Patient access representative vs receptionist

The differences between patient access representatives and receptionists 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 receptionist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a patient access representative has an average salary of $33,603, which is higher than the $30,571 average annual salary of a receptionist.

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

Patient access representative vs receptionist overview

	Patient Access Representative	Receptionist
Yearly salary	$33,603	$30,571
Hourly rate	$16.16	$14.70
Growth rate	-4%	-
Number of jobs	151,077	65,671
Job satisfaction	5	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	40	42
Years of experience	4	2

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 receptionist do?

Receptionists are employees assigned at the entrances or lobbies of offices. They welcome guests, check identification, issue visitor badges, attend to questions or inquiries, and direct guests to where they are supposed to go. They also receive general mail or packages, answer calls, and manage schedules. Receptionists perform various clerical or administrative functions as assigned by their supervisors. They should have good client relations skills.

Patient access representative vs receptionist salary

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

	Patient Access Representative	Receptionist
Average salary	$33,603	$30,571
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $24,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Springfield, MA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Gensler
Best paying industry	Health Care	Finance

Differences between patient access representative and receptionist education

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

	Patient Access Representative	Receptionist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

Patient access representative vs receptionist demographics

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

	Patient Access Representative	Receptionist
Average age	40	42
Gender ratio	Male, 14.5% Female, 85.5%	Male, 8.4% Female, 91.6%
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, 10.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.5% Asian, 6.1% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	7%	6%

Differences between patient access representative and receptionist 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.

Receptionist example responsibilities.

Manage invoicing with QuickBooks, taking customer calls and helping with any issues, parts and equipment delivery/pickup/ordering.
Manage multiple employee/resident databases utilizing an EMR system.
Verify insurance information and manage medical records while ensuring confidentiality according to HIPAA requirements.
Manage desk operations for the YMCA, organizing and documenting members' payments and collating operational documents
Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Bill patients for medical services provide by various doctors using ICD-9 and CPT-4 coding.

Patient access representative vs receptionist skills

Common patient access representative skills

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

Common receptionist skills

Patients, 17%
Phone Calls, 14%
Customer Service, 9%
Data Entry, 9%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Front Desk, 8%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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