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Clinical support specialist vs patient care specialist

The differences between clinical support specialists and patient care specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a clinical support specialist, becoming a patient care specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a clinical support specialist has an average salary of $45,892, which is higher than the $34,157 average annual salary of a patient care specialist.

The top three skills for a clinical support specialist include patients, clinical support and home health. The most important skills for a patient care specialist are patients, patient care, and data entry.

Clinical support specialist vs patient care specialist overview

Clinical Support SpecialistPatient Care Specialist
Yearly salary$45,892$34,157
Hourly rate$22.06$16.42
Growth rate10%-4%
Number of jobs161,163146,861
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age4240
Years of experience24

What does a clinical support specialist do?

A clinical support specialist is in charge of assisting medical workers and clients in hospitals or similar facilities. Among their responsibilities include gathering patient information and medical histories, collecting payment and insurance details, helping patients fill out forms, answering calls and correspondence, and assisting staff as needed. A clinical support specialist may also participate in medical research and studies, providing clerical support to researchers and medical experts. Furthermore, it is essential to function while implementing the facility's safety policies and regulations.

What does a patient care specialist do?

A patient service or care specialist works at different medical facilities. Primary responsibilities include checking patients in and out, scheduling follow-up appointments as well as checking patient eligibility for services or programs. Patient service specialists should maintain a systematic referral log to correlate patient referrals to other specialists. Applicants for the job should have the basic computer knowledge to effectively manage data of patient's files, knowledge of medical terminologies, and possess good interpersonal and customer service skills.

Clinical support specialist vs patient care specialist salary

Clinical support specialists and patient care specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Clinical Support SpecialistPatient Care Specialist
Average salary$45,892$34,157
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $71,000Between $20,000 And $55,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CABoston, MA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaMassachusetts
Best paying companyBoehringer IngelheimKPG
Best paying industryPharmaceuticalHealth Care

Differences between clinical support specialist and patient care specialist education

There are a few differences between a clinical support specialist and a patient care specialist in terms of educational background:

Clinical Support SpecialistPatient Care Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common majorNursingBusiness
Most common collegeDuke UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Clinical support specialist vs patient care specialist demographics

Here are the differences between clinical support specialists' and patient care specialists' demographics:

Clinical Support SpecialistPatient Care Specialist
Average age4240
Gender ratioMale, 22.4% Female, 77.6%Male, 20.3% Female, 79.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 6.3% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage11%7%

Differences between clinical support specialist and patient care specialist duties and responsibilities

Clinical support specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage assignments of paying medical bills limit in depth that include organizing and researching regulations as pertain to veterans eligibility.
  • Help users in customization in the cadence module.
  • Develop and improve EMR work flow including creating and updating software administration maintenance.
  • Maintain client confidentiality and closely follow HIPAA regulations.
  • Perform administrative support activities for medical record management and internal records to assure HIPAA compliance procedures.
  • Complete medical referrals for patients who are being discharge from the hospital including demographics, medications/allergies, and laboratory data.
  • Show more

Patient care specialist example responsibilities.

  • Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic.
  • Utilize software applications to document call interactions using medical terminology and responsible for initially engaging patients by explaining the services.
  • Verify CPT codes along with diagnosis code for guarantee payment for surgeries.
  • Process daily fee tickets and correctly enter office visit ICD 9 and CPT codes into the system for billing.
  • Adhere to HIPPA confidentiality guidelines.
  • Track Medicaid eligibility of clients.
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Clinical support specialist vs patient care specialist skills

Common clinical support specialist skills
  • Patients, 19%
  • Clinical Support, 12%
  • Home Health, 9%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • Patient Care, 8%
  • EMR, 4%
Common patient care specialist skills
  • Patients, 33%
  • Patient Care, 17%
  • Data Entry, 5%
  • Medical Terminology, 4%
  • CPT, 2%
  • CPR, 2%

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