Medical office administrator vs patient service specialist

The differences between medical office administrators and patient service specialists 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 service specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a medical office administrator has an average salary of $34,252, which is higher than the $33,563 average annual salary of a patient service specialist.

The top three skills for a medical office administrator include patients, patient care and customer service. The most important skills for a patient service specialist are patients, patient service, and physical therapy.

Medical office administrator vs patient service specialist overview

	Medical Office Administrator	Patient Service Specialist
Yearly salary	$34,252	$33,563
Hourly rate	$16.47	$16.14
Growth rate	-8%	-4%
Number of jobs	179,503	105,915
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
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 service specialist do?

A patient service representative serves as a patient's primary point of contact in a hospital or clinic, ensuring accuracy and customer satisfaction. They are mainly responsible for gathering a patient's information and medical history, verifying insurance forms, managing accounts, and processing payments, arranging appointments, and even performing reminder calls and correspondence. There are also instances when a patient service representative must discuss situations to patients and their families, and even alert the doctors when a patient displays strange or unlikely behavior.

Medical office administrator vs patient service specialist salary

Medical office administrators and patient service specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Office Administrator	Patient Service Specialist
Average salary	$34,252	$33,563
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $27,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Anchorage, AK	Springfield, MA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Massachusetts
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Virginia Eye Institute
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between medical office administrator and patient service specialist education

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

	Medical Office Administrator	Patient Service Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Medical office administrator vs patient service specialist demographics

Here are the differences between medical office administrators' and patient service specialists' demographics:

	Medical Office Administrator	Patient Service Specialist
Average age	49	40
Gender ratio	Male, 9.4% Female, 90.6%	Male, 12.5% Female, 87.5%
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, 12.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.9% Asian, 6.4% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	9%	7%

Differences between medical office administrator and patient service specialist 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 service specialist example responsibilities.

Benefit coverage eligibility or concerns for patients will be complete timely to achieve identify outcomes or solutions.
Greet patients and visitors with warmth, compassion, and demonstrate commitment to exceptional service.
Provide customer service to patients via registration, co-pay and co-insurance payment collection, appointment scheduling and telephone service
Obtain patient demographic, billing, insurance, and other necessary intake information for patients seeking rehabilitation services.
Screen, triage, register and verify a high volume of client eligibility and demographic data.
Direct callers to appropriate personnel, and initiate a triage slip for response by medical personnel.

Medical office administrator vs patient service specialist 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 service specialist skills

Patients, 20%
Patient Service, 9%
Physical Therapy, 8%
Rehabilitation, 8%
Patient Appointments, 8%
Front Desk, 7%

Medical Office Administrator vs. similar jobs

Medical Office Administrator related careers

Medical Office Administrator related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Medical Office Administrator
Medical Office Administrator vs Patient Service Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs