Medical and Health Services Managers

Summary

What Medical and Health Services Managers Do About this section

In group medical practices, medical and health services managers work closely with physicians.

Medical and health services managers, also called healthcare executives or healthcare administrators, plan, direct, and coordinate medical and health services. They may manage an entire facility, a specific clinical area or department, or a medical practice for a group of physicians. Medical and health services managers must adapt to changes in healthcare laws, regulations, and technology.

Duties

Medical and health services managers typically do the following:

• Develop goals and objectives related to efficiency and quality of healthcare services
• Ensure that the facility in which they work complies with laws and regulations
• Prepare and monitor budgets and manage finances, including patient fees and billing
• Recruit, train, and supervise staff members
• Create work schedules
• Represent the facility or department at investor meetings or on governing boards
• Keep and organize records of facility services, such as the number of inpatient beds used

Medical and health services managers set and carry out policies, goals, and procedures for their departments or facilities. Their duties include hiring, scheduling, and evaluating staff; monitoring compliance with state and federal guidelines; and developing reports and budgets. Responsibilities may vary by employer. For example, managers of large facilities may focus on broad oversight, while tasks for those in small departments might include ordering medical supplies and materials.

Medical and health services managers work with physicians and surgeons, registered nurses, medical records specialists, and other healthcare personnel. They also may interact with patients or insurance agents.

Medical and health services managers’ titles depend on their facility or area of expertise. 

The following are examples of types of medical and health services managers:

Nursing home administrators manage all aspects of a facility, including admissions and building maintenance, as well as care of its residents.

Clinical managers oversee a department, such as intensive care or physical therapy, and have responsibilities based on that specialty.

Health information managers ensure that databases of patient records are complete, accurate, and accessible only to authorized personnel.

Work Environment About this section

Some medical and health services managers oversee facilities.

Medical and health services managers held about 562,700 jobs in 2023. The largest employers of medical and health services managers were as follows:

Medical and health services managers may work on a team with other healthcare providers, such as licensed practical nurses and medical assistants.

Injuries and Illnesses

Medical and health services managers have one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations. Injuries may occur due to incidents such as slips, falls, and overexertion. Workers reduce the risk of injury by following safety procedures and practices, such as wearing shoes with slip-resistant soles and using proper lifting technique.

Work Schedules

Most medical and health services managers work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. Evening or weekend work may be required in healthcare settings that operate around the clock, such as hospitals and nursing homes. Medical and health services managers may need to be on call in case of emergencies.

How to Become a Medical or Health Services Manager About this section

Medical and health services managers must effectively communicate policies and procedures with other health professionals.

Medical and health services managers typically need a bachelor’s degree to enter the occupation; however, educational requirements vary by facility and specific function. Prospective managers also typically need work experience in an administrative or clinical role in a hospital or other healthcare facility.

Education

Medical and health services managers typically need a bachelor's degree to enter the occupation, although requirements may vary. For example, some employers hire candidates with an associate’s degree; others prefer to hire those with a master’s degree. Work experience sometimes may substitute for education.  

Common majors for medical and health services managers include healthcare and related fields, such as health administration or nursing, or other relevant fields, such as business. Degrees that focus on both management and healthcare combine business-related topics with those such as medical terminology, hospital organization, and health information systems. For example, a degree in health administration or health information management may include courses in health services management, accounting and budgeting, and health informatics.

Work Experience in a Related Occupation

Employers may require prospective medical and health services managers to have work experience in either an administrative or a clinical role in a hospital or other healthcare facility. For example, nursing home administrators may have years of experience working as a registered nurse.

Other managers may begin their careers as medical records specialists, administrative assistants, or financial clerks in a healthcare office.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Some medical and health services managers need a state-issued license. For example, all states require licensure for nursing home administrators; requirements vary by state. For more information, contact your local or state licensing board.

Some positions may require candidates to be licensed as a registered nurse or social worker.

Although certification is not required, some managers choose to earn a professional credential. For example, the American Health Information Management Association and the Project Management Institute offer certification specific to their areas of focus.

Advancement

Some health information managers advance by taking on additional responsibilities, such as for an entire hospital’s information systems. Other managers may advance to top executive positions within an organization. Advancement to top level executive positions may require a master’s degree.

Important Qualities

Analytical skills. Medical and health services managers review and evaluate healthcare metrics for ways to improve efficiency and meet goals.

Communication skills. Medical and health services managers must convey information to their staff, other healthcare workers, and, sometimes, patients and insurance agents.

Detail oriented. Medical and health services managers must pay attention to detail. They might be required to organize and maintain scheduling and billing information for very large facilities, such as hospitals.

Leadership skills. Medical and health services managers hire, train, and direct staff. They must be able to motivate others and create an environment in which workers can succeed.

Technical skills. Medical and health services managers must stay up to date with advances in healthcare technology, such as the coding and electronic health record (EHR) systems their facility adopts.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage for medical and health services managers was $110,680 in May 2023. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $67,900, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $216,750.

In May 2023, the median annual wages for medical and health services managers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

Most medical and health services managers work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. Evening or weekend work may be required in healthcare settings that operate around the clock, such as hospitals and nursing homes. Medical and health services managers may need to be on call in case of emergencies.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of medical and health services managers is projected to grow 29 percent from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations.

About 61,400 openings for medical and health services managers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Employment

As the large baby-boom population enters older age groups, which typically experience more health problems, there should be increased demand for healthcare services. This means there will be greater need for physicians and other healthcare workers, medical procedures, and healthcare facilities, and therefore greater need for managers to organize and oversee medical information and healthcare staff. These managers are important for improving care coordination, which is key in team-based care.

In addition, widespread use of electronic health records (EHRs) will continue to create demand for managers with knowledge of health information technology (IT) and informatics systems. Medical and health services managers will be needed to organize, oversee, and integrate these records across areas of the healthcare industry.

State & Area Data About this section

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)

The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program produces employment and wage estimates annually for over 800 occupations. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. The link(s) below go to OEWS data maps for employment and wages by state and area.

• Medical and health services managers

Projections Central

Occupational employment projections are developed for all states by Labor Market Information (LMI) or individual state Employment Projections offices. All state projections data are available at www.projectionscentral.org. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. In addition, states may produce projections for areas; there are links to each state’s websites where these data may be retrieved.

CareerOneStop

CareerOneStop includes hundreds of occupational profiles with data available by state and metro area. There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. There is also a salary info tool to search for wages by zip code.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For more information about medical and healthcare management, visit

Professional Association of Health Care Office Management

American Health Information Management Association

American College of Health Care Administrators

For more information about academic programs in this field, visit

Association of University Programs in Health Administration

Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education

For information about career opportunities in healthcare management, visit

American College of Healthcare Executives

For information about career opportunities in medical group practices and ambulatory care management, visit

Medical Group Management Association

For more information about licensure and training requirements for nursing home and assisted-living facility administrators, visit

National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards

For more information about project management certification, visit

Project Management Institute

O*NET

Medical and Health Services Managers