Medical receptionist vs front office coordinator

The differences between medical receptionists and front office 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 receptionist and a front office coordinator. Additionally, a front office coordinator has an average salary of $32,844, which is higher than the $31,960 average annual salary of a medical receptionist.

The top three skills for a medical receptionist include patients, customer service and check-in. The most important skills for a front office coordinator are patients, customer service, and data entry.

Medical receptionist vs front office coordinator overview

	Medical Receptionist	Front Office Coordinator
Yearly salary	$31,960	$32,844
Hourly rate	$15.37	$15.79
Growth rate	-8%	-5%
Number of jobs	118,048	131,810
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	49	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a medical receptionist do?

Medical receptionists are responsible for manning the front desk at a medical facility such as a clinic or a hospital. They manage schedules and appointments in the clinic or hospital. They help patients to their respective appointments. They also assist doctors, nurses, and other medical practitioners by ensuring that the schedule for the day is being followed. They are also in charge of assisting visitors by directing them wherever they would need to go. Medical receptionists also answer inquiries by patients or visitors. Medical knowledge, great customer service skills, and a friendly attitude are needed.

What does a front office coordinator do?

A front office coordinator is responsible for assisting clients with their inquiries and concerns and directing them to the appropriate department and personnel to immediately address their needs. Front office coordinators schedule appointments, verify visitors' identities by checking their credentials for security purposes, processing service payments, updating customers' data and visitation log on the database, and escalating high-level complaints. A front office coordinator also performs administrative and clerical tasks as needed, requiring them to have excellent time-management and organizational skills.

Medical receptionist vs front office coordinator salary

Medical receptionists and front office coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Receptionist	Front Office Coordinator
Average salary	$31,960	$32,844
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $25,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Portland, ME	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Maine	Massachusetts
Best paying company	CENTER FOR SIGHT	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between medical receptionist and front office coordinator education

There are a few differences between a medical receptionist and a front office coordinator in terms of educational background:

	Medical Receptionist	Front Office Coordinator
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Medical receptionist vs front office coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between medical receptionists' and front office coordinators' demographics:

	Medical Receptionist	Front Office Coordinator
Average age	49	47
Gender ratio	Male, 5.2% Female, 94.8%	Male, 9.0% Female, 91.0%
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, 10.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 24.1% Asian, 6.7% White, 53.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	9%	6%

Differences between medical receptionist and front office coordinator duties and responsibilities

Medical receptionist example responsibilities.

Conduct analysis to address long wait times which lead to faster triage, shorter wait times.
Evaluate all EOB's to insure accurate payment is received and when necessary will file appeals to achieve optimal payments.
Greet and check-in patients, including obtaining accurate patient demographic information, patient registration, and checking insurance eligibility.
Learned and operate chiropractic equipment (decompression; Leander) & x-rays; enabling Dr to have more time for patients.
Resolve concerns of terminally ill patients with compassion and professionalism.
Identify patients' specific scheduling requirements while demonstrating care and compassion via telephone.

Front office coordinator example responsibilities.

Manage medical records and other patient information within HIPPA guidelines.
Manage facility procedures relate to insurance and billing and solve patients' queries regarding their insurance renewal and expiry.
Work in Kronos to enter miss punches or correct time for employees when payroll is due.
Apply proper ICD-9 and CPT coding to patient invoices and submit claims to insurance companies for proper reimbursement.
Monitor physician documentation in EHR versus fee ticket and verify that the correct ICD9 and CPT codes are being used.
Maintain confidentiality of patient privacy in compliance with HIPAA regulations.

Medical receptionist vs front office coordinator skills

Common medical receptionist skills

Patients, 30%
Customer Service, 9%
Check-In, 6%
Medical Terminology, 6%
Patient Care, 4%
Front Desk, 4%

Common front office coordinator skills

Patients, 27%
Customer Service, 11%
Data Entry, 5%
Front Desk, 4%
Insurance Verification, 4%
Patient Charts, 3%

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Medical Receptionist
Medical Receptionist vs Front Office Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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