Health director vs clinical director

The differences between health directors 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 director and a clinical director. Additionally, a clinical director has an average salary of $96,497, which is higher than the $89,244 average annual salary of a health director.

The top three skills for a health director include patients, home health and oversight. The most important skills for a clinical director are patients, patient care, and physical therapy.

Health director vs clinical director overview

	Health Director	Clinical Director
Yearly salary	$89,244	$96,497
Hourly rate	$42.91	$46.39
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	81,038	83,232
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a health director do?

A Health Director is responsible for developing health programs for disease prevention and the promotion of good health practices. They must keep health records and ensure excellent health facility maintenance.

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 director vs clinical director salary

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

	Health Director	Clinical Director
Average salary	$89,244	$96,497
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $142,000	Between $63,000 And $145,000
Highest paying City	Greenwich, CT	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Amgen	Sutro Biopharma
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between health director and clinical director education

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

	Health Director	Clinical Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Health director vs clinical director demographics

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

	Health Director	Clinical Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7%	Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.1% White, 61.9% 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 director and clinical director duties and responsibilities

Health director example responsibilities.

Manage accreditation process with AAHC, JCAHO, Medicare, HIPAA, AOA, ACGME, RRC, and individual payers.
Manage the agency's daily operations to ensure CMS compliance.
Manage EHS activities for manufacturing plants, global sourcing centers, and customer sites.
Initiate sentinel system allowing company to proactively manage reimbursement reductions impose by state Medicaid programs.
Manage multiple patients, assessing ability to continue living independently or moving to higher acuity care.
Conduct staff training regarding first aid, CPR, a.

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 director vs clinical director skills

Common health director skills

Patients, 13%
Home Health, 9%
Oversight, 8%
Patient Care, 6%
Social Work, 5%
CPR, 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 Director
Health Director vs Clinical Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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