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What is a patient care representative and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
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A patient care representative acts as a liaison between patients and healthcare facilities. They ensure that patients receive the best possible care by answering questions about medical procedures, scheduling appointments, and addressing concerns. Patient care representatives collect patient information, verify insurance coverage, and communicate with doctors and nurses to ensure that patients receive appropriate treatment. They often work in hospitals, clinics, or other healthcare settings.

ScorePatient Care RepresentativeUS Average
Salary
2.6

Avg. Salary $33,709

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.3

Growth rate -4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
9.4
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.65%

Asian 6.33%

Black or African American 12.48%

Hispanic or Latino 20.29%

Unknown 5.08%

White 55.17%

Gender

female 82.95%

male 17.05%

Age - 39
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39
Stress level
8.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
7.6

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.5

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a patient care representative?

Pros

  • Opportunity to help people in need

  • Potential for career advancement within healthcare industry

  • Opportunity for continued learning and training

  • Competitive salary and benefits packages

  • Consistent work schedules and potential for flexible hours

Cons

  • High stress environment

  • High volume of administrative tasks and paperwork

  • Limited autonomy in decision-making regarding patient care

  • Challenging work-life balance, particularly in high-pressure situations

  • Required adherence to strict healthcare regulations and policies

Patient care representative career paths

Key steps to become a patient care representative

  1. Explore patient care representative education requirements

    Most common patient care representative degrees

    Bachelor's

    39.3 %

    Associate

    24.5 %

    High School Diploma

    16.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific patient care representative skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Patients25.49%
    Patient Care12.61%
    Home Health7.09%
    Cash Management5.44%
    Phone Calls4.43%
  3. Complete relevant patient care representative training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New patient care representatives learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a patient care representative based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real patient care representative resumes.
  4. Research patient care representative duties and responsibilities

    • Manage cash and co-payments accurately and discharge patients providing them with proper medical notes and information before exiting.
    • Verify insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, register patients, and code proper ICD-9 and CPT codes on encounters.
    • Utilize medical terminology, CPT, HCPC and ICD-9 and patient information into new authorizations.
    • Interview patients to gather information pertinent to their Medicaid application.
  5. Prepare your patient care representative resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your patient care representative resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a patient care representative resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable patient care representative resume templates

    Build a professional patient care representative resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your patient care representative resume.
    Patient Care Representative Resume
    Patient Care Representative Resume
    Patient Care Representative Resume
    Patient Care Representative Resume
    Patient Care Representative Resume
    Patient Care Representative Resume
    Patient Care Representative Resume
    Patient Care Representative Resume
    Patient Care Representative Resume
  6. Apply for patient care representative jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a patient care representative job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first patient care representative job

Zippi

Are you a patient care representative?

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Average patient care representative salary

The average patient care representative salary in the United States is $33,709 per year or $16 per hour. Patient care representative salaries range between $27,000 and $41,000 per year.

Average patient care representative salary
$33,709 Yearly
$16.21 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do patient care representatives rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Patient care representative reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020
Pros

Putting that patient/customet first and directing (directions) that person to their Doctors office and setting or cancelling their appointments, just helping people.

Cons

There's nothing to dislike.


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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019
Pros

Gaining valued insurance knowledge and expertise.

Cons

Limited opportunity for an advanced position supervisor leading to manager.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2019
Pros

Talking to people work on the computer.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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