Medical scheduler vs patient coordinator

The differences between medical schedulers and patient coordinators 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 scheduler, becoming a patient coordinator takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a patient coordinator has an average salary of $32,954, which is higher than the $32,201 average annual salary of a medical scheduler.

The top three skills for a medical scheduler include patients, customer service and medical terminology. The most important skills for a patient coordinator are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Medical scheduler vs patient coordinator overview

	Medical Scheduler	Patient Coordinator
Yearly salary	$32,201	$32,954
Hourly rate	$15.48	$15.84
Growth rate	-8%	-4%
Number of jobs	67,831	97,878
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	49	40
Years of experience	2	4

What does a medical scheduler do?

A medical scheduler typically works with patients to coordinate appointment dates and times with health care professionals. Medical schedulers often work in hospitals, outpatient care centers, and other medical practices. They perform other duties aside from managing patients' schedules that includes providing patients the information they need about the hospital and its policies, providing patient support, and handling and managing questions from patients. Medical schedulers also act as a link between patients, clinical staff, and referral sources.

What does a patient coordinator do?

A patient coordinator functions as the primary point of contact between health care professionals and patients in a medical facility. They mostly perform administrative tasks such as greeting visitors, answering calls, responding to inquiries, managing schedules, arranging appointments, processing payments, gathering information, and keeping records. Moreover, they assist in filling out forms, escorting patients to different rooms or offices, and setting treatment plans. Most importantly, they discuss and share necessary information with patients and families regarding medications, procedures, and proceeding care according to a physician's assessment.

Medical scheduler vs patient coordinator salary

Medical schedulers and patient coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Scheduler	Patient Coordinator
Average salary	$32,201	$32,954
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $25,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Brockton, MA
Highest paying state	Washington	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Beacon Hill Staffing Group	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between medical scheduler and patient coordinator education

There are a few differences between a medical scheduler and a patient coordinator in terms of educational background:

	Medical Scheduler	Patient Coordinator
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Medical scheduler vs patient coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between medical schedulers' and patient coordinators' demographics:

	Medical Scheduler	Patient Coordinator
Average age	49	40
Gender ratio	Male, 8.0% Female, 92.0%	Male, 11.2% Female, 88.8%
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, 11.1% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 25.4% Asian, 6.2% White, 51.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	7%

Differences between medical scheduler and patient coordinator duties and responsibilities

Medical scheduler example responsibilities.

Manage patient pre-op responsibilities, and generate all necessary paperwork.
Schedule patients for any testing that is necessary including MRI's, EMG's and Doppler's.
Transcribe physician orders including schedule labs, testing and screening/specimens and occasionally transport patients to various location of the hospital.
Prepare class for transition techniques to transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10.
Perform basic medical assistant duties such as triage, vitals, administer IM injections.
Answer multiple phone lines simultaneously, schedule patient appointments, and interact with physicians and triage patient calls.

Patient coordinator example responsibilities.

Comply with HIPAA regulations by discreetly and professionally handling all patients private medical information.
Gather personal plus insurance information and perform thorough insurance breakdowns for patients.
Communicate directly with patients to obtain initial patient information and respond to inquiries.
Process and update HIPAA relate paperwork and other require institutional forms as necessary.
Obtain all necessary documentation prior to surgery such as proof of identification, copy of insurance and require insurance referrals.
Respond in writing to all grievances in accordance with CMS and DNV guidelines.

Medical scheduler vs patient coordinator skills

Common medical scheduler skills

Patients, 29%
Customer Service, 15%
Medical Terminology, 6%
EMR, 5%
Data Entry, 3%
Insurance Verification, 3%

Common patient coordinator skills

Patients, 30%
Customer Service, 11%
Patient Care, 6%
Patient Flow, 5%
Excellent Organizational, 4%
Check-In, 3%

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Medical Scheduler
Medical Scheduler vs Patient Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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