Patient resource coordinator vs prior authorization specialist

The differences between patient resource coordinators and prior authorization 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 resource coordinator and a prior authorization specialist. Additionally, a patient resource coordinator has an average salary of $56,904, which is higher than the $36,120 average annual salary of a prior authorization specialist.

The top three skills for a patient resource coordinator include patient flow, patient data and patient registration. The most important skills for a prior authorization specialist are patients, customer service, and medical necessity.

Patient resource coordinator vs prior authorization specialist overview

	Patient Resource Coordinator	Prior Authorization Specialist
Yearly salary	$56,904	$36,120
Hourly rate	$27.36	$17.37
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	77,857	69,667
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Patient resource coordinator vs prior authorization specialist salary

Patient resource coordinators and prior authorization specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Resource Coordinator	Prior Authorization Specialist
Average salary	$56,904	$36,120
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $75,000	Between $27,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	-	Framingham, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Washington State University
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between patient resource coordinator and prior authorization specialist education

There are a few differences between a patient resource coordinator and a prior authorization specialist in terms of educational background:

	Patient Resource Coordinator	Prior Authorization Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Psychology	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Southern California

Patient resource coordinator vs prior authorization specialist demographics

Here are the differences between patient resource coordinators' and prior authorization specialists' demographics:

	Patient Resource Coordinator	Prior Authorization Specialist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 8.2% Female, 91.8%	Male, 18.4% Female, 81.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 4.7% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 23.0% Asian, 6.9% White, 54.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between patient resource coordinator and prior authorization specialist duties and responsibilities

Patient resource coordinator example responsibilities.

Maintain national staffing Microsoft SharePoint site in order to manage staffing requisitions and available resources for business needs
Participate in new manager training rotations, including creating and presenting PowerPoint presentations, coordinating web conferences and maintaining operational standards.
Process radiology referrals, and obtain all necessary information from the patient and provider to ensure accuracy and completeness of referral.

Prior authorization specialist example responsibilities.

Utilize CMS and InterQual criteria to establish authorizations for members requiring medical services for a Medicare advantage insurance company.
Manage quality communication, patient support and service representation with patients and providers to establish equipment/procedures statuses and expedite orders.
Work with staff to ensure proper CPT codes are submit on authorization request.
Demonstrate compassion while obtaining patient demographics and personal health information.
Register patients into the emergency department or outpatients for surgery or procedures.
Register patients' demographics and insurance information; execute daily outpatient and surgery reports.

Patient resource coordinator vs prior authorization specialist skills

Common patient resource coordinator skills

Patient Flow, 56%
Patient Data, 22%
Patient Registration, 14%
Medicaid, 8%

Common prior authorization specialist skills

Patients, 18%
Customer Service, 8%
Medical Necessity, 8%
Medical Terminology, 6%
Clinical Resource, 6%
Authorization Process, 4%

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Patient Resource Coordinator
Patient Resource Coordinator vs Prior Authorization Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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