How to hire a patient representative

How to hire a patient representative, step by step

Here's a step-by-step patient representative hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a patient representative job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new patient representative
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a patient representative do?

Post a patient representative job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a patient representative, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A patient representative's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, patient representatives from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents patient representative salaries for various positions.

   Type of Patient Representative	Description	Hourly rate
   Patient Representative	Customer service representatives interact with customers to handle complaints, process orders, and provide information about an organization’s products and services.	$12-18
   Medical Receptionist	Medical receptionists are responsible for manning the front desk at a medical facility such as a clinic or a hospital. They manage schedules and appointments in the clinic or hospital... Show more	$12-18
   Patient Liaison	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... Show more	$11-20

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Check-In
   • Medical Terminology
   • Patient Care
   • Insurance Verification
   • Patient Demographics
   • Customer Service
   • Telephone Calls
   • Data Entry
   • Patient Flow
   • Patient Registration
   • HIPAA
   • Patient Appointments
   • Strong Customer Service

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Code preoperative patients' surgical procedures according to surgeon's operative order by using CPT code book.
   • Develop physical and psychological rehabilitation programs for head trauma patients.
   • Assist uninsured and under-insure hospital patients in applying for government benefits including Medicaid and charity care programs.
   • Give patients preparations, take insurance information, and enter all necessary and relevant information into computer system.
   • Schedule appointments -Answered phones -provide care and compassion for patients -handle payments and maintain a proper transaction report daily
   • Greet patients upon arrival and pre-register visit ensuring patient does not have duplicate medical records.

   More patient representative duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the patient representative job description is a good way to get more applicants. A patient representative salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a patient representative in Oklahoma may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level patient representative. Additionally, a patient representative with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average patient representative salary

   $15.61hourly

   $32,469 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level patient representative salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 30, 2025

   Average patient representative salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$42,571	$20
   2	Minnesota	$39,985	$19
   3	California	$38,066	$18
   4	Maryland	$35,605	$17
   5	Connecticut	$35,399	$17
   6	New York	$34,823	$17
   7	Oregon	$34,276	$16
   8	Colorado	$34,219	$16
   9	Illinois	$34,143	$16
   10	New Jersey	$33,917	$16
   11	Nevada	$33,346	$16
   12	Wisconsin	$33,061	$16
   13	Iowa	$33,061	$16
   14	Texas	$32,078	$15
   15	Pennsylvania	$31,699	$15
   16	North Carolina	$31,572	$15
   17	Nebraska	$31,505	$15
   18	Ohio	$31,417	$15
   19	Maine	$30,247	$15
   20	Missouri	$29,416	$14

   Average patient representative salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of California-Berkeley	$42,945	$20.65
   2	University of California	$41,189	$19.80	51
   3	UC Santa Barbara	$39,840	$19.15
   4	Dana-Farber Cancer Institute	$39,765	$19.12	8
   5	St. Jude Children's Research Hospital	$39,700	$19.09	1
   6	Dartmouth	$39,518	$19.00	5
   7	Oregon Health & Science University	$38,866	$18.69	4
   8	City of Austin	$38,257	$18.39
   9	Lifespan	$38,186	$18.36
   10	Children's Hospital Los Angeles	$38,044	$18.29	10
   11	Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences	$37,652	$18.10
   12	Mayo Clinic	$37,373	$17.97	69
   13	New York Institute of Technology	$37,284	$17.93	2
   14	The University of Kansas Health System	$37,229	$17.90	36
   15	Southcoast Health	$36,925	$17.75	23
   16	Mount Sinai Health System	$36,909	$17.74	62
   17	University of Rochester	$36,416	$17.51	53
   18	University of Pennsylvania	$36,401	$17.50
   19	Graystone Eye	$36,364	$17.48
   20	Children's Hospital Colorado	$36,065	$17.34	15

4. Writing a patient representative job description

   A patient representative job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a patient representative job description:

   Patient representative job description example

   100% FTE, 40 hours per week. Shifts scheduled Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM. Hours may vary based upon operational needs of the clinic.

   Pay :

   Pay starts at $18.40 per hour, work experience that is relevant to the position will be taken into consideration when determining the starting base pay.

   Be part of something remarkable

   Join the #1 hospital in Wisconsin!

   We are seeking a Patient Scheduling Representative to:

   • Schedule appointments via phone, in-person or electronic correspondence.
   • Take incoming phone calls from patients and their families to assist them with their appointment scheduling needs.
   • Make outgoing phone calls to patients to schedule their appointments.
   • Coordinate with clinic staff to ensure that patients receive appropriate care in a timely manner.

   Education :

   Minimum - High school diploma or equivalent.

   Preferred - Associate or Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Healthcare, or other related field.

   Work Experience :

   Minimum - Six (6) months of previous experience in an office or customer service environment.

   Preferred - Previous experience working in healthcare, previous experience scheduling of patients or previous experience answering phones and greeting clients in person

   Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

   UW Health is committed to being a diverse, equitable, inclusive and anti-racist workplace and is an Equal Employment Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer. Our integrity shines through in patient care interactions and our daily work practices as we work to embrace the knowledge, unique perspectives and qualities each employee and faculty member brings to work each day. Applications from Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) individuals, LGBTQ+ and non-binary identities, women, persons with disabilities, military service members and veterans are strongly encouraged. EOE, including disability/veterans.

   UW Health Research Park Clinic - on Madison's west side, is an 84,000-square foot facility housing physician and rehabilitation professionals in Cardiology, Integrative Medicine, Orthopedics, Radiology, Spine and Sports Medicine. Our Fitness Center provides a resource for both working with patients while under our care and providing education after discharge. This environment creates many opportunities for face-to-face collaboration in the care of our patients.

   Learn more about this opening

   UW Hospital and Clinics benefits

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find patient representatives for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any patient representatives they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level patient representatives with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your patient representative job on Zippia to find and recruit patient representative candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit patient representatives, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new patient representative

   Once you've found the patient representative candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new patient representative. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a patient representative?