Patient access associate vs patient care specialist

The differences between patient access associates and patient care specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a patient access associate and a patient care specialist. Additionally, a patient access associate has an average salary of $35,388, which is higher than the $34,157 average annual salary of a patient care specialist.

The top three skills for a patient access associate include patients, customer service and insurance verification. The most important skills for a patient care specialist are patients, patient care, and data entry.

Patient access associate vs patient care specialist overview

	Patient Access Associate	Patient Care Specialist
Yearly salary	$35,388	$34,157
Hourly rate	$17.01	$16.42
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	85,997	146,861
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

What does a patient access associate do?

A patient access associate serves as a patient's primary point of contact in a physician's office or medical facility. Their responsibilities include greeting and checking in patients, gathering patient data, collecting billing information and medical history, and providing assistance in filling-up forms and necessary documents. They may also address and answer patient inquiries, explaining the protocols and other information as needed. Furthermore, as a patient access associate, it is essential to perform administrative tasks such as keeping records and updating databases, all while maintaining an active communication line with nurses and physicians.

What does a patient care specialist do?

A patient service or care specialist works at different medical facilities. Primary responsibilities include checking patients in and out, scheduling follow-up appointments as well as checking patient eligibility for services or programs. Patient service specialists should maintain a systematic referral log to correlate patient referrals to other specialists. Applicants for the job should have the basic computer knowledge to effectively manage data of patient's files, knowledge of medical terminologies, and possess good interpersonal and customer service skills.

Patient access associate vs patient care specialist salary

Patient access associates and patient care specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Access Associate	Patient Care Specialist
Average salary	$35,388	$34,157
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $51,000	Between $20,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	New York	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Raymond James Financial	KPG
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Health Care

Differences between patient access associate and patient care specialist education

There are a few differences between a patient access associate and a patient care specialist in terms of educational background:

	Patient Access Associate	Patient Care Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Patient access associate vs patient care specialist demographics

Here are the differences between patient access associates' and patient care specialists' demographics:

	Patient Access Associate	Patient Care Specialist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 13.6% Female, 86.4%	Male, 20.3% Female, 79.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 21.7% Asian, 6.0% White, 54.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 6.3% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between patient access associate and patient care specialist duties and responsibilities

Patient access associate example responsibilities.

Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPPA and clinic.
Coordinate scheduling, cross-checking, billing, explaining HIPAA, and care savings programs to patients.
Register patients for outpatient laboratory and/or radiology services.
Collect and update demographic and insurance information from emergency room and labor and delivery patients for registration and/or admissions.
Interview patients and ensure accuracy of all information necessary, including demographic information, insurance verification, and insurance authorizations.
Follow EMTALA, HIPAA, payer and other applicable regulations and standards for registration.

Patient care specialist example responsibilities.

Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic.
Utilize software applications to document call interactions using medical terminology and responsible for initially engaging patients by explaining the services.
Verify CPT codes along with diagnosis code for guarantee payment for surgeries.
Process daily fee tickets and correctly enter office visit ICD 9 and CPT codes into the system for billing.
Adhere to HIPPA confidentiality guidelines.
Track Medicaid eligibility of clients.

Patient access associate vs patient care specialist skills

Common patient access associate skills

Patients, 23%
Customer Service, 15%
Insurance Verification, 8%
Medical Terminology, 8%
Patient Care, 5%
Insurance Coverage, 4%

Common patient care specialist skills

Patients, 33%
Patient Care, 17%
Data Entry, 5%
Medical Terminology, 4%
CPT, 2%
CPR, 2%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Patient Access Associate
Patient Access Associate vs Patient Care Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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