Medical center representative vs patient advocate

The differences between medical center representatives 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 medical center representative and a patient advocate. Additionally, a patient advocate has an average salary of $36,325, which is higher than the $32,415 average annual salary of a medical center representative.

The top three skills for a medical center representative include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for a patient advocate are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Medical center representative vs patient advocate overview

	Medical Center Representative	Patient Advocate
Yearly salary	$32,415	$36,325
Hourly rate	$15.58	$17.46
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	101,907	88,778
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

What does a medical center representative do?

A medical center representative is in charge of providing assistance to patients, ensuring they get to receive prompt and efficient service. Among their responsibilities include answering inquiries, directing patients to offices, and addressing issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. They may also perform clerical tasks such as processing insurance documents, responding to calls and correspondence, and maintaining records. Furthermore, as a medical center representative, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with staff while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

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.

Medical center representative vs patient advocate salary

Medical center representatives and patient advocates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Center Representative	Patient Advocate
Average salary	$32,415	$36,325
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $54,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	East Meadow, NY	Springfield, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Best paying company	HonorHealth	Cognizant
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between medical center representative and patient advocate education

There are a few differences between a medical center representative and a patient advocate in terms of educational background:

	Medical Center Representative	Patient Advocate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Nursing	Business
Most common college	New York University	University of Pennsylvania

Medical center representative vs patient advocate demographics

Here are the differences between medical center representatives' and patient advocates' demographics:

	Medical Center Representative	Patient Advocate
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 33.9% Female, 66.1%	Male, 17.5% Female, 82.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.9% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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	7%	7%

Differences between medical center representative and patient advocate duties and responsibilities

Medical center representative example responsibilities.

Follow policies and procedures to accomplish responsibilities including following HIPAA regulations.
Qualify in the application and use of ICD-9 and CPT codes relative to patient registration.
Read claims, CPT and ICD-9 codes to do an explanation of benefits, the company history cards and out-of-pocket expense.
Call points are hematology/oncology, infectious disease, renal transplant/urology and nuclear cardiology.
Operate within the laws of HIPPA.
Help set up protocol for LTM studies in Neuro ICU.

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.

Medical center representative vs patient advocate skills

Common medical center representative skills

Patients, 28%
Customer Service, 13%
Patient Care, 11%
CPR, 7%
Surgery, 7%
Acute Care, 4%

Common patient advocate skills

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

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Office and Administrative Industry
Medical Center Representative
Medical Center Representative vs Patient Advocate

Updated January 8, 2025

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