Healthcare Coordinator Job Description Template: Responsibilities, Requirements, and Example

A complete healthcare coordinator job description—key duties, skills, tools, KPIs, and a plug-and-play template to hire confidently in clinics and hospitals.

What is a Healthcare Coordinator?

A healthcare coordinator (sometimes called Patient Care Coordinator, Medical Office Coordinator, or Clinic Coordinator) ensures smooth patient flow and accurate information across scheduling, intake, benefits verification, prior authorizations, charge capture/billing support, and cross-team communication. The role sits at the intersection of front office operations and clinical support, freeing clinicians to focus on care while keeping the administrative engine consistent, compliant, and measurable.

In many organizations, this position maps closely to the “medical secretaries and administrative assistants” family—responsibilities include scheduling, medical record updates, and billing support. 

Where they report

Typically to Practice Manager, Office Manager, or Revenue Cycle Lead. In larger systems, they may sit within Operations or Patient Access.

Who they collaborate with

Providers, nurses/MAs, benefits specialists, coders, prior-auth teams, billing/AR, and external payers.

Primary goal

Seamless patient experience + accurate, compliant administrative flow from first contact to payment.

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Key Responsibilities

Patient Scheduling & Access

• Manage inbound calls, referrals, and portal requests; schedule appointments using templated rules (provider availability, visit type, authorizations, room/equipment needs).

• Pre-visit reminders and instructions (prep, fasting, records to bring).

• Optimize calendars to reduce no-shows and appointment bottlenecks.

Patient access programs emphasize timely scheduling and service availability; CMS monitors appointment access and timeliness as quality factors. 

Intake & Registration

• Verify demographics and capture consent forms.

• Ensure accurate insurance, primary care provider (PCP), referring provider, and coordination-of-benefits data.

Benefits Verification & Prior Authorizations

• Confirm eligibility, copays, deductibles, and prior authorization requirements for planned services.

• Submit prior-auth requests with all required clinical documentation; follow up on status and communicate outcomes to staff and patients.

Prior authorization workflows vary by payer and require consistent documentation, payer portal use, and follow-up. 

Medical Records & Release of Information (ROI)

• Request and organize external records, scan/upload documents, and prepare ROI responses per policy.

• Route messages to providers; flag time-sensitive items.

ROI processes are governed by HIPAA and best practices to ensure continuity of care and confidentiality. 

Billing Support (Front-End RCM)

• Capture correct visit types and modifiers; collect copays; ensure encounter forms/charges are complete.

• Coordinate with coding/billing on missing documentation.

Communication & Coordination

• Serve as the first escalation point for patient experience issues.

• Keep providers, nurses, and billing aligned on changes (schedule shifts, payer rules, authorizations).

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Requirements & Qualifications

Education

• High school diploma or equivalent required; associate degree in health administration or related field preferred.

• Medical terminology familiarity expected; coding/RCM exposure is a plus.

Experience

• 1–3 years in a clinic, hospital, or payor-facing role (scheduling, front desk, patient access, or benefits coordination).

• Hands-on use of EHR/PM tools (e.g., Epic, Cerner, Athenahealth, eClinicalWorks).

Skills

• Communication & empathy: Clear, calm, and patient-centric—especially over phone/portal.

• Detail orientation: Zero-defect data entry; catches inconsistencies before they become denials.

• Operational judgment: Knows when to escalate clinical or benefits issues.

• Privacy awareness: Handles PHI according to HIPAA Privacy/Security Rules. 

• Tech literacy: Calendar logic, portal navigation, spreadsheet basics, payer websites.

Certifications (nice to have)

• CPC-A/CPC (coding exposure), or NAHAM/AAHAM patient access/RCM credentials.

• CPR/First Aid (some settings).

Day-in-the-Life: Sample Workflow

1. Open dashboards (calls, portal messages, unscheduled referrals).

2. Confirm eligibility for tomorrow’s appointments; flag prior-auth gaps.

3. Triage calls: schedule visits, document symptoms for nurse callbacks per protocol.

4. Process authorizations: submit/track approvals; notify patients and providers.

5. Check ROI queue: release, request, or reconcile records per policy.

6. Huddle with providers on same-day changes, add-ons, or cancellations.

7. Close out: collect copays, finalize documentation, route issues to billing.

KPIs & Performance Standards

• First-contact resolution rate (target: ≥75% administrative issues solved without handoff).

• Authorization turnaround time (submitted within 24–48 hours; expedited when clinically urgent).

• No-show rate (reduced via reminders/waitlists).

