Patient accounts clerk vs patient care coordinator

The differences between patient accounts clerks and patient care coordinators 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 accounts clerk and a patient care coordinator. Additionally, a patient care coordinator has an average salary of $34,884, which is higher than the $31,951 average annual salary of a patient accounts clerk.

The top three skills for a patient accounts clerk include patients, medical terminology and patient demographics. The most important skills for a patient care coordinator are patients, customer service, and home health.

Patient accounts clerk vs patient care coordinator overview

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Patient Care Coordinator
Yearly salary	$31,951	$34,884
Hourly rate	$15.36	$16.77
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	161,780	139,431
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

What does a patient accounts clerk do?

A Patient Accounts Clerk is primarily in charge of computing, billing, and collecting payments in hospitals, clinics, and other medical facilities. They may assist patients or families by answering inquiries, explaining payment procedures, and processing requests. Aside from serving as the point of contact regarding payment concerns, a patient accounts clerk is also responsible for liaising with health care providers and insurance companies, gathering and reviewing data for submissions, preparing and processing the necessary documents, and maintaining accurate records.

What does a patient care coordinator do?

A patient care coordinator or care coordinator is a trained health professional who manages patients' health care, such as the elderly or disabled. Patient care coordinators educate patients about their health conditions and develop a plan to address their personal health care needs. To comply with health care laws and regulations, care coordinators must attend training and courses so that they are updated with the new developments in health care. They are also required to take up licensure examination and should have experience in care coordination or clinical practices.

Patient accounts clerk vs patient care coordinator salary

Patient accounts clerks and patient care coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Patient Care Coordinator
Average salary	$31,951	$34,884
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $23,000 And $52,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Homestead Hospice
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between patient accounts clerk and patient care coordinator education

There are a few differences between a patient accounts clerk and a patient care coordinator in terms of educational background:

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Patient Care Coordinator
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Patient accounts clerk vs patient care coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between patient accounts clerks' and patient care coordinators' demographics:

	Patient Accounts Clerk	Patient Care Coordinator
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 13.9% Female, 86.1%	Male, 11.7% Female, 88.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 6.0% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 24.0% Asian, 6.3% White, 53.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between patient accounts clerk and patient care coordinator duties and responsibilities

Patient accounts clerk example responsibilities.

Develop and execute policies and procedures that effectively manage the information needs of the organization and always following HIPAA guidelines.
Research ICD-9 and CPT codes on reject claims.
Adhere to all company policies, processes and procedures in compliance with HIPPA.
Practice HIPAA compliant rules and regulations while updating the patient information and entering the charges.
Verify charges on claims and assign valid ICD-9 and CPT codes to ensure appropriate reimbursement.
Research, appeal and resolve claims, rejections and denials with Medicare, Medicaid and private insurances.

Patient care coordinator example responsibilities.

Communicate with insurance companies on a continuous basis to ensure hospital reimbursement and attain authorization for home and rehabilitation services.
Manage caseload by providing care coordination to individuals with a primary intellectual/developmental disability diagnosis all of whom receive community-base waiver services.
Check in, check out patients, and do EKG's.
Gain knowledge relate to bundle payments for orthopedic patients and the rules and regulations set forth by CMS.
Respond to telephone inquiries, providing quality service to customers, PSR's and insurance representatives inquiring about patient accounts.
Prepare patients prior to MRI exam, obtain safety check lists and assist with the daily operations of the MRI department.

Patient accounts clerk vs patient care coordinator skills

Common patient accounts clerk skills

Patients, 24%
Medical Terminology, 14%
Patient Demographics, 9%
Customer Service, 8%
Data Entry, 7%
PBX, 4%

Common patient care coordinator skills

Patients, 32%
Customer Service, 13%
Home Health, 6%
Data Entry, 3%
Patient Appointments, 3%
Direct Patient Care, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Patient Accounts Clerk
Patient Accounts Clerk vs Patient Care Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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