Patient service associate vs patient advocate

The differences between patient service associates and patient advocates 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 service associate and a patient advocate. Additionally, a patient advocate has an average salary of $36,325, which is higher than the $31,992 average annual salary of a patient service associate.

The top three skills for a patient service associate include patients, customer service and medical terminology. The most important skills for a patient advocate are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Patient service associate vs patient advocate overview

	Patient Service Associate	Patient Advocate
Yearly salary	$31,992	$36,325
Hourly rate	$15.38	$17.46
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	96,748	88,778
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

What does a patient service associate do?

A patient service associate is responsible for providing high-quality care services to the patients, ensuring their satisfaction by assisting their medical needs and concerns. Patient service associates perform administrative duties, such as helping patients to fill-out forms, updating patients' information on the database, processing payments for medical procedures, storing patients' medical files, and monitoring the adequacy of medical tools and supplies. They may also conduct basic medical operations under the supervision of a physician or a health professional, adhering to strict protocols and regulations at all times to avoid hazards and health risks.

What does a patient advocate do?

A patient advocate is responsible for supporting the patients with the medical processes in a healthcare institution, assisting them with insurance claims and medical billing disputes, verifying treatment procedures, and conducting referrals to medical professionals based on the patient's needs. Patient advocates facilitate a payment plan for the patients, discussing this plan to the financial department of the facility. They also address the patients' inquiries and concerns, as well as their complaints with hospital operations, immediately raising these issues to higher management.

Patient service associate vs patient advocate salary

Patient service associates and patient advocates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Service Associate	Patient Advocate
Average salary	$31,992	$36,325
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $39,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Springfield, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Virginia Eye Institute	Cognizant
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between patient service associate and patient advocate education

There are a few differences between a patient service associate and a patient advocate in terms of educational background:

	Patient Service Associate	Patient Advocate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Patient service associate vs patient advocate demographics

Here are the differences between patient service associates' and patient advocates' demographics:

	Patient Service Associate	Patient Advocate
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 18.2% Female, 81.8%	Male, 17.5% Female, 82.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 7.2% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 23.6% Asian, 6.8% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between patient service associate and patient advocate duties and responsibilities

Patient service associate example responsibilities.

Verify patient's insurance eligibility and other pertinent information according to HIPAA regulations and hospital policies.
Screen uninsure patients for medicaid and other programs, complete medicaid applications for qualify applicants.
Interview patients and conduct an analysis of potential eligibility for Medicaid and hospital charity programs.
Obtain accurate and detail diagnostic, demographic and financial information for patients requesting emergency hospital services.
Limit experience in attending patients needs, while perform in accordance with existing regulatory and hospital standards.
Obtain all necessary documentation prior to surgery such as proof of identification, copy of insurance and require insurance referrals.

Patient advocate example responsibilities.

Manage the complaint process as required by CMS for the hospital.
Provide support for emergencies by managing inappropriate behaviors, aggressive patients, CPR and persons in crisis.
Train to welcome and register patients at ESI triage window.
Document patients medical problems using ICD 9 and CPT coding for patients diagnosis.
Pull any incoming referrals, triage them, and schedule patients with the appropriate doctor.
Collect and review patient information to determine patients' eligibility for Medicaid and charity program assistance.

Patient service associate vs patient advocate skills

Common patient service associate skills

Patients, 22%
Customer Service, 12%
Medical Terminology, 6%
Patient Care, 6%
Patient Service, 6%
HIPAA, 4%

Common patient advocate skills

Patients, 28%
Customer Service, 11%
Patient Care, 5%
Medicaid, 4%
Financial Assistance, 4%
Patient Accounts, 4%

Patient Service Associate vs. similar jobs

Patient Service Associate related careers

Patient Service Associate related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Patient Service Associate
Patient Service Associate vs Patient Advocate

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs