What does a medication coordinator do?
A medication care coordinator communicates on the job with basic knowledge of medical terminology and human anatomy to ensure that patient medication plans are correct. Medication care coordinators establish relationships with healthcare clinic partners. They serve as liaisons between pharmacies and patients. Their skills to acquire include knowledge and experience in patient care, customer service, medical standards, and treatment plans. They should also develop strong communication skills, attention to detail, and patient relations.
Medication coordinator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real medication coordinator resumes:
- Manage patient's accounts collecting and billing financial statements, budgets and expertise with CPT and ICD-9 coding.
- Manage inpatient transfers to rehabilitation and medical facilities, along with preparing and monitoring outpatient billings insurance verification and referrals.
- Complete records after patients complete all medical appointments, typing intake forms and additional entries/forms, and obtain physician signatures.
- Navigate effectively through an electronic medical records (EMR) system.
- Develop plan for confidentiality of client and agency information through HIPAA guidelines.
- Perform Medicare and Medicaid audits on members using company medical policy and establish criteria for H.C.F.A.
- Design medical protocols and assist with database coordination, HIPAA regulations, and medical tracking of patients/runners.
- Review for medical necessity and appropriateness of acute services for medicaid reimbursement according to state guidelines and protocols.
- Ensure compliance with all applicable state and federal regulatory agencies by obtaining and documenting treatment and disclosure authorizations for patients.
- Manage inpatient transfers to rehabilitation and medical facilities, along with preparing and monitoring outpatient billings insurance verification and referrals.
- Coordinate non-clinical tasks, including: transcription of doctor's orders, maintaining the patient chart and utilization of communication devices.
- Perform routine laboratory tests, EKG, PFT, and assist with procedures.
- Perform general secretarial duties including transcription, appointment setting, scheduling and CQI monitoring.
- Verify patient demographic and insurance information using the Meditech system for all patients utilizing hospital services.
Medication coordinator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Medication Coordinators are proficient in Patients, Triage, and HIPAA. They’re also known for soft skills such as Writing skills, Organizational skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Medication Coordinators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 13%
Ensured compliance with all applicable state and federal regulatory agencies by obtaining and documenting treatment and disclosure authorizations for patients.
- Triage, 6%
Performed walk-in and phone triage of urgent/emergent and acute/chronic conditions.
- HIPAA, 6%
Designed medical protocols and assisted with database coordination, HIPAA regulations, and medical tracking of patients/runners.
- Customer Service, 6%
Supervised Respiratory Therapists and Customer Service personnel to ensure accurate and timely responses to patient's home medical equipment needs.
- Test Results, 5%
Communicate with surrogates to inform them of any pertinent information in their medical records and explain laboratory test results when needed.
- Vital Signs, 5%
Take patient's vital signs, respond to patient concerns with medications, researches problems that arise and interact with pharmacies.
"patients," "triage," and "hipaa" are among the most common skills that medication coordinators use at work. You can find even more medication coordinator responsibilities below, including:
Writing skills. The most essential soft skill for a medication coordinator to carry out their responsibilities is writing skills. This skill is important for the role because "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers." Additionally, a medication coordinator resume shows how their duties depend on writing skills: "obtained authorization from various insurance carriers via phone, in writing or electronic media. "
Organizational skills. Another essential skill to perform medication coordinator duties is organizational skills. Medication coordinators responsibilities require that "secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in order so that an office runs efficiently." Medication coordinators also use organizational skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "achieved challenging organizational goals by working effectively with patients, dentist and executive management. "
Interpersonal skills. medication coordinators are also known for interpersonal skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to medication coordinator responsibilities, because "secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff." A medication coordinator resume example shows how interpersonal skills is used in the workplace: "use strong interpersonal/customer service skills to assist and interact with patients, and families, as well as clinical staff"
The three companies that hire the most medication coordinators are:
- UnitedHealth Group70 medication coordinators jobs
- Humana50 medication coordinators jobs
- Southwest Key Programs26 medication coordinators jobs
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Compare different medication coordinators
Medication coordinator vs. Patient liaison
Patient Liaisons are intermediaries addressing concerns on behalf of patients and families working in tandem with the hospital administrator. They are responsible for gathering data regarding patient care issues and inquiries, assessing patient well-being, suggesting improvements, and interpreting hospital service, policies, and procedures to patients and families. Patient Liaisons also work to educate health care professionals in humanizing the hospital experience for patients. They work in a hospital, clinic, nursing home, or programs related to public health.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a medication coordinator are more likely to require skills like "triage," "standing orders," "medical services," and "allergies." On the other hand, a job as a patient liaison requires skills like "health system," "surgery," "patient flow," and "social work." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Patient liaisons really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $32,280. Comparatively, medication coordinators tend to make the most money in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $44,322.On average, patient liaisons reach similar levels of education than medication coordinators. Patient liaisons are 1.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.9% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Medication coordinator vs. Medical scheduler
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.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that medication coordinator responsibilities requires skills like "vital signs," "standing orders," "medical services," and "allergies." But a medical scheduler might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "strong customer service," "phone calls," "scheduling patient appointments," and "outbound calls."
Medical schedulers earn a lower average salary than medication coordinators. But medical schedulers earn the highest pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $32,016. Additionally, medication coordinators earn the highest salaries in the pharmaceutical with average pay of $44,322 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Medical schedulers tend to reach lower levels of education than medication coordinators. In fact, they're 6.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Medication coordinator vs. Insurance coordinator
An insurance coordinator is responsible for evaluating and validating insurance information to verify claims and process the necessary claims resolutions for parties. Insurance coordinators submit claims statements timely to the insurance officers for review, coordinate with the clients for inquiries and updates, and reach out to medical institutions for accurate filing of payments. An insurance coordinator must have excellent communication and analytical skills to assess reports, resolve claims discrepancies, and escalate high-level complaints to the officers for immediate action.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from medication coordinator resumes include skills like "triage," "test results," "vital signs," and "standing orders," whereas an insurance coordinator is more likely to list skills in "strong customer service," "insurance eligibility," "health insurance," and "insurance benefits. "
Insurance coordinators make a very good living in the pharmaceutical industry with an average annual salary of $33,609. On the other hand, medication coordinators are paid the highest salary in the pharmaceutical industry, with average annual pay of $44,322.Most insurance coordinators achieve a similar degree level compared to medication coordinators. For example, they're 4.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Medication coordinator vs. Front office coordinator
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.
Types of medication coordinator
Updated January 8, 2025
