Patient service associate vs patient registrar

The differences between patient service associates and patient registrars 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 registrar. Additionally, a patient registrar has an average salary of $33,494, 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 registrar are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.

Patient service associate vs patient registrar overview

	Patient Service Associate	Patient Registrar
Yearly salary	$31,992	$33,494
Hourly rate	$15.38	$16.10
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	96,748	86,721
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
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 registrar do?

A patient registrar is responsible for receiving patients in a hospital or other health care institutions, verifying their information, and leading them to the appropriate facility for their health care needs. Patient registrars manage the hospital's database, updating patients' information, confirming insurance details, taking calls, responding to patients' inquiries and concerns, scheduling appointments, and performing related administrative and clerical tasks as needed. A patient registrar must have excellent communication and organizational skills to provide the best quality care services to the patients.

Patient service associate vs patient registrar salary

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

	Patient Service Associate	Patient Registrar
Average salary	$31,992	$33,494
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $39,000	Between $26,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Virginia Eye Institute	Guidehouse
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between patient service associate and patient registrar education

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

	Patient Service Associate	Patient Registrar
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Patient service associate vs patient registrar demographics

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

	Patient Service Associate	Patient Registrar
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 18.2% Female, 81.8%	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
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, 11.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 23.0% Asian, 6.4% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between patient service associate and patient registrar 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 registrar example responsibilities.

Process release of information requests according to HIPAA regulations and manage valuables safe for entire facility.
Specialize in high degree of compassion when communicating with patients providing information and insurance details.
Receive patients, record patient demographic information and verify insurance for emergency department, laboratory, and radiology
Register patients and ensure correctness of all demographic information in AS400, verify insurance on various websites and collect patient co-payments.
Update demographics, billing information, Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance during patient interviews to obtain pertinent registration information.
Enter confidential personal health information and financial information into IDX system with a high rate of accuracy and confidentiality.

Patient service associate vs patient registrar skills

Common patient service associate skills

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

Common patient registrar skills

Patients, 25%
Customer Service, 11%
Medical Terminology, 11%
Patient Registration, 4%
Patient Care, 4%
Insurance Verification, 3%

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 Registrar

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs