Medical receptionist vs patient care representative

The differences between medical receptionists 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 receptionist, becoming a patient care representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a patient care representative has an average salary of $33,709, 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 patient care representative are patients, patient care, and home health.

Medical receptionist vs patient care representative overview

	Medical Receptionist	Patient Care Representative
Yearly salary	$31,960	$33,709
Hourly rate	$15.37	$16.21
Growth rate	-8%	-4%
Number of jobs	118,048	133,317
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age	49	40
Years of experience	2	4

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 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 receptionist vs patient care representative salary

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

	Medical Receptionist	Patient Care Representative
Average salary	$31,960	$33,709
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $27,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Portland, ME	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Maine	Alaska
Best paying company	CENTER FOR SIGHT	Massachusetts General Hospital
Best paying industry	Health Care	Technology

Differences between medical receptionist and patient care representative education

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

	Medical Receptionist	Patient Care Representative
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Medical receptionist vs patient care representative demographics

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

	Medical Receptionist	Patient Care Representative
Average age	49	40
Gender ratio	Male, 5.2% Female, 94.8%	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 receptionist and patient care representative 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.

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 receptionist vs patient care representative skills

Common medical receptionist skills

Patients, 30%
Customer Service, 9%
Check-In, 6%
Medical Terminology, 6%
Patient Care, 4%
Front Desk, 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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Office and Administrative Industry
Medical Receptionist
Medical Receptionist vs Patient Care Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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