Patient relations manager vs patient care specialist

The differences between patient relations managers and patient care specialists 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 relations manager and a patient care specialist. Additionally, a patient relations manager has an average salary of $43,633, which is higher than the $34,157 average annual salary of a patient care specialist.

The top three skills for a patient relations manager include patients, schedule appointments and patient care. The most important skills for a patient care specialist are patients, patient care, and data entry.

Patient relations manager vs patient care specialist overview

	Patient Relations Manager	Patient Care Specialist
Yearly salary	$43,633	$34,157
Hourly rate	$20.98	$16.42
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	77,096	146,861
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

What does a patient relations manager do?

Patient Relations Managers serve as the front desk personnel of offices or organizations. They handle the comments, questions, and any concerns associated with patients. It is their responsibility to manage patient relations as well as their complaint activity. Also, they ensure timely and thorough resolution of patient's concerns, complaints, and other issues.

What does a patient care specialist do?

A patient service or care specialist works at different medical facilities. Primary responsibilities include checking patients in and out, scheduling follow-up appointments as well as checking patient eligibility for services or programs. Patient service specialists should maintain a systematic referral log to correlate patient referrals to other specialists. Applicants for the job should have the basic computer knowledge to effectively manage data of patient's files, knowledge of medical terminologies, and possess good interpersonal and customer service skills.

Patient relations manager vs patient care specialist salary

Patient relations managers and patient care specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Relations Manager	Patient Care Specialist
Average salary	$43,633	$34,157
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $68,000	Between $20,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	KPG
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between patient relations manager and patient care specialist education

There are a few differences between a patient relations manager and a patient care specialist in terms of educational background:

	Patient Relations Manager	Patient Care Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Patient relations manager vs patient care specialist demographics

Here are the differences between patient relations managers' and patient care specialists' demographics:

	Patient Relations Manager	Patient Care Specialist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 20.8% Female, 79.2%	Male, 20.3% Female, 79.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.3% Asian, 5.3% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 6.3% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between patient relations manager and patient care specialist duties and responsibilities

Patient relations manager example responsibilities.

Manage PSR staff and perform all PSR functions including registration, check-out, medical records, order entry and procedure scheduling.
Lead interdisciplinary teams working on quality improvement initiatives and prepare for a JCAHO survey.
Provide excellent customer service in a medical institution and ensure all patients are well attend.
Oversee electronic medical records system and HIPPA compliance.
Maintain CMS and regulatory compliance with the grievance process.
Scan and file medical records in accordance with HIPAA protocols.

Patient care specialist example responsibilities.

Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic.
Utilize software applications to document call interactions using medical terminology and responsible for initially engaging patients by explaining the services.
Verify CPT codes along with diagnosis code for guarantee payment for surgeries.
Process daily fee tickets and correctly enter office visit ICD 9 and CPT codes into the system for billing.
Adhere to HIPPA confidentiality guidelines.
Track Medicaid eligibility of clients.

Patient relations manager vs patient care specialist skills

Common patient relations manager skills

Patients, 39%
Schedule Appointments, 14%
Patient Care, 11%
Patient Relations, 9%
Service Recovery, 2%
Patient Rights, 2%

Common patient care specialist skills

Patients, 33%
Patient Care, 17%
Data Entry, 5%
Medical Terminology, 4%
CPT, 2%
CPR, 2%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Patient Relations Manager
Patient Relations Manager vs Patient Care Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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