Health care manager vs clinical manager

The differences between health care managers and clinical 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 health care manager and a clinical manager. Additionally, a clinical manager has an average salary of $84,066, 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 manager are patients, customer service, and home health.

Health care manager vs clinical manager overview

	Health Care Manager	Clinical Manager
Yearly salary	$60,931	$84,066
Hourly rate	$29.29	$40.42
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	153,821	81,863
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
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 manager do?

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.

Health care manager vs clinical manager salary

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

	Health Care Manager	Clinical Manager
Average salary	$60,931	$84,066
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $93,000	Between $55,000 And $128,000
Highest paying City	Linden, NJ	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Accenture	Genentech
Best paying industry	Utilities	Health Care

Differences between health care manager and clinical manager education

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

	Health Care Manager	Clinical Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Health care manager vs clinical manager demographics

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

	Health Care Manager	Clinical Manager
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 30.2% Female, 69.8%	Male, 22.6% Female, 77.4%
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, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between health care manager and clinical manager 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 manager example responsibilities.

Track and manage IRB approvals.
Lead a team of 25 patient service coordinators and receptionists.
Manage and lead teams consisting of multiple internal departments as well as CRO and other vendors.
Manage data for research project billing and accountability for drug study product in accordance with FDA regulations.
Manage studies in association with the lead CRA to ensure all project expectations and milestones are meet.
Manage all facets of daily operations relating to imaging services, radiation therapy, and medical oncology services.

Health care manager vs clinical manager 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 manager skills

Patients, 19%
Customer Service, 8%
Home Health, 6%
Direct Patient Care, 5%
Quality Patient Care, 5%
Patient Education, 3%

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Health Care Manager
Health Care Manager vs Clinical Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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