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How to hire a patient relations director

Patient relations director hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring patient relations directors in the United States:

  • The median cost to hire a patient relations director is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per patient relations director on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • There are a total of 5,140 patient relations directors in the US, and there are currently 91,308 job openings in this field.
  • New York, NY, has the highest demand for patient relations directors, with 12 job openings.

How to hire a patient relations director, step by step

To hire a patient relations director, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a patient relations director:

Here's a step-by-step patient relations director hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a patient relations director job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new patient relations director
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a patient relations director do?

A patient relations director is primarily in charge of spearheading and overseeing the efforts in maintaining an active communication line between patients and health care providers. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to improve client interactions, liaising with patients and their families, answering inquiries, and providing information assistance as needed. They must also address the concerns and issues raised by patients or families, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a patient relations director, it is essential to lead and encourage staff to reach goals, all while implementing the hospital's policies and regulations.

Learn more about the specifics of what a patient relations director does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you start hiring a patient relations director, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    Hiring the perfect patient relations director also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

    The following list breaks down different types of patient relations directors and their corresponding salaries.

    Type of Patient Relations DirectorDescriptionHourly rate
    Patient Relations DirectorMedical and health services managers, also called healthcare executives or healthcare administrators, plan, direct, and coordinate medical and health services. They might manage an entire facility, a specific clinical area or department, or a medical practice for a group of physicians... Show more$29-69
    Clinical ManagerA 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... Show more$26-61
    Director Of Clinical OperationsA director of clinical operations is responsible for monitoring the overall operations of a clinic facility, ensuring the efficiency of staff performance in providing the best quality care services for the patients. Directors of clinical operations enforce safety guidelines and security procedures during operations for everyone's strict compliance to prevent hazards and unforeseen circumstances within the premises... Show more$40-95
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Patients
    • Patient Care
    • Patient Safety
    • Revenue Cycle
    • Customer Service
    • Acute Care
    • Surgery
    • Performance Improvement
    • Patient Service
    • Home Health
    • Oversight
    • Process Improvement
    • Insurance Verification
    • Rehabilitation
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage oversight to joint commission and other regulatory requirements.
    • Lead interdisciplinary teams working on quality improvement initiatives and prepare for a JCAHO survey.
    • Coach staff on hospital systems such as CMS, IEX, CTI and TCS.
    • Maintain monthly reports, payroll, and budget.
    • Create bi-weekly schedule for staff, approve PTO's & vacation requests.
    • Cover shifts for outlying facilities when either PTO is taken or employees call out.
    More patient relations director duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your patient relations director job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A patient relations director salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

    For example, the average salary for a patient relations director in Kansas may be lower than in Nevada, and an entry-level patient relations director usually earns less than a senior-level patient relations director. Additionally, a patient relations director with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

    Average patient relations director salary

    $94,921yearly

    $45.64 hourly rate

    Entry-level patient relations director salary
    $61,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 19, 2025

    Average patient relations director salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1Nevada$119,031$57
    2New Jersey$117,397$56
    3Washington$116,915$56
    4Delaware$115,189$55
    5Maryland$107,606$52
    6Massachusetts$107,380$52
    7Michigan$106,322$51
    8North Carolina$103,808$50
    9Minnesota$103,597$50
    10New York$103,116$50
    11California$99,175$48
    12Wisconsin$97,839$47
    13New Mexico$91,230$44
    14Pennsylvania$88,302$42
    15Illinois$85,351$41
    16Georgia$82,043$39
    17Colorado$81,360$39
    18Texas$80,238$39
    19Nebraska$74,362$36
    20Kansas$72,980$35

    Average patient relations director salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1AstraZeneca$149,621$71.937
    2PVH$148,819$71.55
    3Incyte$144,404$69.422
    4CVS Health$133,436$64.15308
    5First Republic Bank$133,281$64.08
    6Johnson & Johnson$132,320$63.6226
    7Lantheus$132,142$63.53
    8Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.$130,249$62.6229
    9Eisai$124,893$60.047
    10Northwell Health$124,290$59.7578
    11Equifax$123,983$59.61
    12One Brooklyn Health$120,679$58.02
    13Splunk$118,463$56.95
    14Carle Foundation$117,684$56.5851
    15Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego$115,208$55.39
    16Southcoast Health$112,844$54.2520
    17Millennium Physician Group$109,321$52.56
    18Henry Ford Health System$105,748$50.84
    19Huntsville Hospital$103,957$49.989
    20Ethica Health & Retirement Communities$101,954$49.027
  4. Writing a patient relations director job description

    A job description for a patient relations director role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a patient relations director job description:

    Patient relations director job description example

    Lifting greater than 50 lbs repeatedly throughout the work day.

    Vision acuity correctable to normal with normal color perception.

    Hearing acuity correctable to normal.

    Acute sense of smell for normal perception.

    Ability to verbalize so that the average person can comprehend.

    Ability to write, perform data entry and look at computer screen up to five hours daily.

    Cognitive Requirements: Ability to provide direct care according to the established plan of care and delegate to others.

    Ability to carry out a variety of treatments, procedures and examinations.

    Responsibilities:

    Ensure safe and adequate services to each client admitted for care.

    Recommend policy and procedures to assure high standards of care.

    Develop patient care procedures as needed to direct the safe and adequate care of each client.

    Review and approve patients for admission after review of the needs of the patient and personnel available for service.

    Admit only those patients for whom safe and adequate care can be rendered.

    Ensure that staff are assigned in accordance with their licensure, training, orientation and demonstrated skills.

    Ensure that the same caretaker renders care when possible.

    Assist in the development of the agency training programs.

    Assist in the development of agency orientation programs.

    Develop programs of ongoing training for staff.

    Direct the implementation of all patient care management policies and procedures.

    Implement all record keeping policies and procedures including those of the client record and the personnel file.

    Participate in the investigation and resolution of patient care complaints.

    Ensure that each patient is informed of patient’s rights upon admission.

    Evaluate staff service to patients, families and the agency.

    Schedule and lead team conferences to plan client care or resolve problems in organization or management of care.

    Develops plans of care, implements and evaluates according to established agency nursing policy and procedures and supervises other agency professionals involved in client care.

    Develop patient care procedures as needed to direct the safe and adequate care of each client.

    Involves patients and caregivers in the plan of care whenever possible.

    Provides information regarding the client to other professionals, the agency and medical practitioner according to the policy of the agency.

    Demonstrates the development of accurate, complete and timely clinical records.

    Assesses patients’ condition, therapy, and responses at each home visit, performs treatments and administers medications according to medical directives; communicates and documents appropriately and effectively.

    Communicates client condition changes, needs and responses to care to medical practitioners and other professionals to promote timely and effective management of client’s needs.

    Accept medical orders according to agency policy.

    Implements appropriate nursing interventions.

    Supervises the development, planning and implementation, evaluation and revision of other professional service plans. Accepts responsibility for the receipt of client care records for the agency.

    Responds to patient condition changes appropriately, communicates to supervising nurse, the medical practitioner, and other involved professionals.

    Implements appropriate infection control techniques.

    Communicates patients needs appropriately to the Director of Operations, medical practitioner and others.

    Implements required clinical care efficiently and as ordered.

    Monitors patient compliance with the medical and nursing regimes.

    Demonstrates conflict resolution skill in practice and in working with the health care team.

    Uses equipment and supplies accurately, and cost effectively.

    Reports malfunctions, or inappropriate types, or uses of supplies.

    Teaches family and caregiver’s appropriate use, cleaning, storage, and disinfection with regard to equipment and supplies.

    Complies with all agency policy and procedures. Makes appropriate recommendations for improvement.

    Maintains confidentiality of client information, and records.

    Complies with policy regarding patient rights, patient complaints, and advance directives.

    Demonstrates knowledge of regulatory requirements as it relates to practice, documentation and communication.Demonstrates cooperative team building skills in working with others.Identifies educational needs of patients, caregivers, others and self.Participates in educational programs to meet learning needs.Demonstrates knowledge of current practice.Participates in the activities of the Quality Improvement Committee.Participates in agency development activities.

    Assume responsibilities of administration as assigned by the Administrator and/or Operator.


  5. Post your job

    To find the right patient relations director for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with patient relations directors they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit patient relations directors who meet your education requirements.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your patient relations director job on Zippia to find and recruit patient relations director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Your first interview with patient relations director candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

    You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new patient relations director

    Once you've found the patient relations director candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

    It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

    To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a patient relations director?

Before you start to hire patient relations directors, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire patient relations directors pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.

Patient relations directors earn a median yearly salary is $94,921 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find patient relations directors for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $29 and $69.

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