Patient relations coordinator vs unit coordinator

The differences between patient relations coordinators and unit 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 relations coordinator, becoming a unit coordinator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a patient relations coordinator has an average salary of $45,689, which is higher than the $43,688 average annual salary of a unit coordinator.

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

Patient relations coordinator vs unit coordinator overview

	Patient Relations Coordinator	Unit Coordinator
Yearly salary	$45,689	$43,688
Hourly rate	$21.97	$21.00
Growth rate	-4%	-8%
Number of jobs	103,373	85,294
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	40	49
Years of experience	4	2

What does a patient relations coordinator do?

Patient Relations Coordinators are responsible for liaising for patients and family members with medical staff regarding patient progress and health facility procedures. Their duties include greeting patients and visitors, checking patient charts, inspecting cause of delay, conducting professional medical referrals, and managing family and patients' roundings log. They also provide hospital directions, handle phone calls, and maintain visitor control. Patient relations coordinators work to resolve any patient and family complaints and ensure all work activities adhere to media information policies and hospital confidentiality.

What does a unit coordinator do?

A unit coordinator is responsible for providing quality care services to patients by supporting the daily operations of a health care facility under the supervision of medical professionals. Unit coordinators perform administrative and clerical tasks as needed, including responding to patients' inquiries and concerns, scheduling appointments, sorting medical records, verifying insurance details, and assisting the physician on the care plans and patients' activities. They also monitor the medical supply inventory, coordinate with suppliers, and ensure the cleanliness and orderliness of the facility by adhering to safety standards and protocols.

Patient relations coordinator vs unit coordinator salary

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

	Patient Relations Coordinator	Unit Coordinator
Average salary	$45,689	$43,688
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $56,000	Between $29,000 And $65,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Ohio's Hospice
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between patient relations coordinator and unit coordinator education

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

	Patient Relations Coordinator	Unit Coordinator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

Patient relations coordinator vs unit coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between patient relations coordinators' and unit coordinators' demographics:

	Patient Relations Coordinator	Unit Coordinator
Average age	40	49
Gender ratio	Male, 11.7% Female, 88.3%	Male, 20.7% Female, 79.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 52.6% 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 relations coordinator and unit coordinator duties and responsibilities

Patient relations coordinator example responsibilities.

Provide support for emergencies by managing inappropriate behaviors, aggressive patients, CPR and persons in crisis.
Contribute to overall patient satisfaction by maintaining positive relationships and providing patients and visitors with the best experience possible.
Coordinate patient flow through proper scheduling procedures base on patients dental needs in conjunction with doctor and hygienist availability.
Update patients records in EMR system.
Conduct bi-monthly resident council meetings in the transitional care unit i.e., rehabilitation and hospice units.
Verify insurance benefits, and maintain various information and data bases of patient information using the HIPPA guidelines.

Unit coordinator example responsibilities.

Manage inpatient transfers to rehabilitation and medical facilities, along with preparing and monitoring outpatient billings insurance verification and referrals.
Demonstrate care and compassion toward all patients and family members at all times.
Receive all incoming phone calls; triage calls from the hospital emergency room.
Display ability to identify and prioritize degree of urgency via assignment of triage.
Review all patients EMR to ensure all appropriate power plans and quality measure consoles have been initiate.
Coordinate the daily events in an ICU setting and all other secretarial duties, including but not limit to maintaining equipment.

Patient relations coordinator vs unit coordinator skills

Common patient relations coordinator skills

Patients, 20%
Customer Service, 12%
Patient Flow, 9%
Patient Relations, 6%
Patient Registration, 5%
Patient Charges, 5%

Common unit coordinator skills

Patients, 26%
Customer Service, 12%
Medical Terminology, 8%
CPR, 3%
Patient Flow, 3%
Physician Orders, 3%

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Patient Relations Coordinator
Patient Relations Coordinator vs Unit Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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