Patient coordinator vs referral coordinator

The differences between patient coordinators and referral 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 a referral coordinator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a referral coordinator has an average salary of $35,179, 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 referral coordinator are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.

Patient coordinator vs referral coordinator overview

	Patient Coordinator	Referral Coordinator
Yearly salary	$32,954	$35,179
Hourly rate	$15.84	$16.91
Growth rate	-4%	-8%
Number of jobs	97,878	65,934
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
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 a referral coordinator do?

A referral coordinator works with insurance companies and care providers to share essential patient information and assists primarily in scheduling appointments and managing health insurance issues. As a referral coordinator, you will work directly with the patient, patient families, or even social workers, depending on the job and patient needs. Other job responsibilities include general administrative or clerical tasks such as setting up appointments for new and existing patients, verifying insurance information before appointments, and answering phone calls.

Patient coordinator vs referral coordinator salary

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

	Patient Coordinator	Referral Coordinator
Average salary	$32,954	$35,179
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $41,000	Between $27,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Brockton, MA	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Maine
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Horizon Laser Vision
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between patient coordinator and referral coordinator education

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

	Patient Coordinator	Referral Coordinator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

Patient coordinator vs referral coordinator demographics

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

	Patient Coordinator	Referral Coordinator
Average age	40	49
Gender ratio	Male, 11.2% Female, 88.8%	Male, 10.2% Female, 89.8%
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, 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 referral 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.

Referral coordinator example responsibilities.

Establish rapport with all PCP offices, hospital personnel, and manage care representatives.
Ensure CPT and ICD-9 coding are accurate and complete according to AMA's guidelines and for third party intermediaries.
Contact medical insurance companies and provide ICD-9 diagnosis and CPT procedure codes for patient's illness, condition or injury.
Apply ICD-9 and CPT-4 codes to complete referral requests online or via fax.
Conduct the entire office's EHR process and create a system to track old and new patient's records.
Incorporate core organizational values of quality, respect, integrity, partnership, and compassion in all activities and decisions.

Patient coordinator vs referral coordinator skills

Common patient coordinator skills

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

Common referral coordinator skills

Patients, 30%
Customer Service, 12%
Medical Terminology, 7%
Patient Care, 4%
Data Entry, 4%
EMR, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Patient Coordinator
Patient Coordinator vs Referral Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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