Physician vs physician liaison

The differences between physicians and physician liaisons can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a physician and a physician liaison. Additionally, a physician has an average salary of $238,887, which is higher than the $210,572 average annual salary of a physician liaison.

The top three skills for a physician include patients, surgery and patient care. The most important skills for a physician liaison are patients, patient care, and service line.

Physician vs physician liaison overview

	Physician	Physician Liaison
Yearly salary	$238,887	$210,572
Hourly rate	$114.85	$101.24
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	46,489	64,483
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

What does a physician do?

Physicians' general responsibility is to check, diagnose, and treat a patient's condition to improve their overall wellness. A physician could be General Practitioners or Specialist Physicians, wherein General Practitioners are physicians who provide regular checkups for patients depending on their needs and refer them to a Specialist Physicians who are more skilled in a particular field of expertise for a thorough diagnosis. Physicians monitor a patient's medical history and ensure follow-up checkups to observe if the condition of a patient is changing over time. A physician may refer a patient to other health professionals for further examination as needed.

What does a physician liaison do?

A physician liaison specializes in helping medical facilities build positive relationships with physicians in a community. Typically working at the business development and sales offices, a physical liaison is responsible for meeting with physicians to introduce and promote the facility and its services, discuss referrals and patient care, and help physicians connect with surgeons and specialists for patient referral. Furthermore, a physician liaison must produce regular progress reports, coordinating with office managers while adhering to the facility's policies and regulations.

Physician vs physician liaison salary

Physicians and physician liaisons have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Physician	Physician Liaison
Average salary	$238,887	$210,572
Salary range	Between $128,000 And $442,000	Between $106,000 And $417,000
Highest paying City	Cleveland, TN	Eau Claire, WI
Highest paying state	Wisconsin	North Dakota
Best paying company	Yuma Regional Medical Center	UTMB HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between physician and physician liaison education

There are a few differences between a physician and a physician liaison in terms of educational background:

	Physician	Physician Liaison
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Medicine	Business
Most common college	Duke University	University of Pennsylvania

Physician vs physician liaison demographics

Here are the differences between physicians' and physician liaisons' demographics:

	Physician	Physician Liaison
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 39.0% Female, 61.0%	Male, 26.2% Female, 73.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 19.1% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 19.1% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between physician and physician liaison duties and responsibilities

Physician example responsibilities.

Manage catheters and dress wounds.
Maintain ACLS and BLS certifications.
Treat complicated oncology cases in ICU and emergency.
Schedule new, follow-up and diagnostic testing for cardiology patients.
Attend radiation oncology clinic for new patients beginning treatment as well as follow-ups for returning patients.
Schedule tests and procedures (including radiology, cardiology, and respiratory) utilizing the hospital and clinic computer systems.

Physician liaison example responsibilities.

Distribute Medicare and Medicaid numbers to billing department, manage care department and all other applicable areas.
Promote and market the following destination programs: therapeutic endoscopy, general surgery and surgical oncology.
Visit referring physician offices with radiation oncology practice information and promotional materials to build effective referral relationships.
Trouble shooting physician and nurse relate EHR issues during implementation.
Oversee the day to day marketing operations of small radiation oncology center.
Develop sales strategies for beta launch of internal EMR system to community-base physicians.

Physician vs physician liaison skills

Common physician skills

Patients, 22%
Surgery, 8%
Patient Care, 7%
Internal Medicine, 6%
Primary Care, 6%
EMR, 6%

Common physician liaison skills

Patients, 21%
Patient Care, 6%
Service Line, 6%
Business Development, 4%
CRM, 4%
Excellent Interpersonal, 4%

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Physician vs Physician Liaison

Updated January 8, 2025

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