Patient care manager vs medical case manager

The differences between patient care managers and medical case 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 patient care manager and a medical case manager. Additionally, a patient care manager has an average salary of $65,369, which is higher than the $42,432 average annual salary of a medical case manager.

The top three skills for a patient care manager include home health, patients and quality care. The most important skills for a medical case manager are patients, rehabilitation, and care coordination.

Patient care manager vs medical case manager overview

	Patient Care Manager	Medical Case Manager
Yearly salary	$65,369	$42,432
Hourly rate	$31.43	$20.40
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	123,652	85,820
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a patient care manager do?

Patient care managers are executives who are in charge of supervising a clinical team. The managers take responsibility for directing patient care within an organization. Also called health care managers, they protect every patient's safety and health in a clinical setting. They interact with the healthcare team members to maintain open communication. It is also part of their duties to supervise the daily operations in the clinical care units. Managing clinical budgets and maintaining quality health services are also their responsibilities.

What does a medical case manager do?

The primary role of a Medical Case Manager is to monitor the patients treatment plan to ensure that physicians are doing their jobs properly. They are also responsible for improving the quality of patient services, increasing revenue, analyzing the information gathered by investigations, and reporting recommendations.

Patient care manager vs medical case manager salary

Patient care managers and medical case managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Care Manager	Medical Case Manager
Average salary	$65,369	$42,432
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $117,000	Between $26,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	Oakland, CA	Walnut Creek, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Accenture	AIG
Best paying industry	Health Care	Insurance

Differences between patient care manager and medical case manager education

There are a few differences between a patient care manager and a medical case manager in terms of educational background:

	Patient Care Manager	Medical Case Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Patient care manager vs medical case manager demographics

Here are the differences between patient care managers' and medical case managers' demographics:

	Patient Care Manager	Medical Case Manager
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 17.1% Female, 82.9%	Male, 19.8% Female, 80.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 7.4% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 8.0% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between patient care manager and medical case manager duties and responsibilities

Patient care manager example responsibilities.

Manage complicated cases involving serious injuries, medical evacuations, cruise ship disembarkation, and repatriation of remains with compassion.
Direct oversight of all case management and education relate to chronic disease and primary care management.
Utilize resources such as financial and pharmacy assistance for uninsure patients to receive professional medical care upon discharge.
Prevent unnecessary hospital admissions using keen assessment skills and redirecting to PCP's office when appropriate.
Ensure compliance both with HIPAA and CMS, to include all audits and enrollments via Medicare.
Plant and maintain flower beds such as mulching, fertilizing, watering, mowing, and pruning.

Medical case manager example responsibilities.

Provide clients support with basic ADL's (shopping, payee services, budgets, managing and attending appointments).
Facilitate rehabilitation plans with TPA/Provider/Treatment team to provide professional case management services to catastrophically injure patients after auto injury.
Collaborate with inpatient medical team and case management department to promote effective discharge planning and utilization management of hospitalize patients.
Coordinate medical management and vocational rehabilitation.
Attend weekly DHS case conferences to ensure client compliance and progress with obtaining and securing permanent housing.
Report, maintain, and update case data, goal attainment, and outcomes into the HMIS system.

Patient care manager vs medical case manager skills

Common patient care manager skills

Home Health, 15%
Patients, 12%
Quality Care, 8%
Social Work, 7%
Community Resources, 4%
Substance Abuse, 4%

Common medical case manager skills

Patients, 18%
Rehabilitation, 8%
Care Coordination, 7%
Social Work, 6%
Home Health, 6%
Customer Service, 6%

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Patient Care Manager
Patient Care Manager vs Medical Case Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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