Referral coordinator vs unit coordinator

The differences between referral coordinators and unit coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a referral coordinator and a unit coordinator. Additionally, a unit coordinator has an average salary of $43,688, which is higher than the $35,179 average annual salary of a referral coordinator.

The top three skills for a referral coordinator include patients, customer service and medical terminology. The most important skills for a unit coordinator are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.

Referral coordinator vs unit coordinator overview

	Referral Coordinator	Unit Coordinator
Yearly salary	$35,179	$43,688
Hourly rate	$16.91	$21.00
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	65,934	85,294
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	2	2

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.

What does a unit coordinator do?

A unit coordinator is responsible for providing quality care services to patients by supporting the daily operations of a health care facility under the supervision of medical professionals. Unit coordinators perform administrative and clerical tasks as needed, including responding to patients' inquiries and concerns, scheduling appointments, sorting medical records, verifying insurance details, and assisting the physician on the care plans and patients' activities. They also monitor the medical supply inventory, coordinate with suppliers, and ensure the cleanliness and orderliness of the facility by adhering to safety standards and protocols.

Referral coordinator vs unit coordinator salary

Referral coordinators and unit coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Referral Coordinator	Unit Coordinator
Average salary	$35,179	$43,688
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $44,000	Between $29,000 And $65,000
Highest paying City	Portland, ME	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Maine	California
Best paying company	Horizon Laser Vision	Ohio's Hospice
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between referral coordinator and unit coordinator education

There are a few differences between a referral coordinator and a unit coordinator in terms of educational background:

	Referral Coordinator	Unit Coordinator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Referral coordinator vs unit coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between referral coordinators' and unit coordinators' demographics:

	Referral Coordinator	Unit Coordinator
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 10.2% Female, 89.8%	Male, 20.7% Female, 79.3%
Race ratio	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%	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	9%	9%

Differences between referral coordinator and unit coordinator duties and responsibilities

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.

Unit coordinator example responsibilities.

Manage inpatient transfers to rehabilitation and medical facilities, along with preparing and monitoring outpatient billings insurance verification and referrals.
Demonstrate care and compassion toward all patients and family members at all times.
Receive all incoming phone calls; triage calls from the hospital emergency room.
Display ability to identify and prioritize degree of urgency via assignment of triage.
Review all patients EMR to ensure all appropriate power plans and quality measure consoles have been initiate.
Coordinate the daily events in an ICU setting and all other secretarial duties, including but not limit to maintaining equipment.

Referral coordinator vs unit coordinator skills

Common referral coordinator skills

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

Common unit coordinator skills

Patients, 26%
Customer Service, 12%
Medical Terminology, 8%
CPR, 3%
Patient Flow, 3%
Physician Orders, 3%

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Referral Coordinator
Referral Coordinator vs Unit Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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