What does a Scheduler do?

A scheduler is responsible for arranging appointments and carrying out reminder calls and correspondence to anyone involved. In a company setting, it is also a scheduler's responsibility to coordinate with various departments and personnel to organize an accurate timetable that will consist of meetings, gatherings, deadlines, or other pressing matters. Furthermore, a scheduler must have attention to detail as one must perform bookkeeping tasks, fix scheduling issues or conflicts, and organize documentation. There are also instances where one must process orders or payments.
Scheduler responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real scheduler resumes:
- Manage clinic visit schedules, rehabilitation conferences, medical exams, trial appearances, depositions, etc.
- Utilize knowledge of medical insurance including manage care, Medicare, Medicaid, liability and workman's compensation.
- Manage patient pre-op responsibilities, and generate all necessary paperwork.
- Schedule procedure, surgery f/u, register new patients, referrals, insurance, send nurse messages.
- Schedule patients for test and surgery procedures with and without anesthesia using the Surgi-Server computerize scheduling system.
- Schedule patients for radiology and nuclear medicine procedures, verify insurance benefits, and obtain prior authorizations for patient procedures.
- Utilize PRIMAVERA (V3.0) & MICROSOFT EXCELL
- Experience knowledge of their MediTech system.
- Ensure accuracy of hr relate documents.
- Educate patients on basic TRICARE plan options.
- Develop schedules in accordance with specifications using PRIMAVERA.
- Treat every personal human contact with respect, dignity and compassion.
- Process payroll for all directors and in-house hourly employees through KRONOS.
- Interpret medical reports to apply appropriate ICD-9, CPT-4 and HCPCS codes.
- Maintain medical records, ICD-9 coding, billing and other duties assign.
Scheduler skills and personality traits
We calculated that 21% of Schedulers are proficient in Patients, Customer Service, and Medical Terminology. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Writing skills, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Schedulers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 21%
Verified insurance benefits for PET/CT scans performed in our facility, obtained authorization, and notified patients of their financial responsibility.
- Customer Service, 13%
Assisted in determining priority of customer service delivery needs and negotiating the sharing of resources across internal organizations with competing priorities.
- Medical Terminology, 7%
Documented all messages electronically using appropriate medical terminology via the In Basket functionality and forwarded to the appropriate clinical provider.
- Patient Care, 5%
Booked emergent and add-on surgeries and helped facilitate communication within the department to expedite urgent patient care.
- Data Entry, 3%
Provide a variety of clerical data entry duties to coordinate, organize and process patient-related and other information for the interdisciplinary team
- Home Health, 3%
Contacted insurance members to arrange annual in-home health assessment appointments.
"patients," "customer service," and "medical terminology" are among the most common skills that schedulers use at work. You can find even more scheduler responsibilities below, including:
Interpersonal skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a scheduler to have is interpersonal skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff." Schedulers often use interpersonal skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "utilized excellent interpersonal communication skills to assist both providers and patients. "
Writing skills. Another essential skill to perform scheduler duties is writing skills. Schedulers responsibilities require that "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers." Schedulers also use writing skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "communicated effectively with clinicians both orally and in writing to coordinate patient care and maintain providers schedules. "
Organizational skills. schedulers are also known for organizational skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to scheduler responsibilities, because "secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in order so that an office runs efficiently." A scheduler resume example shows how organizational skills is used in the workplace: "interacted with clients and utilized excellent organizational skills to arrange and coordinate accurate orders to insure customer satisfaction. "
The three companies that hire the most schedulers are:
- Uline143 schedulers jobs
- FrontRow44 schedulers jobs
- Northside Hospital39 schedulers jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable scheduler resume templates
Build a professional scheduler resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your scheduler resume.Compare different schedulers
Scheduler vs. Patient service coordinator
Patient services coordinators act as a liaison between a healthcare organization and patients. Their primary job is to provide quality service to patients. Their duties and responsibilities include fielding telephone calls from patients, assessing patients' issues, and interacting with team members, medical personnel, and employees from other departments. Also, they are responsible for ensuring compliance with regulatory and hospital requirements and maintaining quality service. Patient services coordinators must also ensure to maintain their technical knowledge by participating in personal networks, attending educational workshops, and reviewing professional publications.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between schedulers and patient service coordinator. For instance, scheduler responsibilities require skills such as "patient appointments," "strong customer service," "primavera," and "p6." Whereas a patient service coordinator is skilled in "patient flow," "check-in," "patient service," and "cleanliness." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Patient service coordinators earn the highest salaries when working in the health care industry, with an average yearly salary of $35,469. On the other hand, schedulers are paid more in the construction industry with an average salary of $53,150.On average, patient service coordinators reach similar levels of education than schedulers. Patient service coordinators are 0.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Scheduler vs. Patient care representative
PCRs (Patient Care Representatives) are given responsibilities like updating and verifying patient information after every visit, scheduling and reminding patients about appointments, and informing patients about delays and how long the estimated waiting times will be. They are also responsible for obtaining patients' personal information like their address, contact details, insurance information, and medical and surgical history. They must be able to communicate with patients, family members, and medical staff to give them all the information they need to treat the person looking for medical help.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real scheduler resumes. While scheduler responsibilities can utilize skills like "patient appointments," "surgical procedures," "primavera," and "p6," patient care representatives use skills like "cash management," "rehabilitation," "patient insurance," and "patient flow."
Patient care representatives may earn a lower salary than schedulers, but patient care representatives earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $36,400. On the other hand, schedulers receive higher pay in the construction industry, where they earn an average salary of $53,150.patient care representatives earn similar levels of education than schedulers in general. They're 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Scheduler vs. Patient service specialist
A patient service representative serves as a patient's primary point of contact in a hospital or clinic, ensuring accuracy and customer satisfaction. They are mainly responsible for gathering a patient's information and medical history, verifying insurance forms, managing accounts, and processing payments, arranging appointments, and even performing reminder calls and correspondence. There are also instances when a patient service representative must discuss situations to patients and their families, and even alert the doctors when a patient displays strange or unlikely behavior.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a scheduler is likely to be skilled in "customer service," "surgical procedures," "primavera," and "p6," while a typical patient service specialist is skilled in "patient service," "rehabilitation," "patient flow," and "pss."
Patient service specialists earn the highest salary when working in the health care industry, where they receive an average salary of $33,449. Comparatively, schedulers have the highest earning potential in the construction industry, with an average salary of $53,150.patient service specialists typically earn similar educational levels compared to schedulers. Specifically, they're 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Scheduler vs. Patient service associate
A patient service associate is responsible for providing high-quality care services to the patients, ensuring their satisfaction by assisting their medical needs and concerns. Patient service associates perform administrative duties, such as helping patients to fill-out forms, updating patients' information on the database, processing payments for medical procedures, storing patients' medical files, and monitoring the adequacy of medical tools and supplies. They may also conduct basic medical operations under the supervision of a physician or a health professional, adhering to strict protocols and regulations at all times to avoid hazards and health risks.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between schedulers and patient service associates, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a scheduler might have more use for skills like "patient appointments," "surgical procedures," "primavera," and "p6." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of patient service associates require skills like "patient service," "patient calls," "patient rooms," and "patient satisfaction. "
The health care industry tends to pay the highest salaries for patient service associates, with average annual pay of $32,522. Comparatively, the highest scheduler annual salary comes from the construction industry.In general, patient service associates hold similar degree levels compared to schedulers. Patient service associates are 0.1% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of scheduler
Updated January 8, 2025