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Surgical coordinator vs health care coordinator

The differences between surgical coordinators and health care 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 surgical coordinator and a health care coordinator. Additionally, a health care coordinator has an average salary of $43,411, which is higher than the $36,765 average annual salary of a surgical coordinator.

The top three skills for a surgical coordinator include patients, surgical procedures and patient care. The most important skills for a health care coordinator are patients, social work, and home health.

Surgical coordinator vs health care coordinator overview

Surgical CoordinatorHealth Care Coordinator
Yearly salary$36,765$43,411
Hourly rate$17.68$20.87
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs73,088146,649
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 37%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

What does a surgical coordinator do?

Surgical coordinators are tasked to carry out administrative duties that are significant to surgical operations. These duties include keeping patient records, scheduling surgical equipment, entering post-surgical data, and surgery scheduling. They prepare bills for the patients and send them to a particular insurance company. It is their job to ensure the timely scheduling of surgical cases based on the directions of surgeons and physicians. The skills necessary for this job include strong multitasking and organizational skills, good typing skills, and experience in administrative, secretarial, or clerical work.

What does a health care coordinator do?

As the health care coordinator, they are mostly assigned at the front desk to assist you through your appointment, help you fill out medical forms, answers your questions, and reach out to your insurance provider to determine payment options. They help patients to feel confident in the process and get organized. They also consult and work with other health care providers to book appointments and note treatment plans. Moreover, they do complex tasks, including facilitating, ensuring treatment plans are successfully done, and help the care team with recommended care.

Surgical coordinator vs health care coordinator salary

Surgical coordinators and health care coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Surgical CoordinatorHealth Care Coordinator
Average salary$36,765$43,411
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $49,000Between $32,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-Health Alliance
Best paying industry-Insurance

Differences between surgical coordinator and health care coordinator education

There are a few differences between a surgical coordinator and a health care coordinator in terms of educational background:

Surgical CoordinatorHealth Care Coordinator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 37%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common majorBusinessNursing
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Surgical coordinator vs health care coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between surgical coordinators' and health care coordinators' demographics:

Surgical CoordinatorHealth Care Coordinator
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 9.2% Female, 90.8%Male, 16.0% Female, 84.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 9.0% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 9.0% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between surgical coordinator and health care coordinator duties and responsibilities

Surgical coordinator example responsibilities.

  • Manage patient pre-op responsibilities, and generate all necessary paperwork.
  • Input medical procedures and diagnosis using ICD-9 and CPT medical codes to generate claims for insurance and patient billing.
  • Recommend optimization of patient flow for office visits and HIPAA policy enhancements.
  • Coordinate meetings, schedule surgeries/procedures, verify insurance coverage, ensure HIPAA compliance.
  • Provide patients and parents information; explanations of treatment plans, post-operative instructions and oral hygiene instructions.
  • Promote to back office and surgical coordinator position which duties include scheduling patients with hospital for inpatient procedures.
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Health care coordinator example responsibilities.

  • Manage client accounts making sure they are up to date and within Medicare guidelines.
  • Manage caseload by providing care coordination to individuals with a primary intellectual/developmental disability diagnosis all of whom receive community-base waiver services.
  • Expand use of Medicare and Medicaid benefits for services not previously utilize including researching and contracting with outside vendors.
  • Establish patient referral sources from business relationships and educate facility staff to identify patients that would benefit from home health services.
  • Utilize CPR certification skills when need.
  • Help assist residents with ADL's.
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Surgical coordinator vs health care coordinator skills

Common surgical coordinator skills
  • Patients, 35%
  • Surgical Procedures, 12%
  • Patient Care, 6%
  • Medical Terminology, 5%
  • Patient Demographics, 3%
  • Insurance Verification, 3%
Common health care coordinator skills
  • Patients, 17%
  • Social Work, 11%
  • Home Health, 11%
  • Mental Health, 6%
  • Behavioral Health, 6%
  • Patient Care, 5%

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