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The differences between intake specialists and authorization specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an intake specialist, becoming an authorization specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an intake specialist has an average salary of $36,805, which is higher than the $36,518 average annual salary of an authorization specialist.
The top three skills for an intake specialist include patients, customer service and social work. The most important skills for an authorization specialist are patients, customer service, and insurance verification.
| Intake Specialist | Authorization Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $36,805 | $36,518 |
| Hourly rate | $17.69 | $17.56 |
| Growth rate | 12% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 40,663 | 71,831 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
Intake coordinators manage the registration of clients or patients for medical services in a health care facility. They talk to patients and their families, determine their needs, and ask for patients' medical history and their mental and physical state. It is part of their job to obtain the insurance information of the patients. The necessary skills to become an intake coordinator include good writing and reading skills, good communication, and attention to detail.
An authorization specialist is responsible for reviewing insurance claims and determining the necessary settlement for the clients and involved parties. Authorization specialists file documents and gather the required information for further investigation and analysis. They coordinate with the insurance agency and the medical institution and ensure that the correct communications are being sent out for reference. An authorization specialist must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in writing authorization requests and resolve claims timely and efficiently.
Intake specialists and authorization specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Intake Specialist | Authorization Specialist | |
| Average salary | $36,805 | $36,518 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $51,000 | Between $28,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Milford, MA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Citi | Guidehouse |
| Best paying industry | Government | Health Care |
There are a few differences between an intake specialist and an authorization specialist in terms of educational background:
| Intake Specialist | Authorization Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY at Binghamton | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between intake specialists' and authorization specialists' demographics:
| Intake Specialist | Authorization Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 20.7% Female, 79.3% | Male, 15.4% Female, 84.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 6.3% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 22.6% Asian, 6.9% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 7% |