Medical administrator vs unit coordinator

The differences between medical administrators and unit 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 medical administrator and a unit coordinator. Additionally, a unit coordinator has an average salary of $43,688, which is higher than the $35,713 average annual salary of a medical administrator.

The top three skills for a medical administrator include patients, patient care and medical terminology. The most important skills for a unit coordinator are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.

Medical administrator vs unit coordinator overview

	Medical Administrator	Unit Coordinator
Yearly salary	$35,713	$43,688
Hourly rate	$17.17	$21.00
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	104,510	85,294
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	2	2

What does a medical administrator do?

A medical administrator is in charge of overseeing a medical facility's daily operations, ensuring the efficiency of all services and processes. Among their responsibilities include setting goals and guidelines, studying the feedback of different parties, gathering and analyzing data to identify areas needing improvement, planning and organizing new services and projects, managing the medical staff, and developing strategies to optimize operations. They may also develop training programs for new and current employees, coordinating with experts in the medical field. Furthermore, as a medical administrator, it is essential to lead the workforce while implementing the hospital's policies and regulations.

What does a unit coordinator do?

A unit coordinator is responsible for providing quality care services to patients by supporting the daily operations of a health care facility under the supervision of medical professionals. Unit coordinators perform administrative and clerical tasks as needed, including responding to patients' inquiries and concerns, scheduling appointments, sorting medical records, verifying insurance details, and assisting the physician on the care plans and patients' activities. They also monitor the medical supply inventory, coordinate with suppliers, and ensure the cleanliness and orderliness of the facility by adhering to safety standards and protocols.

Medical administrator vs unit coordinator salary

Medical administrators and unit coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Administrator	Unit Coordinator
Average salary	$35,713	$43,688
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $45,000	Between $29,000 And $65,000
Highest paying City	Hillsborough, NJ	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	California
Best paying company	W. R. Berkley	Ohio's Hospice
Best paying industry	Finance	Health Care

Differences between medical administrator and unit coordinator education

There are a few differences between a medical administrator and a unit coordinator in terms of educational background:

	Medical Administrator	Unit Coordinator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Medical administrator vs unit coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between medical administrators' and unit coordinators' demographics:

	Medical Administrator	Unit Coordinator
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 23.0% Female, 77.0%	Male, 20.7% Female, 79.3%
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 medical administrator and unit coordinator duties and responsibilities

Medical administrator example responsibilities.

Facilitate client relationships and manage surgery schedules, financial consultations, follow up care and ongoing maintenance.
Maintain a working knowledge and understanding of CPT and ICD-10 codes.
Provide patients with information explaining hospital admission policies, time of admission, and HIPPA privacy guidelines.
Receive and fulfill requests for release of information to patients and external providers following HIPPA guidelines
Attend classes to improve proficiency in billing using CPT and ICD9 codes with special modifiers.
Verify coverage for third-party insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, and out of network benefits.

Unit coordinator example responsibilities.

Manage inpatient transfers to rehabilitation and medical facilities, along with preparing and monitoring outpatient billings insurance verification and referrals.
Demonstrate care and compassion toward all patients and family members at all times.
Receive all incoming phone calls; triage calls from the hospital emergency room.
Display ability to identify and prioritize degree of urgency via assignment of triage.
Review all patients EMR to ensure all appropriate power plans and quality measure consoles have been initiate.
Coordinate the daily events in an ICU setting and all other secretarial duties, including but not limit to maintaining equipment.

Medical administrator vs unit coordinator skills

Common medical administrator skills

Patients, 29%
Patient Care, 10%
Medical Terminology, 7%
HIPAA, 6%
CPT, 5%
Medicaid, 5%

Common unit coordinator skills

Patients, 26%
Customer Service, 12%
Medical Terminology, 8%
CPR, 3%
Patient Flow, 3%
Physician Orders, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Medical Administrator
Medical Administrator vs Unit Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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