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The differences between provider relations specialists and retention 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 retention specialist. Additionally, a provider relations specialist has an average salary of $44,403, which is higher than the $37,175 average annual salary of a retention specialist.
The top three skills for a provider relations specialist include provider relations, medicaid and health plan. The most important skills for a retention specialist are customer service, outbound calls, and powerpoint.
| Provider Relations Specialist | Retention Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $44,403 | $37,175 |
| Hourly rate | $21.35 | $17.87 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 70,700 | 199,631 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| 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 retention specialist is responsible for devising strategies to maintain a healthy relationship with clients. They are primarily in charge of negotiating and securing contract renewals, handling issues and corrective measures for customer satisfaction, utilizing feedback to improve services, and maintaining a healthy rapport to strengthen the client base. Furthermore, as a retention specialist, it is essential to perform calls and correspondence, keep records of all transactions, and coordinate with work-staff.
Provider relations specialists and retention specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Provider Relations Specialist | Retention Specialist | |
| Average salary | $44,403 | $37,175 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $65,000 | Between $28,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Adobe |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a provider relations specialist and a retention specialist in terms of educational background:
| Provider Relations Specialist | Retention Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between provider relations specialists' and retention specialists' demographics:
| Provider Relations Specialist | Retention Specialist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 22.0% Female, 78.0% | Male, 37.0% Female, 63.0% |
| 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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 6.0% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |