Patient advocate vs registration specialist

The differences between patient advocates and registration specialists 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 registration specialist. Additionally, a patient advocate has an average salary of $36,325, which is higher than the $30,422 average annual salary of a registration specialist.

The top three skills for a patient advocate include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for a registration specialist are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.

Patient advocate vs registration specialist overview

	Patient Advocate	Registration Specialist
Yearly salary	$36,325	$30,422
Hourly rate	$17.46	$14.63
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	88,778	79,118
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
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 registration specialist do?

A registration specialist is responsible for managing patient information, including the verification of their insurance details and medical treatment schedules. Registration specialists assign admission rooms and processing payments for discharge. They also assist patients with the completion of medical forms by helping them fill-out papers with the most accurate information. A registration specialist performs administrative and clerical duties as needed, requiring them to have excellent data management skills to process information and provide the highest quality care services for the patients.

Patient advocate vs registration specialist salary

Patient advocates and registration specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Advocate	Registration Specialist
Average salary	$36,325	$30,422
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $45,000	Between $23,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Springfield, MA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Cognizant	Deloitte
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between patient advocate and registration specialist education

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

	Patient Advocate	Registration Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Patient advocate vs registration specialist demographics

Here are the differences between patient advocates' and registration specialists' demographics:

	Patient Advocate	Registration Specialist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 17.5% Female, 82.5%	Male, 14.5% Female, 85.5%
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, 10.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 6.0% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between patient advocate and registration specialist 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.

Registration specialist example responsibilities.

Attain and authenticate patient insurance information, counsel patients on changes in insurance policies, verify patient demographics.
Help patients through the registration and admitting processes and also contribute to the PBX department.
Input data entries for insurance billing; adding CPT codes and diagnosis from face sheets as patients arrive.
Act as hospital PBX operator.
Complete all charge entry, enter all CPT and ICD-9 codes for billing for multiple doctors each day.
Enter patient information and verify information according to HIPAA regulations.

Patient advocate vs registration specialist skills

Common patient advocate skills

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

Common registration specialist skills

Patients, 25%
Customer Service, 14%
Medical Terminology, 8%
Patient Registration, 5%
Insurance Verification, 4%
Data Entry, 4%

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Patient Advocate
Patient Advocate vs Registration Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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