Front desk coordinator vs referral coordinator

The differences between front desk coordinators 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 a front desk coordinator and a referral coordinator. Additionally, a referral coordinator has an average salary of $35,179, which is higher than the $31,667 average annual salary of a front desk coordinator.

The top three skills for a front desk coordinator include patients, customer service and check-in. The most important skills for a referral coordinator are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.

Front desk coordinator vs referral coordinator overview

	Front Desk Coordinator	Referral Coordinator
Yearly salary	$31,667	$35,179
Hourly rate	$15.22	$16.91
Growth rate	-	-8%
Number of jobs	119,803	65,934
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 29%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Average age	42	49
Years of experience	2	2

What does a front desk coordinator do?

A Front-Desk Coordinator is the point of contact in a commercial establishment or building such as offices, clinics, salons, and even government agencies. The primary responsibility of a Front-Desk Coordinator is to greet and assist clients of their needs, such as filling-up registrations, appointing schedules, directing clients, and bridging information in a building. Because of these responsibilities, it is crucial to have a pleasing personality and excellent communication skills. Moreover, a Front-Desk Coordinator can also have the task of correspondence in which they are to communicate with clients through calls and emails.

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.

Front desk coordinator vs referral coordinator salary

Front desk coordinators and referral coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Front Desk Coordinator	Referral Coordinator
Average salary	$31,667	$35,179
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $27,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	Alaska	Maine
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Horizon Laser Vision
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between front desk coordinator and referral coordinator education

There are a few differences between a front desk coordinator and a referral coordinator in terms of educational background:

	Front Desk Coordinator	Referral Coordinator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 29%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	-	-

Front desk coordinator vs referral coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between front desk coordinators' and referral coordinators' demographics:

	Front Desk Coordinator	Referral Coordinator
Average age	42	49
Gender ratio	Male, 9.4% Female, 90.6%	Male, 10.2% Female, 89.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 25.6% Asian, 6.0% White, 52.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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	6%	9%

Differences between front desk coordinator and referral coordinator duties and responsibilities

Front desk coordinator example responsibilities.

File invoices, process payments, collect payments, manage all customer files, using QuickBooks.
Manage check-in and registration process for all appointments including physician appointments and medical imaging.
Manage patient data per HIPAA regulations for scheduling, registration, and verification of insurance eligibility.
Enter patient demographics into computer utilize EMR system.
Verify insurance coverage for require procedures and assist patients with alternative options for payments.
Perform clerical/receptionist duties including greeting patients, check-in, and obtaining accurate insurance/demographic information for a gynecological office.

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.

Front desk coordinator vs referral coordinator skills

Common front desk coordinator skills

Patients, 23%
Customer Service, 10%
Check-In, 9%
Front Desk, 9%
Patient Care, 6%
Insurance Verification, 6%

Common referral coordinator skills

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

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Front Desk Coordinator
Front Desk Coordinator vs Referral Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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