Patient access representative vs patient service specialist

The differences between patient access representatives and patient service 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 representative and a patient service specialist. Additionally, a patient access representative has an average salary of $33,603, which is higher than the $33,563 average annual salary of a patient service specialist.

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

Patient access representative vs patient service specialist overview

	Patient Access Representative	Patient Service Specialist
Yearly salary	$33,603	$33,563
Hourly rate	$16.16	$16.14
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	151,077	105,915
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
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 service specialist do?

A patient service representative serves as a patient's primary point of contact in a hospital or clinic, ensuring accuracy and customer satisfaction. They are mainly responsible for gathering a patient's information and medical history, verifying insurance forms, managing accounts, and processing payments, arranging appointments, and even performing reminder calls and correspondence. There are also instances when a patient service representative must discuss situations to patients and their families, and even alert the doctors when a patient displays strange or unlikely behavior.

Patient access representative vs patient service specialist salary

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

	Patient Access Representative	Patient Service Specialist
Average salary	$33,603	$33,563
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $27,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Springfield, MA	Springfield, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Virginia Eye Institute
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between patient access representative and patient service specialist education

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

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

Patient access representative vs patient service specialist demographics

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

	Patient Access Representative	Patient Service Specialist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 14.5% Female, 85.5%	Male, 12.5% Female, 87.5%
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, 12.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.9% Asian, 6.4% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between patient access representative and patient service specialist 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 service specialist example responsibilities.

Benefit coverage eligibility or concerns for patients will be complete timely to achieve identify outcomes or solutions.
Greet patients and visitors with warmth, compassion, and demonstrate commitment to exceptional service.
Provide customer service to patients via registration, co-pay and co-insurance payment collection, appointment scheduling and telephone service
Obtain patient demographic, billing, insurance, and other necessary intake information for patients seeking rehabilitation services.
Screen, triage, register and verify a high volume of client eligibility and demographic data.
Direct callers to appropriate personnel, and initiate a triage slip for response by medical personnel.

Patient access representative vs patient service specialist 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 service specialist skills

Patients, 20%
Patient Service, 9%
Physical Therapy, 8%
Rehabilitation, 8%
Patient Appointments, 8%
Front Desk, 7%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Patient Access Representative
Patient Access Representative vs Patient Service Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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