Medical and Health Services Manager
Medical and Health Services Managers play a critical role in overseeing the delivery of healthcare services in a variety of medical settings, including hospitals, clinics, and rehabilitation facilities. These professionals are responsible for coordinating patient care services such as surgeries, diagnostic testing, and therapy, ensuring that operations run smoothly and efficiently. They may work as generalists or specialize in areas like clinical management or health information management.
Their day-to-day responsibilities include managing staff, implementing policies to enhance patient experience, overseeing fiscal operations, and ensuring compliance with healthcare regulations, including patient privacy laws. The work environment can vary widely, requiring adaptability to different facility types and sometimes involving long hours or on-call responsibilities.
Prospective medical and health services managers typically pursue education in health services administration or related fields, often obtaining a master's degree for advanced positions. Strong organizational, management, and problem-solving skills are essential for success in this role. Given the breadth of their responsibilities, these managers must effectively communicate with a range of stakeholders, from healthcare staff to board members, ensuring quality care and operational integrity.
Medical and Health Services Manager
Snapshot
Career Cluster(s): Business, Management & Administration, Health Science
Interests: Medicine, health, clinical management, health information management, facility management, fiscal planning
Earnings (Yearly Median): $104,830 per year $50.40 per hour
Employment & Outlook: 28% (Much faster than average)
Entry-Level Education Bachelor's degree
Related Work Experience Less than 5 years
On-the-job-Training None
Overview
Sphere of Work. Medical and health services managers oversee the delivery of services in medical facilities. In particular, they coordinate medical and health-related services offered to patients, including surgery, diagnostic testing, and therapy. Medical and health services managers may be generalists, supervising all of the services offered by a medical facility or specialists in clinical management or health information management. They are responsible for managing their facility’s staff and are accountable to the owners or board of directors, government regulators, patients, and the community.
Work Environment. Medical and health services managers spend their workdays in the administrative offices of private practices, hospitals, government health agencies, rehabilitation facilities, medical clinics, and managed care organizations. While some individuals may work forty-hour weeks, many medical and health services managers work long hours and may need to be on call or work overtime when handling emergencies.
Occupation Interest. Individuals drawn to the medical and health services manager profession are organized and detail-oriented. They must enjoy working in a medical environment and be capable of solving problems quickly and effectively. As medical and health services managers are responsible for many people, they must be authoritative and have excellent management skills and training.
A Day in the Life—Duties and Responsibilities. The duties and responsibilities of medical and health services managers often vary based on the size and type of the facility in which they work. In general, medical and health services managers oversee a medical facility's and its staff's day-to-day activities. In collaboration with the clinical managers of various departments, medical and health services managers develop and implement policies for clinical practice and patient flow, striving to improve operational efficiency and patient experience. Managers supervise all medical and health services staff, oversee scheduling and work assignments, and coordinate the facility’s recruitment, hiring, and training programs. They are typically expected to respond to any facilities, patient care, staff, or equipment emergencies.
Medical and health services managers are also responsible for overseeing fiscal operations, including budgets, fiscal reporting, audits, and accounting practices. They make decisions about charges and rates for medical services and administer the billing and insurance reimbursement process, which necessitates that they stay up-to-date on issues relating to insurance coverage. Managers are also expected to ensure the functionality of all medical equipment and facilities, which may involve scheduling regular maintenance in accordance with regulations and processing and reviewing requests for additional or new equipment.
In addition, medical and health services managers must fulfill their commitments to the facility’s owners or board of directors and to the community. They serve as a liaison between the board of directors and medical personnel, making reports regarding the facility’s operation and discussing pertinent issues such as risk management. Those who manage facilities with multiple locations must periodically visit and inspect satellite facilities that provide care to the wider community. Managers may also plan community outreach and preventive care campaigns. To ensure that they fulfill their ethical responsibility to their patients, medical and health services managers are responsible for educating themselves and their staff about the administrative, physical, and technical patient privacy safeguards included in the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
Pharmacy Services Directors (074.167-010). Pharmacy Services Directors coordinate and direct the activities and functions of a hospital pharmacy. They implement policies and procedures, hire and train interns, and aid in the development of computer programs for pharmacy information management systems.
Nursing Service Directors (075.117-022). Nursing Service Directors administer nursing programs in hospitals, nursing homes, or other medical facilities. They maintain standards of patient care and advise other medical staff to nursing services provided.
Coordinators of Rehabilitation Services (076.117-010). Coordinators of Rehabilitation Services plan and direct the operation of health rehabilitation programs, such as physical, occupational, recreational, and speech therapies.
Chief Dietitians (077.117-010). Chief Dietitians direct institutional departments that provide food service and nutritional care. They provide direction for menu development, food preparation and service, purchasing, sanitation, safety procedures, and personnel issues.
Work Environment
Immediate Physical Environment. The immediate physical environment of medical and health services managers varies based on the type of facility in which they work. They work for medical practices, hospitals, government health agencies, rehabilitation facilities, medical clinics, or managed care organizations. Some travel may be required, especially for managers who oversee a facility with satellite locations.
Human Environment. Medical and health services managers should be comfortable interacting with boards of directors, executives, physicians, medical administrators, insurance representatives, government inspectors, and hospital staff. Managers must be able to transition easily between discussing the technical aspects of medical equipment repairs and maintenance and presenting an annual report to the board of directors.
Technological Environment. In the course of their work, medical and health services managers use a wide variety of tools and equipment, including computers, electronic medical records software, insurance rate charts and books, printers, calculators, photocopying machines, telephones, word processing software, facsimile machines, and scanners. They may also need some knowledge of medical equipment and tools.
Education, Training, and Advancement
High School/Secondary. High school students interested in pursuing a career as a medical and health services manager should study typing, bookkeeping, health, psychology, and English, which will provide a strong foundation for work in the field. Students interested in this career path may benefit from seeking administrative internships or part-time clerical work with local hospitals or medical offices.
Postsecondary. While it is sometimes possible to obtain a position as a medical and health services manager with a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree is frequently expected. Postsecondary students interested in this career should pursue a degree in health services administration, public health, business administration, or a related field. Courses in medical terminology and mathematics may also prove useful in their future work. Students can gain work experience and potential advantage in their future job searches by securing administrative internships or part-time clerical employment with local hospitals or medical offices.
Related Occupations
− General Manager and Top Executive
− Hotel/Motel Manager
− Physician
Bibliography
“Medical and Health Services Managers.” Occupational Outlook Handbook. Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, 6 Sept. 2023, www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm. Accessed 20 Sept. 2023.
“Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022: 11-9111 Medical and Health Services Managers.” Occupational Employment Statistics. Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, 25 Apr. 2023, www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes119111.htm. Accessed 20 Sept. 2023.