Every health care organization requires sound, competent leadership — encompassing everything from effective personnel management to judicious budgeting. Skilled management creates an environment in which practitioners don’t have to worry about day-to-day administration, but can instead direct all their time and attention to patient care. Additionally, an organization that is run in a financially savvy way is more likely to remain solvent and profitable for the long term, ensuring ongoing services to members of the community.
Medical and health services managers play a critical role in ensuring organizations can function at their peak and patients can enjoy the best possible experience. Those who are passionate about patient care and are also interested in the business and administrative aspects of medicine may gravitate toward these roles. Serving in managerial roles is certainly a good way to make a positive impact on providers and patients alike. To prepare for success in this role, it’s important to seek an advanced education, cultivating the core competencies associated with health administration. An advanced public health program, such as USC’s online Master of Public Health (MPH), may be especially relevant for this professional trajectory.
What Are Medical and Health Services Managers?
For those who gravitate toward the medical and health services field, it may be helpful to define what these positions truly entail. Fundamentally, medical and health services managers are tasked with fulfilling invaluable administrative, managerial, and business functions within a health care organization. Depending on the size and scope of the organization and the nature of the position in question, these professionals may have responsibilities over a specific team, a department, or an entire facility.
Where Do Medical and Health Services Managers Work?
While these managerial roles are commonly associated with hospital settings, it’s important to note that managers play a vital role in all types of health care facilities. Managers may oversee the day-to-day administration of a private practice, a community clinic, a nursing home, or any other type of long-term care facility.
Combining a Business Focus with Patient Care
Managers who work in medical and health services are ultimately distinguished by their organizational focus. These professionals are tasked with carrying out all the core business functions of the facility, ensuring all resources are used optimally to grow the business and ensure its long-term success. They are responsible for providing the highest standards of care.
Health managers strive for financial success to invest in the best personnel and equipment to meet the needs of the local community. For this reason, the best candidates for these positions are those who have an affinity for business but a heart to see patients thrive.
What Do Medical and Health Services Managers Do?
The job description for medical and health services managers can vary from position to position. With that said, some of the most common roles and responsibilities include:
Maintaining Effective Budgets
One of the most important roles of medical managers is to develop and maintain effective budgets for their team, department, or facility. Medical and health services managers need to budget effectively to make sure that resources are allocated where they will make a maximum impact and that the organization practices good financial stewardship to remain solvent.
Efficiently using resources is important for ensuring that doctors and nurses have the tools, technologies, and facility space they need to do their work well. On top of that, they must confirm that patients get the safe, proficient, and high-quality care they require.
Staying Up to Date with Relevant Regulations
Another crucial aspect of working as a health manager in any kind of health care facility, department or team is remaining compliant with all local, state, and federal laws. These laws may dictate what kind of records the facility must keep, what steps it must take to ensure accessibility and what standards it sets to confirm patient safety.
Managers must be diligent in staying up to date with the latest regulations and they must communicate regulatory requirements to their personnel — including any managers who work under them — ensuring all members of the hospital team are on the same page.
Maintaining Records of the Facility’s Services
Accurate record-keeping is another important aspect of managing a medical or health care organization. Record-keeping matters for a number of reasons:
- Accurate records may be required to demonstrate legal compliance.
- Records provide important data points for determining how resources are best allocated.
- Comprehensive records may help shield the organization in the event of a lawsuit.
- Records can also assist doctors and nurses in making data-driven decisions about patient care.
Managers may work with members of their IT team to develop secure and efficient ways of gathering, protecting, and organizing different kinds of records on behalf of the organization.
Managing and Communicating with Staff
Medical and health services managers need to clearly communicate policies, procedures, goals, and expectations to the members of their staff. They set the tone for patient interactions and need to earn buy-in from all of the personnel who report to them.
In addition to communication, managers may also need to resolve conflicts between personnel, provide coaching or even administer discipline as needed. Managers also have the authority to terminate employees as needed.
Developing and Implementing Policies for Patient Care
Those who work in managerial roles are also in charge of developing, communicating, and implementing policies that apply to patient care. These may be policies touching on everything from patient transport and efficient triage to general standards for patient safety.
Medical managers will typically work closely with doctors and nurses, particularly the Medical Director, Chief Medical Officer, Chief Nursing Officer, or Director of Nursing, to ensure that policies represent the patients’ best interests.
Creating Work Schedules
Managers also play an important role in ensuring that the facility is properly staffed at all times — with sufficient personnel to meet patient volume without an excessive number of employees.
Effective scheduling is an important way to promote a positive patient experience, keep doctors and nurses from getting burned out, and allocate resources effectively.
Building Strong Teams
One final role of managers is to build the strongest teams, something that encompasses effective recruiting, hiring, and onboarding. Ongoing professional development and team training opportunities are also critical.
Managers may have responsibilities over clinical teams as well as administrative teams — such as front office staff, billing and coding specialists, financial professionals, and more.
What Are the Steps for Becoming a Medical and Health Services Manager?
As with most public health careers, there are a number of steps required to become a medical and health services manager. While the specific steps can vary, they generally follow this basic trajectory.
Obtain an Undergraduate Degree
The first step toward any managerial role is a good education. A bachelor’s degree provides the opportunity to hone the skills and competencies necessary for success in medical management. While health care management and health administration are the two most common fields of study, business and nursing administration can also provide a firm foundation for aspiring health services managers.
Pursue a More Advanced Degree
Most managerial roles will require more than an undergraduate degree. Completing a master-level program can provide additional opportunities to grasp vital skills — including many of the organizational, analytical, and critical thinking skills needed for successfully managing a large organization.
While master’s programs in health administration and business administration are common options, an MPH program can also be a good fit. Focusing on public health can provide exposure to important fields like community health, biostatistics, and health services — all of which can be relevant when running a hospital or clinic.
Gaining Certification
While medical and health service managers do not always require certification, obtaining a certification denotes a high level of professionalism and skill. As such, it can open the doors to more prestigious positions and more competitive salary ranges. Some facilities, like nursing homes, require managers to have certain credentials.
For example, there is a Certified Nursing Home Administrator credential offered by the American College of Health Care Administrators. It’s worth reviewing different certification options available for specific types of facilities. Some additional certifications to consider include credentials from the Professional Association of Health Care Office Management and the American Health Information Management Association.
Obtaining Administrative Experience
While classroom learning and certification programs can provide foundational knowledge, it’s also important to get hands-on experience with managing budgets, directing personnel, and handling other administrative tasks. The right work experience can sometimes lead to positions of greater responsibility or authority, such as managing a larger team or facility.
There are a number of entry-level and mid-level administrative positions for aspiring managers to consider, such as:
- Medical assistant
- Administrative assistant
- Patient services representative
- Health care human resources professional
What Are the Essential Skills for Medical and Health Services Managers?
Through classroom learning and hands-on experience, aspiring managers will cultivate many invaluable skills for effective health administration. Consider just a few of the most valuable skills for medical and health services managers.
Communication Skills
Managers are constantly communicating throughout their work day. They communicate expectations and talk about tasks with their staff members. They must relay important policies to their medical team, including policies that can have a major effect on patient safety and outcomes. They may also need to address questions or complaints that arise from patients. Due to their responsibilities for accurate record-keeping, they also need strong written communication skills.
Analytic Thinking
Analytic skills are also important for medical managers, particularly when it comes to maintaining regulatory compliance. Managers need to be equipped to think through the latest regulations and assess their implications for the facility in question. They must then be able to analyze areas where their organization might be vulnerable and develop smart, efficient strategies for improving organizational compliance.
Problem-Solving
In a work environment as fast-paced as a hospital or clinic, issues will arise that only the manager can resolve. As such, robust problem-solving skills are essential. Managers must be ready to address customer service complaints, budgetary gaps, persistent issues with patient care, staffing concerns, conflicts between team members and any number of other common problems.
Attention to Organization and Detail
Medical and health service managers need to accomplish many tasks that require careful focus and leave little room for error. Some of these tasks include creating an effective staffing schedule, developing an appropriate budget and implementing an impressive suite of patient services. In all of these tasks, organization and attention to detail are crucial.
Technological Know-How
Additionally, it’s important for managers to display an aptitude for cutting-edge clinical technologies. From new treatment protocols and advanced patient record-keeping tools to clinical workflow applications, there are a number of technologies that can help a medical organization function at a high level of excellence. Managers must remain curious about new technologies and willing to learn how these new technologies work. They also need to demonstrate patience when it comes to explaining their utility to other members of the team.
Collaboration
One of the hallmarks of a good medical manager is the ability to work well with professionals from a wide range of fields, including medical practitioners, technicians and administrative personnel. Fostering a collaborative environment — where everyone is oriented toward the same goals and objectives — is an essential part of health service management.
Basic Financial Acumen
While managers don’t necessarily need to be experts in investment banking or high-level finance, they do need basic financial competencies to ensure their organization’s resources are put to good use. Maintaining the organization’s financial health requires familiarity with budgeting principles and an ability to read profit and loss statements. Additionally, managers should have enough financial literacy to communicate effectively with accountants, bookkeepers and other members of the financial team.
Customer Service
It’s important for any aspiring medical manager to know that their job isn’t just about leading their team but also involves managing the concerns and expectations of patients and their families. Ultimately, any customer service issues or inquiries that arise go to a member of management. It’s crucial for medical managers to have the skills to address those issues with patience, clarity, and compassion.
What Is the Typical Medical and Health Services Manager Salary?
Those who gravitate toward a profession in medical management will naturally have some practical questions about compensation as well as the overall job outlook. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides some useful data points related to both topics.
Medical and Health Services Manager Salary
According to BLS data from April 2023, the annual median salary for this role is $101,340. Earners in the top 10% may enjoy salaries exceeding $205,000.
Several factors can affect a medical and health services manager’s salary, including:
- Level of education
- Level of certification
- Years of experience
- Geographic location
- Type and size of the organization
Medical and Health Services Manager Job Outlook
The same BLS entry shows a projected job growth of 28% between 2021 and 2031. This is much faster than the average job growth rate for all professions — which is 5%. This astonishing growth is attributed to America’s aging population, particularly the baby boomer generation, which needs more and more care for chronic health concerns.
Medical managers play a vital role in providing essential care and in ensuring health organizations remain viable from a financial point of view. As such, the job of medical and health services managers is likely to keep growing for the foreseeable future.
Support Efficient and Effective Patient Care
Those in managerial functions play an essential part in providing nurses and physicians with productive work environments as well as promoting safe, accessible, high-quality patient care. The medical and health services manager career path holds much promise — both in terms of salary and job outlook — and can be a natural fit for anyone who is passionate about clinical care and business management.
To prepare for success in this field, an advanced degree can be helpful. The USC MPH program can provide exposure to a wide range of essential skills and offers five unique concentrations for students to choose from:
- Biostatistics and Epidemiology
- Community Health Promotion
- Global Health
- Health Services and Policy
- Generalist
In this program, students will specifically master the technical abilities as well as the soft skills needed for success in managerial roles — including communication, analytical skills, critical thinking, and more.
Seek more details about how these concentrations can provide foundational skills that translate into meaningful, impactful work in medical and health services management. Learn about the Master of Public Health online degree program from USC today.
Recommended Readings
What Is the Role of Public Health in a Humanitarian Crisis?
MPH vs. MHA: Which Degree Should You Pursue?
Sources:
Indeed, “Becoming a Manager in Health Care (With Job Examples)”
Indeed, “How Can You Become a Medical and Health Services Manager?”
Indeed, “How To Become a Health Service Manager”
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Medical and Health Services Managers
O*Net Online, Medical and Health Services Managers