Registration specialist vs patient care specialist

The differences between registration specialists and patient care specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a registration specialist and a patient care specialist. Additionally, a patient care specialist has an average salary of $34,157, which is higher than the $30,422 average annual salary of a registration specialist.

The top three skills for a registration specialist include patients, customer service and medical terminology. The most important skills for a patient care specialist are patients, patient care, and data entry.

Registration specialist vs patient care specialist overview

	Registration Specialist	Patient Care Specialist
Yearly salary	$30,422	$34,157
Hourly rate	$14.63	$16.42
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	79,118	146,861
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

What does a registration specialist do?

A registration specialist is responsible for managing patient information, including the verification of their insurance details and medical treatment schedules. Registration specialists assign admission rooms and processing payments for discharge. They also assist patients with the completion of medical forms by helping them fill-out papers with the most accurate information. A registration specialist performs administrative and clerical duties as needed, requiring them to have excellent data management skills to process information and provide the highest quality care services for the patients.

What does a patient care specialist do?

A patient service or care specialist works at different medical facilities. Primary responsibilities include checking patients in and out, scheduling follow-up appointments as well as checking patient eligibility for services or programs. Patient service specialists should maintain a systematic referral log to correlate patient referrals to other specialists. Applicants for the job should have the basic computer knowledge to effectively manage data of patient's files, knowledge of medical terminologies, and possess good interpersonal and customer service skills.

Registration specialist vs patient care specialist salary

Registration specialists and patient care specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Registration Specialist	Patient Care Specialist
Average salary	$30,422	$34,157
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $40,000	Between $20,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Deloitte	KPG
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between registration specialist and patient care specialist education

There are a few differences between a registration specialist and a patient care specialist in terms of educational background:

	Registration Specialist	Patient Care Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Registration specialist vs patient care specialist demographics

Here are the differences between registration specialists' and patient care specialists' demographics:

	Registration Specialist	Patient Care Specialist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 14.5% Female, 85.5%	Male, 20.3% Female, 79.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 6.0% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 6.3% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between registration specialist and patient care specialist duties and responsibilities

Registration specialist example responsibilities.

Attain and authenticate patient insurance information, counsel patients on changes in insurance policies, verify patient demographics.
Help patients through the registration and admitting processes and also contribute to the PBX department.
Input data entries for insurance billing; adding CPT codes and diagnosis from face sheets as patients arrive.
Act as hospital PBX operator.
Complete all charge entry, enter all CPT and ICD-9 codes for billing for multiple doctors each day.
Enter patient information and verify information according to HIPAA regulations.

Patient care specialist example responsibilities.

Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic.
Utilize software applications to document call interactions using medical terminology and responsible for initially engaging patients by explaining the services.
Verify CPT codes along with diagnosis code for guarantee payment for surgeries.
Process daily fee tickets and correctly enter office visit ICD 9 and CPT codes into the system for billing.
Adhere to HIPPA confidentiality guidelines.
Track Medicaid eligibility of clients.

Registration specialist vs patient care specialist skills

Common registration specialist skills

Patients, 25%
Customer Service, 14%
Medical Terminology, 8%
Patient Registration, 5%
Insurance Verification, 4%
Data Entry, 4%

Common patient care specialist skills

Patients, 33%
Patient Care, 17%
Data Entry, 5%
Medical Terminology, 4%
CPT, 2%
CPR, 2%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Registration Specialist
Registration Specialist vs Patient Care Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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