Physician liaison vs primary care physician

The differences between physician liaisons and primary care physicians 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 liaison and a primary care physician. Additionally, a primary care physician has an average salary of $214,843, which is higher than the $210,572 average annual salary of a physician liaison.

The top three skills for a physician liaison include patients, patient care and service line. The most important skills for a primary care physician are patients, internal medicine, and family practice.

Physician liaison vs primary care physician overview

	Physician Liaison	Primary Care Physician
Yearly salary	$210,572	$214,843
Hourly rate	$101.24	$103.29
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	64,483	130,606
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Doctoral Degree, 40%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

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.

What does a primary care physician do?

A Primary Care Physician is responsible for providing regular medical care for their patients. They provide personal assistance, medical attention, and emotional support to others, such as coworkers, customers, and patients.

Physician liaison vs primary care physician salary

Physician liaisons and primary care physicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Physician Liaison	Primary Care Physician
Average salary	$210,572	$214,843
Salary range	Between $106,000 And $417,000	Between $134,000 And $344,000
Highest paying City	Eau Claire, WI	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	North Dakota	North Dakota
Best paying company	UTMB HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS	Alameda Health System
Best paying industry	Health Care	Insurance

Differences between physician liaison and primary care physician education

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

	Physician Liaison	Primary Care Physician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Doctoral Degree, 40%
Most common major	Business	Medicine
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Duke University

Physician liaison vs primary care physician demographics

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

	Physician Liaison	Primary Care Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 26.2% Female, 73.8%	Male, 49.4% Female, 50.6%
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, 9.6% Asian, 19.1% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between physician liaison and primary care physician duties and responsibilities

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.

Primary care physician example responsibilities.

Full spectrum of family medicine, including obstetrics, pediatrics and inpatient medicine.
Maintain renewal for physicians' licenses, DEA certificates, ACLS certifications and CME records.
Attend ICU patient care rounds with the medical team.
Display technical proficiency in using NaturaeSoft electronic medical record (EMR).
Provide on-site, immediate response for all hospital emergencies following ACLS protocols.
Enter prescriptions on computer, giving injections, filing charting information in patient chart.

Physician liaison vs primary care physician skills

Common physician liaison skills

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

Common primary care physician skills

Patients, 25%
Internal Medicine, 14%
Family Practice, 11%
Urgent Care, 8%
Pediatrics, 7%
Patient Care, 6%

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Physician Liaison
Physician Liaison vs Primary Care Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

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