Patient service associate vs referral coordinator

The differences between patient service associates and referral coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a patient service associate, becoming a referral coordinator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a referral coordinator has an average salary of $35,179, 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 referral coordinator are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.

Patient service associate vs referral coordinator overview

	Patient Service Associate	Referral Coordinator
Yearly salary	$31,992	$35,179
Hourly rate	$15.38	$16.91
Growth rate	-4%	-8%
Number of jobs	96,748	65,934
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Average age	40	49
Years of experience	4	2

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 referral coordinator do?

A referral coordinator works with insurance companies and care providers to share essential patient information and assists primarily in scheduling appointments and managing health insurance issues. As a referral coordinator, you will work directly with the patient, patient families, or even social workers, depending on the job and patient needs. Other job responsibilities include general administrative or clerical tasks such as setting up appointments for new and existing patients, verifying insurance information before appointments, and answering phone calls.

Patient service associate vs referral coordinator salary

Patient service associates and referral coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Service Associate	Referral Coordinator
Average salary	$31,992	$35,179
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $39,000	Between $27,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Maine
Best paying company	Virginia Eye Institute	Horizon Laser Vision
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between patient service associate and referral coordinator education

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

	Patient Service Associate	Referral Coordinator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

Patient service associate vs referral coordinator demographics

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

	Patient Service Associate	Referral Coordinator
Average age	40	49
Gender ratio	Male, 18.2% Female, 81.8%	Male, 10.2% Female, 89.8%
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, 9.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	7%	9%

Differences between patient service associate and referral coordinator 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.

Referral coordinator example responsibilities.

Establish rapport with all PCP offices, hospital personnel, and manage care representatives.
Ensure CPT and ICD-9 coding are accurate and complete according to AMA's guidelines and for third party intermediaries.
Contact medical insurance companies and provide ICD-9 diagnosis and CPT procedure codes for patient's illness, condition or injury.
Apply ICD-9 and CPT-4 codes to complete referral requests online or via fax.
Conduct the entire office's EHR process and create a system to track old and new patient's records.
Incorporate core organizational values of quality, respect, integrity, partnership, and compassion in all activities and decisions.

Patient service associate vs referral coordinator skills

Common patient service associate skills

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

Common referral coordinator skills

Patients, 30%
Customer Service, 12%
Medical Terminology, 7%
Patient Care, 4%
Data Entry, 4%
EMR, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Patient Service Associate
Patient Service Associate vs Referral Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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