Patient access representative vs certified medical technician

The differences between patient access representatives and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a patient access representative, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $33,603 average annual salary of a patient access representative.

The top three skills for a patient access representative include patients, customer service and medical terminology. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Patient access representative vs certified medical technician overview

	Patient Access Representative	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$33,603	$38,859
Hourly rate	$16.16	$18.68
Growth rate	-4%	5%
Number of jobs	151,077	164,424
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	40	44
Years of experience	4	12

What does a patient access representative do?

A Patient Access Representative is the first point of contact of a patient in a hospital facility. Among the duties include the checking-in and out of a patient, gathering a patient's information for the Doctors and Nurses to use, communicates with the patient's family or caregivers, and processes insurance billing. Most of the time, A Patient Access Representative encounters the critically ill or injured which is why one must possess great communication skills and compassion.

What does a certified medical technician do?

Certified Medical Technicians are specialists in medical diagnoses by performing laboratory testing and analysis for hospitals and physicians. Their duties include lab sanitization to prepare for testing and collection, recording medical samples for testing, specimen preparation, blood drawing for donation and testing, and assisting physicians with sample collection as well as equipment handling in surgical rooms. They must also understand how to use complex and sensitive testing equipment such as cell counters, analyzers, microscopes, and centrifuges.

Patient access representative vs certified medical technician salary

Patient access representatives and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Access Representative	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$33,603	$38,859
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Springfield, MA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Alaska
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between patient access representative and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a patient access representative and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	Patient Access Representative	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Connecticut

Patient access representative vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between patient access representatives' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Patient Access Representative	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	40	44
Gender ratio	Male, 14.5% Female, 85.5%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 15.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 10.0% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	8%

Differences between patient access representative and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Patient access representative example responsibilities.

Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPPA and clinic.
Conduct intensive screening of all Medicare, Medicaid and manage care patients for provider service eligibility.
Educate eligible applicants about Medicaid manage care and how to access benefits in a manage care environment.
Run internal reports to ensure ICD 9 and CPT procedure codes are accurate for billing for Medicare and Medicaid patients.
Deliver quality customer service and compassion while obtaining demographic and financial data from patients seeking emergency medical services.
Operate front desk check-in, preparation of charts, receive payments and balance books at the end of the day.

Certified medical technician example responsibilities.

Maintain the cleanliness of storage areas, trays, centrifuges, refrigerators, freezers and work area.
Administer medications to patients according to their medication record as scheduled, as needed according to physician orders.
Perform laboratory test and procedures in areas including chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, serology, and bacteriology.
Perform first aid and apply CPR when necessary.
Perform first aid or CPR during medical emergencies until paramedics arrive.
Assist the residents in their ADL needs and prepare their meals.

Patient access representative vs certified medical technician skills

Common patient access representative skills

Patients, 20%
Customer Service, 13%
Medical Terminology, 9%
Patient Care, 5%
Patient Registration, 5%
Insurance Verification, 4%

Common certified medical technician skills

Patients, 17%
Vital Signs, 12%
CPR, 8%
Administer Medications, 7%
Resident Care, 6%
HIPAA, 6%

Patient Access Representative vs. similar jobs

Patient Access Representative related careers

Patient Access Representative related jobs

Patient Access Representative jobs by location

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Patient Access Representative
Patient Access Representative vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs