Scheduler vs referral coordinator

The differences between schedulers and referral 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 scheduler and a referral coordinator. Additionally, a scheduler has an average salary of $40,565, which is higher than the $35,179 average annual salary of a referral coordinator.

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

Scheduler vs referral coordinator overview

	Scheduler	Referral Coordinator
Yearly salary	$40,565	$35,179
Hourly rate	$19.50	$16.91
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	56,890	65,934
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	2	2

What does a scheduler do?

A scheduler is responsible for arranging appointments and carrying out reminder calls and correspondence to anyone involved. In a company setting, it is also a scheduler's responsibility to coordinate with various departments and personnel to organize an accurate timetable that will consist of meetings, gatherings, deadlines, or other pressing matters. Furthermore, a scheduler must have attention to detail as one must perform bookkeeping tasks, fix scheduling issues or conflicts, and organize documentation. There are also instances where one must process orders or payments.

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.

Scheduler vs referral coordinator salary

Schedulers and referral coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Scheduler	Referral Coordinator
Average salary	$40,565	$35,179
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $68,000	Between $27,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	New York	Maine
Best paying company	BP America Inc	Horizon Laser Vision
Best paying industry	Construction	Health Care

Differences between scheduler and referral coordinator education

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

	Scheduler	Referral Coordinator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Scheduler vs referral coordinator demographics

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

	Scheduler	Referral Coordinator
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 22.9% Female, 77.1%	Male, 10.2% Female, 89.8%
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 scheduler and referral coordinator duties and responsibilities

Scheduler example responsibilities.

Manage clinic visit schedules, rehabilitation conferences, medical exams, trial appearances, depositions, etc.
Utilize knowledge of medical insurance including manage care, Medicare, Medicaid, liability and workman's compensation.
Manage patient pre-op responsibilities, and generate all necessary paperwork.
Schedule procedure, surgery f/u, register new patients, referrals, insurance, send nurse messages.
Schedule patients for test and surgery procedures with and without anesthesia using the Surgi-Server computerize scheduling system.
Schedule patients for radiology and nuclear medicine procedures, verify insurance benefits, and obtain prior authorizations for patient procedures.

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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.

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Scheduler vs referral coordinator skills

Common scheduler skills

Patients, 21%
Customer Service, 13%
Medical Terminology, 7%
Patient Care, 5%
Data Entry, 3%
Home Health, 3%

Common referral coordinator skills

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

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Updated January 8, 2025

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