Patient access representative vs patient liaison

The differences between patient access representatives and patient liaisons 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 representative and a patient liaison. Additionally, a patient access representative has an average salary of $33,603, which is higher than the $32,314 average annual salary of a patient liaison.

The top three skills for a patient access representative include patients, customer service and medical terminology. The most important skills for a patient liaison are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.

Patient access representative vs patient liaison overview

	Patient Access Representative	Patient Liaison
Yearly salary	$33,603	$32,314
Hourly rate	$16.16	$15.54
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	151,077	84,302
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

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 patient liaison do?

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.

Patient access representative vs patient liaison salary

Patient access representatives and patient liaisons have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Access Representative	Patient Liaison
Average salary	$33,603	$32,314
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $24,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Springfield, MA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Brigham and Women's Hospital
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between patient access representative and patient liaison education

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

	Patient Access Representative	Patient Liaison
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Patient access representative vs patient liaison demographics

Here are the differences between patient access representatives' and patient liaisons' demographics:

	Patient Access Representative	Patient Liaison
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 14.5% Female, 85.5%	Male, 16.2% Female, 83.8%
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, 11.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.9% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between patient access representative and patient liaison 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.

Patient liaison example responsibilities.

Provide support for emergencies by managing inappropriate behaviors, aggressive patients, CPR and persons in crisis.
Conduct all insurance verification and obtain authorization to treat sub-acute rehabilitation patients.
Attend Michigan state eligibility hearings, when necessary to assist and gain Medicaid disability benefits for patients.
Interview patients of hospital facility to obtain necessary documentation to secure Medicaid coverage as payment of inpatient hospital charges.
Set up payment plan, verify personal information per HIPAA guidelines.
Respect and maintain HIPPA and patient confidentiality and dignity of patients at all times.

Patient access representative vs patient liaison skills

Common patient access representative skills

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

Common patient liaison skills

Patients, 37%
Customer Service, 16%
Medical Terminology, 4%
Health System, 3%
HIPAA, 3%
Surgery, 2%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Patient Access Representative
Patient Access Representative vs Patient Liaison

Updated January 8, 2025

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