Patient coordinator vs appointment coordinator

The differences between patient coordinators and appointment coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a patient coordinator, becoming an appointment coordinator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a patient coordinator has an average salary of $32,954, which is higher than the $31,144 average annual salary of an appointment coordinator.

The top three skills for a patient coordinator include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for an appointment coordinator are patients, customer service, and repair orders.

Patient coordinator vs appointment coordinator overview

	Patient Coordinator	Appointment Coordinator
Yearly salary	$32,954	$31,144
Hourly rate	$15.84	$14.97
Growth rate	-4%	-8%
Number of jobs	97,878	72,134
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	40	49
Years of experience	4	2

What does a patient coordinator do?

A patient coordinator functions as the primary point of contact between health care professionals and patients in a medical facility. They mostly perform administrative tasks such as greeting visitors, answering calls, responding to inquiries, managing schedules, arranging appointments, processing payments, gathering information, and keeping records. Moreover, they assist in filling out forms, escorting patients to different rooms or offices, and setting treatment plans. Most importantly, they discuss and share necessary information with patients and families regarding medications, procedures, and proceeding care according to a physician's assessment.

What does an appointment coordinator do?

Appointment coordinators are professionals who are responsible for coordinating and initiating business appointments between external associates and the organization's top management. These coordinators are required to schedule all appointments for their customer service representatives and directing them to maintain a positive attitude and customer service to their clients. They must supervise the service department by implement employee procedures and answering most of their incoming phone calls. Appointment coordinators must also perform administrative duties such as faxing, filing records, and data entry.

Patient coordinator vs appointment coordinator salary

Patient coordinators and appointment coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Coordinator	Appointment Coordinator
Average salary	$32,954	$31,144
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $41,000	Between $25,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	Brockton, MA	-
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	-
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between patient coordinator and appointment coordinator education

There are a few differences between a patient coordinator and an appointment coordinator in terms of educational background:

	Patient Coordinator	Appointment Coordinator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

Patient coordinator vs appointment coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between patient coordinators' and appointment coordinators' demographics:

	Patient Coordinator	Appointment Coordinator
Average age	40	49
Gender ratio	Male, 11.2% Female, 88.8%	Male, 14.9% Female, 85.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 25.4% Asian, 6.2% White, 51.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	7%	9%

Differences between patient coordinator and appointment coordinator duties and responsibilities

Patient coordinator example 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.

Appointment coordinator example responsibilities.

Manage check-in and registration process for all appointments including physician appointments and medical imaging.
Schedule re-check appointment and MRI appointments.
Make sure all HIPAA laws are adhere to.
Schedule new patient, re-check and MRI counseling appointments.
Access EMR to respond to clinic/patient request for medical information.
Maintain confidentiality of all patient information per HIPAA guidelines.

Patient coordinator vs appointment coordinator skills

Common patient coordinator skills

Patients, 30%
Customer Service, 11%
Patient Care, 6%
Patient Flow, 5%
Excellent Organizational, 4%
Check-In, 3%

Common appointment coordinator skills

Patients, 27%
Customer Service, 15%
Repair Orders, 9%
Data Entry, 6%
Service Calls, 6%
Phone Calls, 5%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Patient Coordinator
Patient Coordinator vs Appointment Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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