• Eligibility accuracy (>99% clean eligibility checks prior to visit).

• Patient satisfaction (CSAT/NPS from post-visit surveys).

• Documentation completeness (encounters closed same day; no missing fields that cause claim edits).

Many of these expectations align with how administrative support roles in healthcare ensure reliability and throughput.

Tools & Software

• EHR/Practice Management: Epic, Cerner, Athenahealth, eCW, NextGen.

• Payer Portals & Clearinghouses: Availity, Change Healthcare (or payer-specific portals).

• Communication: Telephony/IVR, secure messaging/portal, email.

• Productivity: Excel/Sheets for worklists, trackers, and simple analytics.

• Security: MFA, password managers, secure file transfer (per policy).

• Policies & Training: HIPAA Privacy/Security Rule refreshers; phishing/social-engineering training.

Copy-Ready Healthcare Coordinator Job Description Template

Job Title

Healthcare Coordinator

Summary

We are seeking a detail-oriented Healthcare Coordinator to streamline patient access, support prior authorizations and benefits verification, and keep our front-end revenue cycle accurate and compliant. You’ll be the operational hub connecting patients, providers, and payers, ensuring an efficient, empathetic, and privacy-first experience.

Responsibilities

• Manage inbound calls, referrals, and portal requests; schedule visits per template rules.

• Conduct eligibility checks; verify copays, deductibles, and benefits.

• Prepare and submit prior authorizations; track decisions and communicate outcomes.

• Coordinate medical records requests and release of information per policy.

• Collect copays and ensure charge capture is accurate; liaise with coding/billing to resolve edits.

• Maintain updated patient demographics, consents, and insurance data in the EHR.

• Triage patient questions and route clinical messages appropriately.

• Protect PHI and follow HIPAA Privacy/Security Rules at all times.

• Track KPIs (access, authorizations, no-shows, documentation completeness) and suggest improvements.

Requirements

• 1–3 years in patient access, scheduling, benefits, or medical office coordination.

• Working knowledge of EHR/PM systems and payer portals.

• Exceptional communication, organization, and customer-service skills.

• Familiarity with medical terminology and insurance basics (HMO, PPO, EOB, referral, prior auth).

• High attention to detail and ability to multitask in a high-volume setting.

• Commitment to privacy and security best practices.

Preferred Qualifications

• Associate degree in healthcare administration or related field.

• Patient access/RCM certifications (NAHAM, AAHAM) or coding exposure (AAPC).

• Bilingual skills (as applicable to patient population).

• Experience with telephone triage protocols (non-clinical).

Benefits (Customize)

• Competitive compensation (commensurate with experience and market).

• Health, dental, vision; PTO and holidays.

• Training budget and career development path.

• Flexible schedule (clinic-dependent) and occasional remote work.

Note on compensation: Titles vary across organizations; many Healthcare Coordinator roles are benchmarked against “medical secretaries and administrative assistants” in labor statistics, but pay may be adjusted upward for prior-auth/RCM complexity or supervisory scope.

Related: What Is a Prior Authorization and How It Shapes Patient Care

Interview Questions With What “Good” Sounds Like

Process & Prior Auth

Walk me through your steps when a payer requires authorization for an MRI.Look for: Benefit check, medical necessity criteria, required documentation, portal/phone submission, tracking, escalation timelines, communication with patient/provider.

Scheduling Judgment

Two same-day urgent referrals arrive while the schedule is full. How do you proceed? Look for: Template logic, overbook rules, provider coordination, patient risk assessment, documentation.

Documentation & ROI

A patient requests records be sent to a new specialist. What are the steps and guardrails?Look for: Identity verification, consent, minimum necessary standard, secure transmission, logging.

Patient Experience

Describe a time you de-escalated a frustrated caller about a bill or denial.Look for: Empathy, facts first, resolution path, documentation, closed-loop follow-up.

Data Accuracy

How do you prevent registration errors that lead to claim rejections?Look for: Dual-verification, checklists, EHR validation, end-of-day reconciliation.

Practical Assignment (30–45 Minutes)

• Scenario A: Confirm eligibility and prior-auth needs for a scheduled CT with contrast for a new patient. Provide the steps, the documentation you’d gather, and the timeline you’d communicate.

• Scenario B: Draft a two-paragraph message to a patient explaining why additional documentation is needed before their procedure, and offer next steps.

• Scenario C: Review a mock registration and highlight five common errors that trigger denials (e.g., wrong plan code, missing referral number).

