Lay health advocate vs patient advocate

The differences between lay health advocates 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 lay health advocate and a patient advocate. Additionally, a patient advocate has an average salary of $36,325, which is higher than the $35,126 average annual salary of a lay health advocate.

The top three skills for a lay health advocate include patients, social work and substance abuse. The most important skills for a patient advocate are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Lay health advocate vs patient advocate overview

	Lay Health Advocate	Patient Advocate
Yearly salary	$35,126	$36,325
Hourly rate	$16.89	$17.46
Growth rate	12%	-4%
Number of jobs	62,717	88,778
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	43	40
Years of experience	4	4

What does a lay health advocate do?

A lay health advocate helps the patients prepare for medical appointments, update and organize physicians' information. After the medical appointments, a lay health advocate offers follow-up care services by monitoring patient conditions and ensuring they follow all treatment recommendations. They assist patients in scheduling additional appointments and arrange their medications. These professionals advise patients on the best ways to maintain control over medical care and prevent more medical issues like fall injuries.

What does a patient advocate do?

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.

Lay health advocate vs patient advocate salary

Lay health advocates and patient advocates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Lay Health Advocate	Patient Advocate
Average salary	$35,126	$36,325
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $44,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Johnston, RI	Springfield, MA
Highest paying state	New Hampshire	Massachusetts
Best paying company	NRDC	Cognizant
Best paying industry	Education	Health Care

Differences between lay health advocate and patient advocate education

There are a few differences between a lay health advocate and a patient advocate in terms of educational background:

	Lay Health Advocate	Patient Advocate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

Lay health advocate vs patient advocate demographics

Here are the differences between lay health advocates' and patient advocates' demographics:

	Lay Health Advocate	Patient Advocate
Average age	43	40
Gender ratio	Male, 25.9% Female, 74.1%	Male, 17.5% Female, 82.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 6.0% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	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	21%	7%

Differences between lay health advocate and patient advocate duties and responsibilities

Lay health advocate example responsibilities.

Manage large databases, analyze records, perform literature reviews, prepare PowerPoint presentations, and interpret data for publication.
Provide advocacy and direct support to acute adult and adolescent patients requiring medical and behavioral health treatment in the emergency room.
Maintain all test subject results and consent forms are fully confidential in lieu of federal HIPAA regulation (s . )
Comply with federal regulation in management of clients sensitive personal identifiable information (HIPAA regulations )
Handle suicide prevention and self-harm patients, medical conditions involving bipolar disorders, psychotic disorders and schizophrenia.
Program communication and development working with service providers, healthcare association and organizations to establish a state-wide tobacco treatment safety network.

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Patient advocate example responsibilities.

Manage the complaint process as required by CMS for the hospital.
Provide support for emergencies by managing inappropriate behaviors, aggressive patients, CPR and persons in crisis.
Train to welcome and register patients at ESI triage window.
Document patients medical problems using ICD 9 and CPT coding for patients diagnosis.
Pull any incoming referrals, triage them, and schedule patients with the appropriate doctor.
Collect and review patient information to determine patients' eligibility for Medicaid and charity program assistance.

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Lay health advocate vs patient advocate skills

Common lay health advocate skills

Patients, 17%
Social Work, 14%
Substance Abuse, 9%
Home Health, 5%
Behavioral Health, 5%
Patient Care, 5%

Common patient advocate skills

Patients, 28%
Customer Service, 11%
Patient Care, 5%
Medicaid, 4%
Financial Assistance, 4%
Patient Accounts, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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