A referral coordinator is an administrative professional who schedules appointments, reviews insurance issues, and manages patient follow-ups in healthcare. They may also manage customer referrals in sales-oriented businesses. A high school diploma and office administration experience are typically required.
Typically, a referral coordinator is a healthcare administrative professional who works with patients and healthcare professionals to schedule appointments, review insurance issues, and support the smooth running of a medical practice. Depending on the size of the practice, the coordinator may have additional administrative responsibilities or may specialize in creating initial and follow-up appointments for new and returning patients. The term “referral coordinator” can also be used to describe other types of jobs, such as managing customer referrals for a sales-oriented business. In both cases, the coordinator must have strong administrative and organizational skills.
When employed in the medical field, a referral coordinator is often responsible for taking calls from patients who need to make an appointment to obtain medical services. In these cases, the coordinator may need to use their best judgment when prioritizing consultation requests as to when it is a good idea to refer the caller to a nurse or physician for more specific guidance. The coordinator may also be responsible for following up with patients to schedule additional appointments or tasks as needed to properly manage the patient’s condition. He or she may also be responsible for working with insurance companies to ensure treatments are approved before appointments are scheduled.
To become a referral coordinator in a medical setting, a person typically needs to have a high school diploma and some experience working in office administration. Some employers may also want the coordinator to have some formal training and education in health office administration, and smaller practices may hire a medical assistant to do the work of a referral coordinator and also provide basic health services. In all cases, the coordinator will need to be familiar with laws relating to the privacy and confidentiality of healthcare services.
Some companies outside of health services may hire a referral coordinator to perform other functions. If a company relies on word-of-mouth advertising and rewards current customers for referring new business, it will often need an administrative employee to track referrals and develop a process to compensate those who refer the company. The referral coordinator can also complete other office administration tasks as needed by the company. The skills of this type of referral coordinator can be similar to those working in the healthcare industry, as they will likely need office skills, but they may also need additional training and experience in sales and marketing.
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