What Does A Health Care Coordinator Do
Healthcare coordinators play a critical role in today’s dynamic healthcare industry—they use their leadership skills to oversee the organizational aspects of patient care within healthcare environments to ensure that equitable and quality care is administered. WGU offers opportunities to discover exciting career paths including as a healthcare coordinator as part of the Bachelor of Science in Health and Human Services. Learn more about what exactly is health and human services, and what a health care coordinator does.
What is a Health Care Coordinator?
Picture going to the doctor’s office. You walk in, feeling nervous about your appointment ahead. You’re relieved as someone at the front desk walks you through what your appointment is, helps you fill out paperwork, answers your questions, and calls your insurance for you when there's a question about your co-pay. This same person comes back to the exam room later to show the doctor's health records from a different clinic and helps you set up an appointment with the specialist your doctor has recommended. Not only did this person demonstrate leadership and cultural awareness, they also helped improve your mood and made a nerve-wracking experience much less stressful and frustrating.
In the world of healthcare, there are thousands of patients at a time who need unique and specific attention to get the care they require. From their admission into a healthcare facility to the doctor they see, their insurance paperwork, and the next steps after they receive care, there is so much to think about and oversee. Enter healthcare coordinators.
Healthcare coordinators, also called patient care coordinators, take the complex and often frustrating elements of healthcare and help patients get organized and feel confident in the process. This role involves working with patients to set appointments, helping them fill out and understand complicated medical paperwork, working with insurance providers to determine payment options, facilitating the execution of treatment plans created by doctors and nurses, coordinating efforts between doctors when there are needs for multiple avenues of care, and assuring the patient that they have an advocate to help them navigate their medical journey.
This developing field is an exciting place for those passionate about healthcare and patient advocacy. Health care coordinators typically work in a clinic or hospital settings but can also be found in other settings throughout the community, like schools, government facilities, community centers, and more.
Does this career sound like a match for your skills? With a degree in health and human services, you could help people in this vital healthcare role.
What are Health Care Coordinator Responsibilities?
Health service coordinators can expect that they will be responsible for the following:
Work with patients and their families to discuss health problems.
Provide education about medication, conditions, and care instructions.
Execute a care plan created by providers to help with health care needs.
Consult and work with other health care providers to schedule appointments and treatment plans.
Check on patients regularly to document the progress of their care.
Help the care team with recommended care.
Assist with exploring resources to help secure funding for medical care.
Work with insurance organizations to help clients.
Use empathy and respect when engaging with patients and their families.
Comply with guidelines and healthcare laws.
Work within their community, hospital, or clinic setting to make processes smooth and streamlined.
What Is the Salary for Healthcare Coordinators?
From administrative work to providing adequate education and information about medications and care to the patient, healthcare coordinators play a critical role in health care settings to ensure that patients receive the quality healthcare they need. Patient care coordinators typically make anywhere ranges from $82,500 to $102,060, with an average annual income salary of $92,690.
In this in-demand and competitive career field, the top 25% of health care coordinators earn between $102,060 and $110,591 annually. Average salary and ranges can vary widely depending on important factors including education, certifications, advanced skills, and the number of years in the profession.
What Is the Job Outlook for Healthcare Coordinators?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts careers in this field are expected to grow at a rate of 32% between 2020 and 2030, which is higher than average for all other professions. For many, working as a health care coordinator can be a stepping-stone to more senior leadership and administrative opportunities. The BLS projects approximately 56,600 new job openings for medical and health services managers over the course of the decade.
What Will I Learn in My Health Services Coordination Degree Program?
Finding the right career path is important, and if work as a health-care coordinator sounds interesting to you, you’ll want to gain the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in this exciting and fulfilling field. A degree in the health and human services field is your first step. And WGU's Bachelor of Science in Health and Human Services degree is tailor-made for future health care workers to improve their skills.
Most health care coordinators find that their education is vital in helping them get a job and succeed at it. A degree in health and human services teaches students management principles vital to the field, as well as the relevant medical knowledge they need to feel confident in a health care setting, and business skills that help them optimize their operations.
A degree in health and human services can give you an advantage in a competitive career field and prepares the foundation for attaining success as a health-care coordinator.
At WGU, our online, competency-based curriculum is designed with the help of industry experts and professionals on our Health Professions Program Council who truly know what skills you’ll need to succeed. The courses that you’ll take focus on health care management, business, health care technology, and health sciences. These areas of emphasis will help you get the full picture of what patients and medical professionals need from their health care coordinators. You’ll also gain field experience in a variety of contexts, depending on your professional career goals in the health services industry.
This degree and career path focuses on value-based care and direct interaction with patients. A bachelor’s degree in health and human services is often the perfect fit for students who are interested in being a member of the healthcare team but don’t want to provide direct patient care, or don’t qualify for the BSN program. So if you love working with people and have the drive to care for others, consider earning your degree in healthcare. A bachelor’s in health and human services uniquely incorporates both the human connection of helping patients directly as well as the practical structure of organization management in a healthcare environment. Take the first step toward your dream job by getting started on your degree today.
