Medical practice manager vs medical director

The differences between medical practice 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 practice manager and a medical director. Additionally, a medical director has an average salary of $230,317, which is higher than the $108,938 average annual salary of a medical practice manager.

The top three skills for a medical practice manager include healthcare, patients and patient satisfaction. The most important skills for a medical director are patients, medical care, and medical services.

Medical practice manager vs medical director overview

	Medical Practice Manager	Medical Director
Yearly salary	$108,938	$230,317
Hourly rate	$52.37	$110.73
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	80,707	75,810
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a medical practice manager do?

A medical practice manager is an administrator that runs a medical facility. They are sometimes referred to as medical managers, medical practice administrators, healthcare administrators, or healthcare executives. Their duties include staffing, scheduling, ensuring compliance with regulations, managing revenue cycles, and overseeing data security procedures. They are also tasked with finding ways to reduce overhead, improving efficiency, and providing assistance when the office is short staffed.

What does a medical director do?

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 practice manager vs medical director salary

Medical practice managers and medical directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Practice Manager	Medical Director
Average salary	$108,938	$230,317
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $209,000	Between $143,000 And $369,000
Highest paying City	Providence, RI	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Delaware	Alaska
Best paying company	Beaufort Memorial Hospital	UnitedHealth Group
Best paying industry	Health Care	Insurance

Differences between medical practice manager and medical director education

There are a few differences between a medical practice manager and a medical director in terms of educational background:

	Medical Practice Manager	Medical Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Business	Medicine
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Medical practice manager vs medical director demographics

Here are the differences between medical practice managers' and medical directors' demographics:

	Medical Practice Manager	Medical Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 19.7% Female, 80.3%	Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 7.8% White, 61.1% 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%

Differences between medical practice manager and medical director duties and responsibilities

Medical practice manager example responsibilities.

Manage patients' oral chemotherapy medications and oral anti-coagulation medications under physician supervision including any prior authorizations and/patient assistance programs.
Bill, post and follow up on all medical claims with knowledge of ICD-9 and CPT coding.
Organize, update and maintain patient charts within HIPPA guidelines.
Insure compliance with HIPAA and permit passage of all regulatory inspections.
Maintain compliance with regulatory standards by Hippa compliances.
Establish an active network of internists and hospital-base physicians who regularly refer their patients in need of chemotherapy.

Medical director example responsibilities.

Manage OPD for acute injuries.
Manage patients with diabetes, hypertension and other medical problems.
Manage patients living with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and other sexually transmit infections.
Manage hypertension and diabetes in elderly patients
Conduct psychiatry evaluations and treatment, manage co-occurring disorders.
Manage budget planning, forecasting and accruals for improve financial management.

Medical practice manager vs medical director skills

Common medical practice manager skills

Healthcare, 16%
Patients, 15%
Patient Satisfaction, 11%
Medical Practice, 9%
Patient Care, 8%
Practice Management, 3%

Common medical director skills

Patients, 12%
Medical Care, 7%
Medical Services, 6%
Utilization Review, 5%
Appeals, 5%
Internal Medicine, 4%

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Medical Practice Manager
Medical Practice Manager vs Medical Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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