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The differences between medical managers and medical 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 medical manager and a medical director. Additionally, a medical director has an average salary of $230,317, which is higher than the $129,941 average annual salary of a medical manager.
The top three skills for a medical manager include healthcare, patients and patient care. The most important skills for a medical director are patients, medical care, and medical services.
| Medical Manager | Medical Director | |
| Yearly salary | $129,941 | $230,317 |
| Hourly rate | $62.47 | $110.73 |
| Growth rate | 28% | 28% |
| Number of jobs | 74,729 | 75,810 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A medical manager is a health care expert primarily in charge of overseeing a particular department or office, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities typically revolve around performing administrative tasks such as arranging schedules and appointments, handling calls and correspondence, maintaining personal records of patients, updating medical histories, and liaising with insurance companies for updates and verification. There are also instances where they must produce progress reports, delegate tasks, and train new staff, all while adhering to the hospital's policies and regulations.
A medical director is responsible for handling the overall supervision of different medical departments, managing the coordination between medical teams to ensure smooth operations and achieve high-quality care services for the patients. Medical directors enforce strict guidelines and safety measures for everyone's adherence. They also implement medical care programs, recruit medical staff, inspect the adequacy of medical equipment, respond to patient's inquiries and concerns, and oversee the facilities' procedures. A medical director manages the budget of the department, allocating equal resources to address every need.
Medical managers and medical directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Manager | Medical Director | |
| Average salary | $129,941 | $230,317 |
| Salary range | Between $51,000 And $328,000 | Between $143,000 And $369,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | UnitedHealth Group |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a medical manager and a medical director in terms of educational background:
| Medical Manager | Medical Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Medicine |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between medical managers' and medical directors' demographics:
| Medical Manager | Medical Director | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.2% Female, 73.8% | Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 8.2% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 7.9% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |