Patient relations director vs interim director

The differences between patient relations directors and interim 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 patient relations director and an interim director. Additionally, an interim director has an average salary of $104,142, which is higher than the $94,921 average annual salary of a patient relations director.

The top three skills for a patient relations director include patients, patient care and patient safety. The most important skills for an interim director are healthcare, patient care, and oversight.

Patient relations director vs interim director overview

	Patient Relations Director	Interim Director
Yearly salary	$94,921	$104,142
Hourly rate	$45.64	$50.07
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	91,308	49,433
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

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.

What does an interim director do?

An interim director is responsible for supporting business operations, organizing training, as well as specific department programs for staff to maximize their productivity and improve optimal performance to meet project deliverables and achieve client satisfaction. Interim directors coordinate with the management and board executives on corporate decisions, implementing company guidelines and procedures, and identifying business opportunities to generate more revenues and profitability. They also analyze financial statements and business transactions, developing strategies to reduce expenses and minimize loss without sacrificing the organization's quality services.

Patient relations director vs interim director salary

Patient relations directors and interim directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Relations Director	Interim Director
Average salary	$94,921	$104,142
Salary range	Between $61,000 And $145,000	Between $66,000 And $162,000
Highest paying City	North Las Vegas, NV	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Nevada	California
Best paying company	AstraZeneca	UPMC
Best paying industry	Health Care	Professional

Differences between patient relations director and interim director education

There are a few differences between a patient relations director and an interim director in terms of educational background:

	Patient Relations Director	Interim Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Patient relations director vs interim director demographics

Here are the differences between patient relations directors' and interim directors' demographics:

	Patient Relations Director	Interim Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 25.0% Female, 75.0%	Male, 39.5% Female, 60.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 7.1% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between patient relations director and interim director duties and responsibilities

Patient relations director example 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.

Interim director example responsibilities.

Manage and direct department operations and staffing for the invasive and non-invasive cardiology department.
Establish and develop relationships with ERP and consulting vendors with the goal of maximizing comparative advantage and cost efficient solution development.
Increase patient satisfaction on scores relate the cleanliness through employee engagement and through close collaboration with the management team.
Program development, quality improvement, JCAHO preparation, and hospital disaster preparedness.
Pet restraint, blood draws, catheter placement, vaccine administration.
Put hospital on growth trajectory, reversing negative EBITDA within first year.

Patient relations director vs interim director skills

Common patient relations director skills

Patients, 21%
Patient Care, 9%
Patient Safety, 7%
Revenue Cycle, 5%
Customer Service, 5%
Acute Care, 4%

Common interim director skills

Healthcare, 13%
Patient Care, 11%
Oversight, 9%
Patient Safety, 6%
Financial Management, 6%
Bed Facility, 5%

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Patient Relations Director
Patient Relations Director vs Interim Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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