CM and CPT.

Central scheduler vs medical support assistant skills

Common central scheduler skills

Patients, 25%
Customer Service, 11%
Medical Terminology, 10%
Phone Calls, 4%
Patient Demographics, 4%
Patient Care, 3%

Common medical support assistant skills

Patients, 18%
Patient Care, 9%
Advanced Life Support, 7%
Veterans, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Medical Terminology, 5%

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Central Scheduler
Central Scheduler vs Medical Support Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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