Patient coordinator vs patient liaison

The differences between patient coordinators and patient liaisons 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 patient liaison. Additionally, a patient coordinator has an average salary of $32,954, which is higher than the $32,314 average annual salary of a patient liaison.

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

Patient coordinator vs patient liaison overview

	Patient Coordinator	Patient Liaison
Yearly salary	$32,954	$32,314
Hourly rate	$15.84	$15.54
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	97,878	84,302
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	40	40
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 patient liaison do?

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. Patient Liaisons also work to educate health care professionals in humanizing the hospital experience for patients. They work in a hospital, clinic, nursing home, or programs related to public health.

Patient coordinator vs patient liaison salary

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

	Patient Coordinator	Patient Liaison
Average salary	$32,954	$32,314
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $41,000	Between $24,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Brockton, MA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Brigham and Women's Hospital
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between patient coordinator and patient liaison education

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

	Patient Coordinator	Patient Liaison
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Patient coordinator vs patient liaison demographics

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

	Patient Coordinator	Patient Liaison
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 11.2% Female, 88.8%	Male, 16.2% Female, 83.8%
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, 11.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.9% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between patient coordinator and patient liaison 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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Patient liaison example responsibilities.

Provide support for emergencies by managing inappropriate behaviors, aggressive patients, CPR and persons in crisis.
Conduct all insurance verification and obtain authorization to treat sub-acute rehabilitation patients.
Attend Michigan state eligibility hearings, when necessary to assist and gain Medicaid disability benefits for patients.
Interview patients of hospital facility to obtain necessary documentation to secure Medicaid coverage as payment of inpatient hospital charges.
Set up payment plan, verify personal information per HIPAA guidelines.
Respect and maintain HIPPA and patient confidentiality and dignity of patients at all times.

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Patient coordinator vs patient liaison skills

Common patient coordinator skills

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

Common patient liaison skills

Patients, 37%
Customer Service, 16%
Medical Terminology, 4%
Health System, 3%
HIPAA, 3%
Surgery, 2%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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