Medical office administrator vs patient care representative

The differences between medical office administrators and patient care representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a medical office administrator, becoming a patient care representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a medical office administrator has an average salary of $34,252, which is higher than the $33,709 average annual salary of a patient care representative.

The top three skills for a medical office administrator include patients, patient care and customer service. The most important skills for a patient care representative are patients, patient care, and home health.

Medical office administrator vs patient care representative overview

	Medical Office Administrator	Patient Care Representative
Yearly salary	$34,252	$33,709
Hourly rate	$16.47	$16.21
Growth rate	-8%	-4%
Number of jobs	179,503	133,317
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age	49	40
Years of experience	2	4

What does a medical office administrator do?

A medical office administrator is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties within a health care institution, supplying physicians and medical professionals with patients' information, and coordinating with insurance companies. Medical office administrators handle the information and data management system to ensure the accuracy of patients' details, medical history, and treatment plans. They also schedule doctor appointments and cancellations, as well as monitoring the inventory of medical supplies. A medical office administrator submits payment reports, respond to patients' inquiries and concerns, and process billing disputes.

What does a patient care representative do?

PCRs (Patient Care Representatives) are given responsibilities like updating and verifying patient information after every visit, scheduling and reminding patients about appointments, and informing patients about delays and how long the estimated waiting times will be. They are also responsible for obtaining patients' personal information like their address, contact details, insurance information, and medical and surgical history. They must be able to communicate with patients, family members, and medical staff to give them all the information they need to treat the person looking for medical help.

Medical office administrator vs patient care representative salary

Medical office administrators and patient care representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Office Administrator	Patient Care Representative
Average salary	$34,252	$33,709
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $27,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Anchorage, AK	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Massachusetts General Hospital
Best paying industry	Health Care	Technology

Differences between medical office administrator and patient care representative education

There are a few differences between a medical office administrator and a patient care representative in terms of educational background:

	Medical Office Administrator	Patient Care Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Medical office administrator vs patient care representative demographics

Here are the differences between medical office administrators' and patient care representatives' demographics:

	Medical Office Administrator	Patient Care Representative
Average age	49	40
Gender ratio	Male, 9.4% Female, 90.6%	Male, 17.1% Female, 82.9%
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, 12.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 6.3% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	9%	7%

Differences between medical office administrator and patient care representative duties and responsibilities

Medical office administrator example responsibilities.

Re-Evaluat & improve policy manual, develop standards for HIPPA, OSHA, manage care, billing and medical compliance.
Facilitate client relationships and manage surgery schedules, financial consultations, follow up care and ongoing maintenance.
Used knowledge of medical procedures and customer service, record medical histories and schedule patients for hospitalization and other procedures.
Scan new information such as daily progress notes, physical exams, labs and diagnostic testing into EMR.
Advise and counsel patient regarding food, fluid, medicine intake and restrictions prior to surgery including drop regime.
Organize patient charts and loose reports, as well as paper work from daily operations for scanning into EMR system.

Patient care representative example responsibilities.

Manage cash and co-payments accurately and discharge patients providing them with proper medical notes and information before exiting.
Verify insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, register patients, and code proper ICD-9 and CPT codes on encounters.
Utilize medical terminology, CPT, HCPC and ICD-9 and patient information into new authorizations.
Interview patients to gather information pertinent to their Medicaid application.
Screen, identify, and enter ICD-9 coding from treatment record forms.
Maintain patient confidentiality and follow HIPAA rules.

Medical office administrator vs patient care representative skills

Common medical office administrator skills

Patients, 21%
Patient Care, 10%
Customer Service, 8%
Insurance Verification, 5%
Phone Calls, 5%
Appointment Scheduling, 4%

Common patient care representative skills

Patients, 25%
Patient Care, 13%
Home Health, 7%
Cash Management, 5%
Phone Calls, 4%
CPT, 3%

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Medical Office Administrator
Medical Office Administrator vs Patient Care Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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