Patient coordinator vs patient registrar

The differences between patient coordinators and patient registrars 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 registrar. Additionally, a patient registrar has an average salary of $33,494, 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 patient registrar are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.

Patient coordinator vs patient registrar overview

	Patient Coordinator	Patient Registrar
Yearly salary	$32,954	$33,494
Hourly rate	$15.84	$16.10
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	97,878	86,721
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
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 registrar do?

A patient registrar is responsible for receiving patients in a hospital or other health care institutions, verifying their information, and leading them to the appropriate facility for their health care needs. Patient registrars manage the hospital's database, updating patients' information, confirming insurance details, taking calls, responding to patients' inquiries and concerns, scheduling appointments, and performing related administrative and clerical tasks as needed. A patient registrar must have excellent communication and organizational skills to provide the best quality care services to the patients.

Patient coordinator vs patient registrar salary

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

	Patient Coordinator	Patient Registrar
Average salary	$32,954	$33,494
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $41,000	Between $26,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Brockton, MA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Guidehouse
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between patient coordinator and patient registrar education

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

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

Patient coordinator vs patient registrar demographics

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

	Patient Coordinator	Patient Registrar
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 11.2% Female, 88.8%	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
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, 11.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 23.0% Asian, 6.4% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between patient coordinator and patient registrar 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.

Patient registrar example responsibilities.

Process release of information requests according to HIPAA regulations and manage valuables safe for entire facility.
Specialize in high degree of compassion when communicating with patients providing information and insurance details.
Receive patients, record patient demographic information and verify insurance for emergency department, laboratory, and radiology
Register patients and ensure correctness of all demographic information in AS400, verify insurance on various websites and collect patient co-payments.
Update demographics, billing information, Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance during patient interviews to obtain pertinent registration information.
Enter confidential personal health information and financial information into IDX system with a high rate of accuracy and confidentiality.

Patient coordinator vs patient registrar skills

Common patient coordinator skills

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

Common patient registrar skills

Patients, 25%
Customer Service, 11%
Medical Terminology, 11%
Patient Registration, 4%
Patient Care, 4%
Insurance Verification, 3%

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Patient Coordinator
Patient Coordinator vs Patient Registrar

Updated January 8, 2025

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