Client care coordinator vs. receptionist

Q. What's the difference between a client care coordinator and a receptionist? Is there a pay difference between the two?

In an employee organizational chart developed for Benchmarks 2006: A Study of Well-Managed Practices, a client care coordinator is defined as a team leader who supervises the front office staff, says Denise Tumblin, president of Wutchiett Tumblin and Associates in Columbus, Ohio, and one of the study's authors. "The difference in pay reflects the added responsibilities of the team leader," she says.

Different hospitals use different titles for their front office staff to reflect the wide variety of duties these team members perform, Tumblin says. Some use the "client care coordinator" title for all of their reception team members, while others use "patient care coordinator" or "client service representative."

Denise Tumblin