Patient coordinator vs case worker

The differences between patient coordinators and case workers 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 coordinator and a case worker. Additionally, a case worker has an average salary of $41,459, which is higher than the $32,954 average annual salary of a patient coordinator.

The top three skills for a patient coordinator include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for a case worker are social work, crisis intervention, and patients.

Patient coordinator vs case worker overview

	Patient Coordinator	Case Worker
Yearly salary	$32,954	$41,459
Hourly rate	$15.84	$19.93
Growth rate	-4%	9%
Number of jobs	97,878	107,329
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	40	42
Years of experience	4	4

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 a case worker do?

Caseworkers are social workers who watch over the welfare of underprivileged individuals and at-risk families by counseling and providing them with assistance. Usually employed under the government or a local non-profit organization, a caseworker must conduct a thorough interview and house visits to determine the needs of the family. They then refer them to any programs or agencies that can give them the specific care and help needed. Furthermore, it is crucial to identify neglect and abuse signs, reporting them to the authorities right away.

Patient coordinator vs case worker salary

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

	Patient Coordinator	Case Worker
Average salary	$32,954	$41,459
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $41,000	Between $30,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	Brockton, MA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	New Jersey
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Appalachian Regional Healthcare
Best paying industry	Health Care	Education

Differences between patient coordinator and case worker education

There are a few differences between a patient coordinator and a case worker in terms of educational background:

	Patient Coordinator	Case Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Business	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Patient coordinator vs case worker demographics

Here are the differences between patient coordinators' and case workers' demographics:

	Patient Coordinator	Case Worker
Average age	40	42
Gender ratio	Male, 11.2% Female, 88.8%	Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2%
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, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	10%

Differences between patient coordinator and case worker 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.

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Case worker example responsibilities.

Establish collaborative relationships with patients within a supportive atmosphere to assist in confronting drug relate behavior and achieving sobriety.
Review and research leads regarding personal injury cases by obtaining information from the Medicaid recipient's attorney and insurance adjuster
File, close and maintain records in either physical case file or on ETO.
Train new employees and assign tasks in driving and all responsibilities in DCS documentations.
Provide weekly face to face updates to youth and telephonic updates to family members/sponsor with documentation find in ETO.
Facilitate DCS court order supervised visitation during the reunification process.

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Patient coordinator vs case worker skills

Common patient coordinator skills

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

Common case worker skills

Social Work, 20%
Crisis Intervention, 8%
Patients, 7%
Substance Abuse, 6%
Community Resources, 6%
Child Abuse, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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