Surgery scheduler vs patient coordinator

The differences between surgery schedulers and patient coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a surgery scheduler, becoming a patient coordinator takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a surgery scheduler has an average salary of $34,472, which is higher than the $32,954 average annual salary of a patient coordinator.

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

Surgery scheduler vs patient coordinator overview

	Surgery Scheduler	Patient Coordinator
Yearly salary	$34,472	$32,954
Hourly rate	$16.57	$15.84
Growth rate	-8%	-4%
Number of jobs	56,058	97,878
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 26%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	49	40
Years of experience	2	4

What does a surgery scheduler do?

A surgery scheduler is responsible for organizing medical information, coordinating with doctors and other health professionals, and reaching out to patients to inform them of scheduled medical procedures and appointments. Surgery schedulers perform clerical and administrative duties, such as processing patients' payments, verifying insurance details, and updating their account information on the database. They also monitor the adequacy of inventory for medical operations and create purchase requests as needed. A surgery scheduler must have excellent communication skills, especially in responding to patients' inquiries and concerns and resolving complaints.

What does a patient coordinator do?

A patient coordinator functions as the primary point of contact between health care professionals and patients in a medical facility. They mostly perform administrative tasks such as greeting visitors, answering calls, responding to inquiries, managing schedules, arranging appointments, processing payments, gathering information, and keeping records. Moreover, they assist in filling out forms, escorting patients to different rooms or offices, and setting treatment plans. Most importantly, they discuss and share necessary information with patients and families regarding medications, procedures, and proceeding care according to a physician's assessment.

Surgery scheduler vs patient coordinator salary

Surgery schedulers and patient coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Surgery Scheduler	Patient Coordinator
Average salary	$34,472	$32,954
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $43,000	Between $25,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Danbury, CT	Brockton, MA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Massachusetts
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between surgery scheduler and patient coordinator education

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

	Surgery Scheduler	Patient Coordinator
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 26%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Surgery scheduler vs patient coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between surgery schedulers' and patient coordinators' demographics:

	Surgery Scheduler	Patient Coordinator
Average age	49	40
Gender ratio	Male, 6.5% Female, 93.5%	Male, 11.2% Female, 88.8%
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, 11.1% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 25.4% Asian, 6.2% White, 51.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	7%

Differences between surgery scheduler and patient coordinator duties and responsibilities

Surgery scheduler example responsibilities.

Manage medical records and patient information within HIPPA guidelines
Manage patient pre-op responsibilities, and generate all necessary paperwork.
Request financial screening services for patients with limit Medicaid packages, as well as the uninsured.
Provide patients with information that explain hospital admission policies, time of admission and HIPPA privacy guidelines.
Execute administrative tasks such as ordering supplies and working with CPT and DX codes relate to accurate patient billing.
Maintain HIPAA and confidentiality standards.

Patient coordinator example responsibilities.

Comply with HIPAA regulations by discreetly and professionally handling all patients private medical information.
Gather personal plus insurance information and perform thorough insurance breakdowns for patients.
Communicate directly with patients to obtain initial patient information and respond to inquiries.
Process and update HIPAA relate paperwork and other require institutional forms as necessary.
Obtain all necessary documentation prior to surgery such as proof of identification, copy of insurance and require insurance referrals.
Respond in writing to all grievances in accordance with CMS and DNV guidelines.

Surgery scheduler vs patient coordinator skills

Common surgery scheduler skills

Patients, 26%
Medical Terminology, 10%
Customer Service, 9%
Patient Care, 5%
Surgical Procedures, 4%
Surgery Scheduling, 4%

Common patient coordinator skills

Patients, 30%
Customer Service, 11%
Patient Care, 6%
Patient Flow, 5%
Excellent Organizational, 4%
Check-In, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Surgery Scheduler
Surgery Scheduler vs Patient Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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