Patient account coordinator vs account specialist

The differences between patient account coordinators and account specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a patient account coordinator and an account specialist. Additionally, an account specialist has an average salary of $42,586, which is higher than the $35,695 average annual salary of a patient account coordinator.

The top three skills for a patient account coordinator include patients, patient accounts and credit balances. The most important skills for an account specialist are customer service, patients, and account management.

Patient account coordinator vs account specialist overview

	Patient Account Coordinator	Account Specialist
Yearly salary	$35,695	$42,586
Hourly rate	$17.16	$20.47
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	148,258	116,010
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	12	12

What does a patient account coordinator do?

A patient account coordinator ensures that the medical records of a patient are consolidated and updated with necessary and accurate information for ease of access by medical staff and other departments within a medical facility. You will capture and record patient information for easy access, handle patient billing and related inquiries, and help patients fill out the required paperwork. Patient account coordinators schedule and follow up patient appointments, set up and manage patient accounts and information therein, and coordinate and follow up on insurance benefits.

What does an account specialist do?

An account specialist is responsible for reaching out to customers or potential clients through calls, emails, and other forms of correspondence to secure sales and strengthen business relations. An account specialist may also perform other tasks such as arranging appointment schedules with clients, providing price quotes and responding to further inquiries, process orders, generating sales leads, and handling complaints and resolving issues. Furthermore, an account specialist may also be involved in developing strategies, finding new opportunities, producing and completing necessary documents, and preparing reports, all in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.

Patient account coordinator vs account specialist salary

Patient account coordinators and account specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Account Coordinator	Account Specialist
Average salary	$35,695	$42,586
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $41,000	Between $28,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Virginia
Best paying company	-	Microsoft
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between patient account coordinator and account specialist education

There are a few differences between a patient account coordinator and an account specialist in terms of educational background:

	Patient Account Coordinator	Account Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Patient account coordinator vs account specialist demographics

Here are the differences between patient account coordinators' and account specialists' demographics:

	Patient Account Coordinator	Account Specialist
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 12.0% Female, 88.0%	Male, 32.2% Female, 67.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 4.0% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 3.7% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between patient account coordinator and account specialist duties and responsibilities

Patient account coordinator example responsibilities.

Accept and process healthcare claims and confidential medical records; verify patient eligibility and manage the Medicare and Medicaid billing process.
Perform appropriate follow-up for missing data elements such as CPT, HCPCS, ICD-9 codes and modifiers.
Be able to work with the current CPT, ICD-9 books, CPC certification are required for this position
Provide quality customer service, maintain confidentiality, problem solving, and accuracy while complying with all HIPAA regulations.
Provide adequate documentation to insurance carriers for appeals and reconsideration of soft and technical denials.
See that records are store securely and handle in compliance with HIPAA privacy and security regulations

Account specialist example responsibilities.

Cultivate productive long-term relationships with all assign accounts, and manage all reporting and presentation needs for RFP's.
Manage a portfolio of accounts end to end RFP program execution inclusive of pricing, contracting, process and technology solutions.
Manage the daily correspondence from assign practices with keeping doctor/patient confidentiality under consideration along with HIPPA regulations.
Deliver exceptional customer service to hospital accounts and internal sales representatives in accordance to revenue recognition policies and HIPAA regulations.
Experience with CMS 1500 and UB-04 claims using HCPC/CPT codes as well as NDC codes
Monitor CMS and real time aux codes.

Patient account coordinator vs account specialist skills

Common patient account coordinator skills

Patients, 20%
Patient Accounts, 10%
Credit Balances, 9%
Appeals, 7%
Medical Billing, 4%
Data Entry, 3%

Common account specialist skills

Customer Service, 25%
Patients, 13%
Account Management, 6%
PowerPoint, 4%
Data Entry, 4%
Catheter, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Patient Account Coordinator
Patient Account Coordinator vs Account Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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