30/60/90-Day Onboarding Checklist

Day 1–30: Foundation

• Policies: HIPAA, privacy, and security training (including phishing + MFA).

• Systems: EHR/PM basic training, payer portals, phone system.

• Shadowing: Front desk, nurses, billing/coding, and a sample prior-auth case.

• Metrics: Learn KPIs, how they’re measured, and reporting cadence.

Day 31–60: Independence

• Own a subset of clinics or providers; run eligibility/authorizations end-to-end.

• Tackle ROI requests independently; introduce a checklist to reduce errors.

• Present your first improvement idea (e.g., reminder cadence, waitlist logic).

Day 61–90: Optimization

• Cross-train on complex service lines (imaging, infusion, specialty clinic).

• Build a mini SOP for a recurring pain point; train a peer on it.

• Hit target KPIs for access, completeness, and authorizations.

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Compliance & Privacy: HIPAA in Practice

Healthcare coordinators routinely handle Protected Health Information (PHI). Keep PHI access minimum necessary, secure all communications, and use approved channels for ROI. The HIPAA Privacy Rule governs what you may disclose and how; the Security Rule sets controls for ePHI (e.g., encryption, MFA, access logs). Train regularly and follow your organization’s policy and state rules.

Cybersecurity expectations have tightened; agencies have proposed bolstering controls like MFA and encryption—review your technical safeguards with IT/Compliance. 

Remote/Hybrid Considerations

• Access controls: VPN, SSO, MFA; disable data export where possible.

• Home-office setup: Private space, locked screen, paper-shred policy.

• Call quality: Headset + QoS checks, backup dialer.

• Time-zone coverage: Staggered shifts for patient convenience.

Measuring ROI and Common Pitfalls

Levers that move quickly:

• Reduced no-show rate via better reminders and eligibility prep.

• Faster authorization cycle time (fewer reschedules/cancellations).

• Lower claim edits/denials from clean registration and documentation.

• Higher patient satisfaction from predictable communication.

Avoid these traps:

• Under-documented processes (tribal knowledge).

• Fragmented handoffs between scheduling, nurses, and billing.

• “Shadow spreadsheets” that conflict with the EHR.

• Skipping weekly payer rule updates and internal huddles.

Career Path & Growth

Many coordinators advance to Lead Coordinator, Patient Access Supervisor, Revenue Cycle Specialist (front-end), or Practice Manager. Parallel growth tracks include prior authorization specialist, medical records specialist, or referral coordination. The experience also builds foundations for health administration careers.

The core skill set mirrors recognized administrative roles supporting scheduling and billing in medical settings, which remain essential to clinical throughput. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this role patient-facing?

Yes—primarily via phone/portal. In-person exposure depends on setting (front desk vs. centralized access team).

Does the coordinator make medical decisions?

No. They manage administrative and access workflows and escalate clinical questions to licensed staff.

What metrics matter most?

Authorization timeliness, first-contact resolution, no-show reduction, documentation completeness, and patient satisfaction.

What training do new hires need?

EHR/PM mechanics, payer portals, HIPAA Privacy/Security, and org-specific templates/handoff rules. 

Copy-Paste Job Posting Short Version

• Title: Healthcare Coordinator (Patient Access & Prior Authorization) 

• Location: On-site/Hybrid/Remote (specify)

• About the Role: You’ll manage scheduling, benefits verification, prior authorizations, records coordination, and front-end billing support to deliver a consistent, compliant patient experience.

• You’ll Do: Eligibility checks, auth submissions, patient communication, records/ROI, charge capture support, KPI reporting.

• You Bring: 1–3 years in patient access or medical office operations, EHR/PM experience, strong communication, and privacy discipline.

• Nice to Have: AAPC/NAHAM/AAHAM credentials, bilingual skills, prior-auth specialization.

• Why Join: Growth path, great team, and meaningful patient impact.

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About OpsArmy

OpsArmy builds AI-native back-office operations as a service (OaaS). We help clinics and health organizations run day-to-day operations with trained, managed teams—improving patient access, reducing denials, and protecting PHI with disciplined workflows. 

Learn more at https://operationsarmy.com

Sources

• U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services — HIPAA Privacy Rule (Overview)

• AHIMA — Management Practices for the Release of Information (practice brief)

• AAPC — When and How to Perform Prior Authorization; Prior Authorization Processes (training)

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Secretaries and Administrative Assistants; Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants (OES 43-6013

• HHS/OCR & policy reporting on security safeguards and evolving rules (MFA, encryption)