What does a health administrator do?
A health administrator is primarily in charge of overseeing a medical facility and developing strategies to optimize its overall operations. Using their expertise in healthcare, it is their duty to assess the existing patient care systems to identify its strengths and weaknesses, implementing solutions in vulnerable areas to provide better services to patients. Their responsibilities also include setting goals and objectives, managing the medical and non-medical workforce, and addressing issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, they must implement the facility or organization's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.
Health administrator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real health administrator resumes:
- Manage accounts payable and accounts receivable activities using QuickBooks and online banking applications.
- Complete administrative tasks and utilize EMR / EHR computer software.
- Serve as a liaison between the MCH and WIC programs.
- Research insurance reimbursements, as well as icd-9 and icd-10 codes.
- Analyze effectiveness of the DRG program and implements changes as needed.
- Direct the activities of the records personal including coding and transcription completion.
- Maintain an appropriate turnaround time for coding, transcription and release of information.
- Assist the local care centers in responding to subpoenas for records and depositions.
- Consult with CDC PHEP field officer for administrative queries and support for program guidelines.
- Present a final results PowerPoint among peers and educators at the end of the project.
- Assist program directors in administrative and clerical duties like drafting talking points, prepare reports and PowerPoint presentation.
- Organize, plan, and coordinate compliance management and daily activities, ROI, consulting, and staffing.
- Maintain accurate, up to date confidential client files for Medicare, Medicaid, HMO's, and private insurances.
- Investigate the factors associate with the utilization of hormonal replacement therapy by analyzing an HMO database with SAS software program.
- Train newly credential physicians, residents, interns, and medical students on the policies and procedures for accurate DRG.
Health administrator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Health Administrators are proficient in Patients, Home Health, and Patient Care. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Leadership skills, and Technical skills.
We break down the percentage of Health Administrators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 16%
Verified insurance by obtaining and verifying demographic and financial information for all patients prior to or during registration process.
- Home Health, 16%
Increased the Home Health Census from around 90 to approximately 175 plus increased the Elder Choice program census as well.
- Patient Care, 6%
Eliminated $300,000 of unnecessary payroll expense by downsizing staffing and increasing staff efficiency without decreasing patient care or satisfaction.
- Social Work, 6%
Scheduled and maintained office and clerical staff as well as Physicians, Social Workers and Therapists.
- OSHA, 5%
Interfaced with facility personnel in implementing health-related programs and complying with appropriate OSHA regulations.
- Public Health, 3%
Planned, directed and coordinated the administrative activities of public health programs and services.
Common skills that a health administrator uses to do their job include "patients," "home health," and "patient care." You can find details on the most important health administrator responsibilities below.
Leadership skills. Many health administrator duties rely on leadership skills. "medical and health services managers hire, train, and direct staff," so a health administrator will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways health administrator responsibilities rely on leadership skills: "conducted risk assessments on safety and health programs, advised senior leadership team on safety strategies to mitigate identified hazards. "
Technical skills. This is an important skill for health administrators to perform their duties. For an example of how health administrator responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "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." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a health administrator: "worked with school health coordinators in 14 counties, providing monitoring and technical assistance for school health services programs. ".
Analytical skills. health administrator responsibilities often require "analytical skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "medical and health services managers review and evaluate healthcare metrics for ways to improve efficiency and meet goals." This resume example shows what health administrators do with analytical skills on a typical day: "performed various administrative duties, including data entry and document preparation. "
Detail oriented. A commonly-found skill in health administrator job descriptions, "detail oriented" is essential to what health administrators do. Health administrator responsibilities rely on this skill because "medical and health services managers must pay attention to detail." You can also see how health administrator duties rely on detail oriented in this resume example: "lead all accident or incident investigations, create detailed reports, and document corrective action. "
Communication skills. Another skill commonly found on health administrator job descriptions is "communication skills." It can come up quite often in health administrator duties, since "medical and health services managers must convey information to their staff, other healthcare workers, and, sometimes, patients and insurance agents." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day health administrator responsibilities: "process improved communication and work flow with finance, efficient use of the emr. "
The three companies that hire the most health administrators are:
- The Center for Health Care Services6 health administrators jobs
- Sanford Health3 health administrators jobs
- Resources for Human Development3 health administrators jobs
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Compare different health administrators
Health administrator vs. Patient care manager
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.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between health administrators and patient care manager. For instance, health administrator responsibilities require skills such as "patient care," "osha," "public health," and "federal regulations." Whereas a patient care manager is skilled in "quality care," "community resources," "substance abuse," and "resident care." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Patient care managers earn the highest salaries when working in the health care industry, with an average yearly salary of $54,278. On the other hand, health administrators are paid more in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $89,340.On average, patient care managers reach similar levels of education than health administrators. Patient care managers are 2.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 2.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Health administrator vs. Practice manager
A practice manager is responsible for supervising daily operations, especially on the side of the medical industry. Practice managers monitor staffing needs, train new employees, and evaluate the employees' productivity and performance. They also enforce strict guidelines and procedures, ensuring that the processes adhere to the legal standards and regulatory requirements. Practice managers also maintain budget goals, creating cost estimates and expense reports. A practice manager must have strong communication, analytical, and critical-thinking skills, as well as comprehensive knowledge of the medical industry practices.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, health administrator responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "home health," "social work," "public health," and "federal regulations." Meanwhile, a practice manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer service," "pet," "practice management," and "oversight." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Practice managers earn a higher average salary than health administrators. But practice managers earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $97,698. Additionally, health administrators earn the highest salaries in the manufacturing with average pay of $89,340 annually.In general, practice managers achieve similar levels of education than health administrators. They're 3.8% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 2.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Health administrator vs. Nurse manager
The primary role of nurse managers is to supervise the nursing staff in a clinical or hospital setting. They are the ones who are in charge of patient care, setting work schedules, and making budgetary and management decisions. They are also responsible for making personnel decisions, coordinating meetings, and creating safe environments that promote patient engagement and aid the healthcare team's work. Their role is vital in promoting a culture in which team members contribute to professional growth and patient outcomes.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a health administrator is likely to be skilled in "patient care," "social work," "public health," and "human resources," while a typical nurse manager is skilled in "customer service," "performance improvement," "surgery," and "quality patient care."
Nurse managers make a very good living in the health care industry with an average annual salary of $90,775. On the other hand, health administrators are paid the highest salary in the manufacturing industry, with average annual pay of $89,340.When it comes to education, nurse managers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to health administrators. In fact, they're 3.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.7% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Health administrator vs. Clinical manager
A clinical manager is responsible for monitoring medical procedures and administrative duties to ensure the smooth flow of operations in a healthcare facility. Clinical managers manage the facility's staffing needs, evaluate budget reports, assist healthcare professionals on administering medical duties, and develop strategic procedures to optimize treatments and maximize productivity. A clinical manager enforces strict sanitary and safety regulations for everyone's strict compliance. They also need to have excellent knowledge of the medical industry to promote medical processes and provide the highest quality care.
Types of health administrator
Updated January 8, 2025
