Patient account coordinator vs collections coordinator

The differences between patient account coordinators and collections coordinators 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 a collections coordinator. Additionally, a collections coordinator has an average salary of $37,938, 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 a collections coordinator are customer service, patients, and phone calls.

Patient account coordinator vs collections coordinator overview

	Patient Account Coordinator	Collections Coordinator
Yearly salary	$35,695	$37,938
Hourly rate	$17.16	$18.24
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	148,258	40,113
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
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 a collections coordinator do?

Usually working alongside a company's account receivables team, a collections coordinator is in charge of developing strategies to optimize the payment collection operations. Among their responsibilities include reaching out to clients through calls or correspondence to remind them of their payment obligations, arranging appointments, processing payments, arranging payment terms, and researching a client's communication information such as cellphone number, address, or email. Moreover, a collections coordinator must maintain an active communication line with staff while promoting and enforcing the company's policies and regulations.

Patient account coordinator vs collections coordinator salary

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

	Patient Account Coordinator	Collections Coordinator
Average salary	$35,695	$37,938
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $41,000	Between $30,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	Connecticut
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between patient account coordinator and collections coordinator education

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

	Patient Account Coordinator	Collections Coordinator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Patient account coordinator vs collections coordinator demographics

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

	Patient Account Coordinator	Collections Coordinator
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 12.0% Female, 88.0%	Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4%
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, 12.1% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 3.6% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between patient account coordinator and collections coordinator 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

Collections coordinator example responsibilities.

Plan and conduct sensitive HUMINT collection operations with an emphasis on managing and debriefing confidential sources.
Manage accounts receivable/payment, insurance billing and follow-up for a solo physician clinic, and direct communication with patients regarding bills.
Audit outstanding accounts and resolve any balances including calling Medicare, Medicaid, government, private or commercial insurances.
Perform daily follow-up on Medicare, Medicaid, workers compensation and commercial insurances.
Hand illustrate fully render with marker and colore pencil sketches and Photoshop render drawings.
Submit insurance appeals and provider disputes when necessary.

Patient account coordinator vs collections coordinator skills

Common patient account coordinator skills

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

Common collections coordinator skills

Customer Service, 15%
Patients, 12%
Phone Calls, 6%
Collection Efforts, 4%
Delinquent Accounts, 4%
Appeals, 4%

Patient Account Coordinator vs. similar jobs

Patient Account Coordinator related careers

Patient Account Coordinator related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Patient Account Coordinator
Patient Account Coordinator vs Collections Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs