Healthcare Careers Health Care Coordinator

What does a health care coordinator do? Health care coordinators are responsible for many key elements in healthcare, focusing on patient advocacy and education. Some care coordinator responsibilities include:

• Work with patients and their families to understand healthcare concerns and be prepared to advocate for them.
• Provide education about medication, conditions, and health care instructions to patients.
• Execute a care plan created by providers to help with health care needs, advocating for patients throughout.
• 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.
• Assist with exploring resources in an effort to secure funding for medical care.
• Work with insurance organizations to help patients.
• Work within their community, hospital, or clinic setting to make processes smooth and streamlined.
• Manage patient records and schedules.

Care coordinators may work in many different health settings, depending on the kind of work that they do. Health care coordinators can work in a wide variety of settings, including:

• Clinics. Care coordinators may work within a clinic to help patients meet with primary care providers, specialty providers, and more.
• Hospitals. Hospitals often need care coordinators to arrange care for patients after they are released, to coordinate with other hospitals and physicians, and more.
• Nursing homes. Nursing home care coordinators focus on helping elderly patients understand their needs for different therapies, coordinating medicine from their off-site doctors, and ensuring they have all their needs met.
• Community health centers. Care coordinators in a community may focus on state benefits, school readiness, and other health concerns that face their city or town.
• Physical or occupational therapy facilities. Care coordinators often work within therapy to help set up schedules and appointments, monitor progress, and report findings.
• Third-party organizations that coordinate care. Often care coordinators work for third parties that focus on coordinating care among a wide variety of therapists, clinics, or hospitals.
• Government organizations. Care coordinators can sometimes work for government entities focusing on helping state programs thrive. 

On average, health care coordinators earn a salary of around $51,000 per year. This can vary greatly depending on where you work, your experience, and your education level. A bachelor's degree in health care coordination can help boost your salary potential considerably. Staff members who hold care coordination titles can also move up into management or administrative positions, giving them different skills and duties, helping them earn more money. It's also important to understand that different jobs can equate to different pay—working for a large hospital can mean more money than working for a small community center. 

In order to become a health care coordinator, you'll likely need a bachelor's degree. A bachelor's degree in health services coordination is a perfect fit. This degree program will give you crucial knowledge and training for this profession, including understanding care for different age groups, health equity, finances, strategy, technology systems, and more. Many students who want to work in healthcare but don't want to be directly involved with the care of nurses or doctors find that health services coordination is the perfect way to blend their passions and skills.

Employment of health managers, which includes coordinators, is expected to grow 18% by 2028. As healthcare continues to rapidly grow and expand, particularly with the growth in technology and care facilities, coordinators are needed more than ever to help patients understand their care options and get what they want and need.