Patient advocate vs patient care advocate

The differences between patient advocates and patient care advocates 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 advocate and a patient care advocate. Additionally, a patient advocate has an average salary of $36,325, which is higher than the $34,043 average annual salary of a patient care advocate.

The top three skills for a patient advocate include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for a patient care advocate are patients, patient care, and PCA.

Patient advocate vs patient care advocate overview

	Patient Advocate	Patient Care Advocate
Yearly salary	$36,325	$34,043
Hourly rate	$17.46	$16.37
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	88,778	126,400
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 29%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

What does a patient advocate do?

A patient advocate is responsible for supporting the patients with the medical processes in a healthcare institution, assisting them with insurance claims and medical billing disputes, verifying treatment procedures, and conducting referrals to medical professionals based on the patient's needs. Patient advocates facilitate a payment plan for the patients, discussing this plan to the financial department of the facility. They also address the patients' inquiries and concerns, as well as their complaints with hospital operations, immediately raising these issues to higher management.

What does a patient care advocate do?

A patient care advocate specializes in providing support to patients, guiding them throughout the healthcare system. Their responsibilities include educating patients on the treatment and care options available, coordinating with physicians and facility administrators, liaising with insurance companies to resolve issues, and referring patients to other services and programs. They may also come with patients during appointments and keep them company on hospital stays. Moreover, a patient care advocate must help patients understand their rights and process insurance claims.

Patient advocate vs patient care advocate salary

Patient advocates and patient care advocates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Advocate	Patient Care Advocate
Average salary	$36,325	$34,043
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $45,000	Between $22,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	Springfield, MA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Hawaii
Best paying company	Cognizant	Huntington Hospital
Best paying industry	Health Care	Manufacturing

Differences between patient advocate and patient care advocate education

There are a few differences between a patient advocate and a patient care advocate in terms of educational background:

	Patient Advocate	Patient Care Advocate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 29%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Patient advocate vs patient care advocate demographics

Here are the differences between patient advocates' and patient care advocates' demographics:

	Patient Advocate	Patient Care Advocate
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 17.5% Female, 82.5%	Male, 22.3% Female, 77.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 23.6% Asian, 6.8% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 6.8% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between patient advocate and patient care advocate duties and responsibilities

Patient advocate example responsibilities.

Manage the complaint process as required by CMS for the hospital.
Provide support for emergencies by managing inappropriate behaviors, aggressive patients, CPR and persons in crisis.
Train to welcome and register patients at ESI triage window.
Document patients medical problems using ICD 9 and CPT coding for patients diagnosis.
Pull any incoming referrals, triage them, and schedule patients with the appropriate doctor.
Collect and review patient information to determine patients' eligibility for Medicaid and charity program assistance.

Patient care advocate example responsibilities.

Communicate with insurance companies on a continuous basis to ensure hospital reimbursement and attain authorization for home and rehabilitation services.
Answer questions relate to pharmacy benefits while maintaining HIPAA confidentiality, productivity standards, and performance guidelines.
Assist patients with bathroom needs - bedside commode, bedpan, urinal, catheter care.
Know how to do lab work such as strep and flu testing, drawing blood, and EKG's.
Assist in all medical needs (CBG's, vitals, bathing, bed changes, EKG's).
Place catheters in patients of all ages and genders.

Patient advocate vs patient care advocate skills

Common patient advocate skills

Patients, 28%
Customer Service, 11%
Patient Care, 5%
Medicaid, 4%
Financial Assistance, 4%
Patient Accounts, 4%

Common patient care advocate skills

Patients, 34%
Patient Care, 20%
PCA, 7%
Social Work, 4%
HIPAA, 3%
Vital Signs, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Patient Advocate
Patient Advocate vs Patient Care Advocate

Updated January 8, 2025

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