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The differences between provider relations specialists and client relations specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a provider relations specialist and a client relations specialist. Additionally, a provider relations specialist has an average salary of $44,403, which is higher than the $39,902 average annual salary of a client relations specialist.
The top three skills for a provider relations specialist include provider relations, medicaid and health plan. The most important skills for a client relations specialist are client relations, customer service, and data entry.
| Provider Relations Specialist | Client Relations Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $44,403 | $39,902 |
| Hourly rate | $21.35 | $19.18 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 70,700 | 200,766 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Provider relations specialists are professionals who work for insurance companies as the primary contact for health care providers such as clinics and hospitals. These specialists are required to provide answers about service contracts and billing procedures to health care providers. They must handle the documents of patients to ensure that proper paperwork has been filed for coverage while developing communications with providers about any policy changes. Provider relations specialists must also travel to different health care organizations to provide training to their staff on insurance policies and procedures.
A client relations specialist is primarily in charge of building positive relationships with clients by providing optimal services. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their company of employment, it typically includes handling customer calls and correspondence, offering products or services, discussing promotions or product specifications, answering inquiries, arranging appointments, resolving issues and concerns, and processing payments or refunds. Moreover, a client relations specialist conducts market research and analysis to identify the current trends and practices, aiming for client satisfaction.
Provider relations specialists and client relations specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Provider Relations Specialist | Client Relations Specialist | |
| Average salary | $44,403 | $39,902 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $65,000 | Between $27,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | - | Real Estate |
There are a few differences between a provider relations specialist and a client relations specialist in terms of educational background:
| Provider Relations Specialist | Client Relations Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between provider relations specialists' and client relations specialists' demographics:
| Provider Relations Specialist | Client Relations Specialist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 22.0% Female, 78.0% | Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 7.3% White, 53.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 6.5% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |