Clinical laboratory manager vs patient care manager

The differences between clinical laboratory managers and patient care managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a clinical laboratory manager and a patient care manager. Additionally, a clinical laboratory manager has an average salary of $79,359, which is higher than the $65,369 average annual salary of a patient care manager.

The top three skills for a clinical laboratory manager include CLIA, patients and test results. The most important skills for a patient care manager are home health, patients, and quality care.

Clinical laboratory manager vs patient care manager overview

	Clinical Laboratory Manager	Patient Care Manager
Yearly salary	$79,359	$65,369
Hourly rate	$38.15	$31.43
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	96,325	123,652
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a clinical laboratory manager do?

A clinical laboratory manager supervises the work of laboratory technicians and scientists. Clinical laboratory managers develop safety policies of laboratories in line with the international accreditation standards. They oversee administrative and budgetary responsibilities. It is their responsibility to purchase laboratory supplies or prepare ordering lists. They ensure that the employees follow the standards and regulations set by the industry. The managers need to develop include knowledge in solving technical problems, time management, and maintain technical equipment.

What does a patient care manager do?

Patient care managers are executives who are in charge of supervising a clinical team. The managers take responsibility for directing patient care within an organization. Also called health care managers, they protect every patient's safety and health in a clinical setting. They interact with the healthcare team members to maintain open communication. It is also part of their duties to supervise the daily operations in the clinical care units. Managing clinical budgets and maintaining quality health services are also their responsibilities.

Clinical laboratory manager vs patient care manager salary

Clinical laboratory managers and patient care managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clinical Laboratory Manager	Patient Care Manager
Average salary	$79,359	$65,369
Salary range	Between $55,000 And $114,000	Between $36,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Oakland, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Agilent Technologies	Accenture
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between clinical laboratory manager and patient care manager education

There are a few differences between a clinical laboratory manager and a patient care manager in terms of educational background:

	Clinical Laboratory Manager	Patient Care Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Medical Technician	Nursing
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of Pennsylvania

Clinical laboratory manager vs patient care manager demographics

Here are the differences between clinical laboratory managers' and patient care managers' demographics:

	Clinical Laboratory Manager	Patient Care Manager
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 42.5% Female, 57.5%	Male, 17.1% Female, 82.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 7.8% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 7.4% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between clinical laboratory manager and patient care manager duties and responsibilities

Clinical laboratory manager example responsibilities.

Lead and guide in developing quality improvement programs to continue delivering high quality services to physician and patients.
Set up forensic DNA laboratory, train laboratory technicians in advance molecular techniques, and manage day-to-day activities of forensic DNA laboratory
Maintain LIS software updates for CPT procedure codes and ICD-9 coding.
Integrate an LIS system into the laboratory environment.
Facilitate testing of clinical trial samples in the CLIA lab for test waiting FDA clearance.
Set up auto-calculations for calculate results) and a patient means program as an additional QC.

Patient care manager example responsibilities.

Manage complicated cases involving serious injuries, medical evacuations, cruise ship disembarkation, and repatriation of remains with compassion.
Direct oversight of all case management and education relate to chronic disease and primary care management.
Utilize resources such as financial and pharmacy assistance for uninsure patients to receive professional medical care upon discharge.
Prevent unnecessary hospital admissions using keen assessment skills and redirecting to PCP's office when appropriate.
Ensure compliance both with HIPAA and CMS, to include all audits and enrollments via Medicare.
Plant and maintain flower beds such as mulching, fertilizing, watering, mowing, and pruning.

Clinical laboratory manager vs patient care manager skills

Common clinical laboratory manager skills

CLIA, 10%
Patients, 9%
Test Results, 8%
Hematology, 7%
Microbiology, 7%
Customer Service, 6%

Common patient care manager skills

Home Health, 15%
Patients, 12%
Quality Care, 8%
Social Work, 7%
Community Resources, 4%
Substance Abuse, 4%

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Clinical Laboratory Manager
Clinical Laboratory Manager vs Patient Care Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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