How to hire a patient coordinator

How to hire a patient coordinator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step patient coordinator hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a patient coordinator job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new patient coordinator
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a patient coordinator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The patient coordinator hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a patient coordinator to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a patient coordinator that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of patient coordinator salaries for various roles:

   Type of Patient Coordinator	Description	Hourly rate
   Patient Coordinator	Customer service representatives interact with customers to handle complaints, process orders, and provide information about an organization’s products and services.	$12-19
   Patient Representative	A patient representative is responsible for assisting the patients with their health care needs by identifying their medical concerns, assessing their medical history, and referring them to the appropriate physicians or other medical professionals for immediate treatments and further examinations. Patient representatives verify the patients' insurance information, guiding them on filling out medical forms, processing payments for medical services, and updating them for the release of medical results... Show more	$12-18
   Patient Liaison	Patient Liaisons are intermediaries addressing concerns on behalf of patients and families working in tandem with the hospital administrator. They are responsible for gathering data regarding patient care issues and inquiries, assessing patient well-being, suggesting improvements, and interpreting hospital service, policies, and procedures to patients and families... Show more	$11-20

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Customer Service
   • Patient Care
   • Patient Flow
   • Excellent Organizational
   • Check-In
   • Medical Terminology
   • Patient Satisfaction
   • Medical History
   • HIPAA
   • Front Desk
   • Phone Calls
   • Patient Demographics
   • Insurance Verification

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Comply with HIPAA regulations by discreetly and professionally handling all patients private medical information.
   • Gather personal plus insurance information and perform thorough insurance breakdowns for patients.
   • Communicate directly with patients to obtain initial patient information and respond to inquiries.
   • Process and update HIPAA relate paperwork and other require institutional forms as necessary.
   • Obtain all necessary documentation prior to surgery such as proof of identification, copy of insurance and require insurance referrals.
   • Respond in writing to all grievances in accordance with CMS and DNV guidelines.

   More patient coordinator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the patient coordinator job description is a good way to get more applicants. A patient coordinator salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a patient coordinator in Nebraska may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level patient coordinator. Additionally, a patient coordinator with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average patient coordinator salary

   $15.84hourly

   $32,954 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level patient coordinator salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 16, 2026

   Average patient coordinator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$42,063	$20
   2	New York	$41,211	$20
   3	California	$40,934	$20
   4	District of Columbia	$40,826	$20
   5	New Jersey	$37,718	$18
   6	Pennsylvania	$34,787	$17
   7	Connecticut	$34,757	$17
   8	Delaware	$34,065	$16
   9	Minnesota	$34,065	$16
   10	Ohio	$33,438	$16
   11	Oregon	$33,345	$16
   12	Arizona	$32,881	$16
   13	Colorado	$32,503	$16
   14	Illinois	$32,251	$16
   15	Georgia	$31,667	$15
   16	Wisconsin	$31,199	$15
   17	Texas	$31,073	$15
   18	North Carolina	$30,343	$15
   19	Michigan	$30,324	$15
   20	Tennessee	$29,778	$14

   Average patient coordinator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of California-Berkeley	$43,725	$21.02
   2	University of Colorado Boulder	$39,918	$19.19	1
   3	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	$38,808	$18.66	3
   4	Brigham and Women's Hospital	$38,256	$18.39	88
   5	Long Island, FQHC, Inc	$37,992	$18.27
   6	Dana-Farber Cancer Institute	$37,794	$18.17	7
   7	Guardant Health	$37,786	$18.17
   8	UC Santa Barbara	$37,775	$18.16
   9	Univ Of Colorado-Colorado Spgs	$37,492	$18.02
   10	University of Washington	$37,029	$17.80	22
   11	The Brooklyn Hospital Center	$36,860	$17.72	1
   12	Natera	$36,625	$17.61
   13	Mount Sinai Health System	$36,285	$17.44	71
   14	Healthpoint	$35,337	$16.99	4
   15	University of Pennsylvania	$35,259	$16.95	1
   16	Huntington Hospital	$35,244	$16.94	7
   17	Baystate Health	$35,098	$16.87	28
   18	Baptist Health Home Care	$35,062	$16.86	52
   19	Boston University	$34,863	$16.76	4
   20	Grand View Health	$34,799	$16.73

4. Writing a patient coordinator job description

   A patient coordinator job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a patient coordinator job description:

   Patient coordinator job description example

   Patient Coordinator is responsible for submitting and maintaining regulatory documentation and medical documentation for the physician's office using the practice management software for the electronic medical record. This person will work closely with the physicians in the department to ensure a correct and appropriate medical code is assigned to every procedure performed, in a timely manner. This person will assist with internal coding and chart audits. This person will assist in resolving issues that occur within the clinical office setting and ensure an efficient patient flow. This position provides exceptional medical care that meets each patient of the physicians practice physical, mental, and emotional needs. The Patient Coordinator provides care and education for the patient based on their illness, symptoms, and courses of treatment.
   
   The person in this position works under general supervision, is responsible for various shifts, may be subject to over 40 hours per week and/or callback as required, and may also be required to remain on campus immediately before, during, and after severe weather and/or disasters.
   
   Baptist Health Care is a not-for-profit health care system committed to improving the quality of life for people and communities in northwest Florida and south Alabama. The organization is a proud a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network and includes three hospitals, four medical parks, Andrews Institute for Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine, and an extensive primary and specialty care provider network. With more than 4,000 team members, Baptist Health Care is one of the largest non-governmental employers in northwest Florida.
   + High School diploma or equivalent required
   
   + Five (5) years related clinical experience required
   
   + Clinical license/certification is required within 90 days of employment/transfer. (e.g., OTC, CST, EMT, C/RMA, PTA, ATC, LPN, or ACSM-Certified Exercise Physiologist). BLS through American Heart Association
   
   + Clinical orthopedic skills (e.g., casting, splinting). Knowledge and understanding of medical coding guidelines. Knowledge of CPT, ICD-9, ICD-10 and HCPCS codes. Knowledge of computer-based data management programs and information systems, as well as medical records and point-of-interview technology. Knowledge of health plans, managed care plans
   
   + Excellent organizational skills. Superior oral and written communications skills.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find patient coordinators for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any patient coordinators they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level patient coordinators with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your patient coordinator job on Zippia to find and recruit patient coordinator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting patient coordinators requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new patient coordinator

   Once you've found the patient coordinator candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new patient coordinator. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a patient coordinator?