A patient coordinator, or care coordinator, works with physicians, nurses and other members of the healthcare profession to plan, monitor and evaluate interdisciplinary care.

Job Description

The patient coordinator serves as a liaison between patients, their families and healthcare professionals. Coordinators provide educational information to patients regarding treatments, procedures, medications and follow up care. They attend meetings with providers and arrange scheduling for tests and consults. They ensure compliance with hospital and legal requirements. Coordinators advocate for their patients while respecting patient rights and maintaining confidentiality.

Education Requirements

Education requirements vary among employers, but a bachelor's degree is typically at minimum. Depending on the specific job, an employer may want to hire a nurse, a nurse practitioner, physician's assistant or social worker. Licensing by the state is required for practice in each of these fields. Individuals with bachelor's or master's degrees in healthcare administration also find work as patient coordinators.

Patient coordinators must be highly organized, with exceptional communications skills. Coursework or experience in psychology, counseling and education are required by most employers. Since technology plays such an important role in maintaining patient records and communications among members of a healthcare team, the coordinator needs to be proficient with communications and healthcare management technologies. Depending on the populations being served, it may be an asset to be bilingual and speak a language other than English that is predominant in the community.

Work Environment

Patient care coordinators normally work regular business hours, Monday through Friday, in hospitals, medical centers and community health clinics. In some jobs, early morning hours are required for meeting with physicians and other providers.On a typical day, most patient coordinators divide their time between one-on-one meetings with patients and communications with providers, family members and community resources.

Salary and Job Outlook

Salaries vary widely for patient care coordinators, depending on job description and level of education, geographic location and the skill set a candidate can bring to the position. According to the job website PayScale, employers are usually willing to pay more to individuals with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) certification or experience in patient education, case management or counseling. The average annual salary for a patient care coordinator is $39,000.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks data and makes projections for all civilian occupations. In some cases, the Bureau does not provide information that corresponds to a specific job title but instead to a broader descriptor. Employment in health care occupations in general is expected to grow 18 percent through 2024, a much faster growth rate than average compared with all other industries. The aging of the population, and the resultant increased demand for health care services, is behind the trend.

Patient Coordinators Employment and Labor Information 2023

Patient Coordinators Employment Brief:

Assist patients in obtaining services, understanding policies and making health care decisions.

Patient Coordinators Job Description

Here is a Job Description an employer might post for potential Patient Coordinators.

Patient Coordinators Responsibilities and Duties:

• Develop and distribute newsletters, brochures, or other printed materials to share information with patients or medical staff.
• Provide consultation or training to volunteers or staff on topics, such as guest relations, patients' rights, or medical issues.
• Maintain knowledge of community services and resources available to patients.
• Investigate and direct patient inquiries or complaints to appropriate medical staff members and follow up to ensure satisfactory resolution.
• Collect and report data on topics, such as patient encounters or inter-institutional problems, making recommendations for change when appropriate.
• Coordinate communication between patients, family members, medical staff, administrative staff, or regulatory agencies.
• Refer patients to appropriate health care services or resources.
• Analyze patients' abilities to pay to determine charges on a sliding scale.
• Teach patients to use home health care equipment.
• Interview patients or their representatives to identify problems relating to care.

Typical Daily Tasks of Patient Coordinators:

• Getting Information: Interview employees, customers, or others to collect information.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Provide information to coworkers.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Refer customers to appropriate personnel.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Prepare informational or reference materials. Prepare research or technical reports.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards.
• Working with Computers.
• Processing Information.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work.

Patient Coordinators Skills and Requirements:

• Operation and Control Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
• InternetNavigating the Internet to find information, including the ability to open and configure standard browsers; use searches, hypertext references, and transfer protocols; and send and retrieve electronic mail (e-mail).
• Writing Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Speaking Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Coordination Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• PresentationsUsing a computer application to create, manipulate, edit, and show virtual slide presentations.
• Management of Personnel Resources Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
• Time Management Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Quality Control Analysis Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
• Judgment and Decision Making Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Patient Coordinators Salary and Wages:

Average Salary: 58,450. Education: typical education requirements include High school diploma or equivalent.

Data from May 2023 courtesy of U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program.