Health care manager vs clinical director

The differences between health care managers and clinical directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a health care manager and a clinical director. Additionally, a clinical director has an average salary of $96,497, which is higher than the $60,931 average annual salary of a health care manager.

The top three skills for a health care manager include social work, behavioral health and substance abuse. The most important skills for a clinical director are patients, patient care, and physical therapy.

Health care manager vs clinical director overview

	Health Care Manager	Clinical Director
Yearly salary	$60,931	$96,497
Hourly rate	$29.29	$46.39
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	153,821	83,232
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a health care manager do?

A health care manager is in charge of overseeing the workflow and the workforce in a medical facility. Their responsibilities revolve around planning and organizing services, delegating tasks, managing schedules and budgets, and devising strategies for optimal operations. They must also coordinate with different health care workers within the facility, participate in hiring and training staff, set goals and guidelines, and maintain hospital records. Furthermore, a health care manager must implement the hospital's policies and regulations, even create new ones as needed.

What does a clinical director do?

A clinical director is a managing professional who manages the work of healthcare providers to ensure quality patient care is achieved. Clinical directors are responsible for organizational tasks such as adjusting staff schedules, explaining insurance benefits to the patients, and managing financial reports. They can work either in small clinics with a smaller workforce or larger hospitals with multiple departments. Clinical directors may also assist in the hiring process of healthcare providers and should establish a positive work environment.

Health care manager vs clinical director salary

Health care managers and clinical directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Health Care Manager	Clinical Director
Average salary	$60,931	$96,497
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $93,000	Between $63,000 And $145,000
Highest paying City	Linden, NJ	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Accenture	Sutro Biopharma
Best paying industry	Utilities	Health Care

Differences between health care manager and clinical director education

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

	Health Care Manager	Clinical Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Health care manager vs clinical director demographics

Here are the differences between health care managers' and clinical directors' demographics:

	Health Care Manager	Clinical Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 30.2% Female, 69.8%	Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.5% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 8.1% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between health care manager and clinical director duties and responsibilities

Health care manager example responsibilities.

Manage network participation, care with specialty networks, DME providers and transfers to appropriate levels of care.
Manage patient care expenditures including but not limit to labor, pharmacy, DME, medical supplies and mileage.
Provide oversight of the case management and utilization management staff for the Medicaid population
Supervise and conduct employee seminars and training in employee health issues, infection control and CPR.
Support sales team in designing population health solutions present in proposals and client facing PowerPoint presentations.
Assist members with benefits, PCP referrals and inquires.

Clinical director example responsibilities.

Develop distinctive ambulatory strategies to achieve and sustain competitive healthcare advantage.
Manage and assist with data collection and input for MDS.
Manage quality of documentation through education and electronic review of clinical processes utilizing HCHB EMR.
Manage front office, marketing, and communication -demonstrated/supervise exercises for patients -Developed instructional packets for home exercise programs
Manage projects and ambulatory system initiatives, and collaborate with system leadership teams to ensure EMR alignment with all regulatory requirements.
Experience in GCP, FDA audits, and regulatory guidance review and implementation.

Health care manager vs clinical director skills

Common health care manager skills

Social Work, 28%
Behavioral Health, 10%
Substance Abuse, 8%
Community Resources, 8%
Patients, 5%
Utilization Management, 4%

Common clinical director skills

Patients, 18%
Patient Care, 11%
Physical Therapy, 5%
Social Work, 4%
Rehabilitation, 4%
Clinical Services, 3%

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Health Care Manager
Health Care Manager vs Clinical Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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