Practice administrator vs medical director

The differences between practice administrators 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 practice administrator and a medical director. Additionally, a medical director has an average salary of $230,317, which is higher than the $78,493 average annual salary of a practice administrator.

The top three skills for a practice administrator include patients, patient care and customer service. The most important skills for a medical director are patients, medical care, and medical services.

Practice administrator vs medical director overview

	Practice Administrator	Medical Director
Yearly salary	$78,493	$230,317
Hourly rate	$37.74	$110.73
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	75,986	75,810
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a practice administrator do?

A Practice Administrator is responsible for the daily activities of a medical facility. They prepare prescriptions for patients, provide leadership in developing and implementing business plans, and oversee the billing and collection processes of departments.

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.

Practice administrator vs medical director salary

Practice administrators and medical directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Practice Administrator	Medical Director
Average salary	$78,493	$230,317
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $109,000	Between $143,000 And $369,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	New York	Alaska
Best paying company	Osa	UnitedHealth Group
Best paying industry	Professional	Insurance

Differences between practice administrator and medical director education

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

	Practice Administrator	Medical Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Business	Medicine
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Practice administrator vs medical director demographics

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

	Practice Administrator	Medical Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 25.0% Female, 75.0%	Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 7.1% White, 60.8% 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 practice administrator and medical director duties and responsibilities

Practice administrator example responsibilities.

Lead the hospital through a successful CMS validation survey.
Manage multiple SharePoint sites by adding and editing accurate data for each team within the department.
Deploy, configure, and manage enterprise systems; monitoring, windows, linux, aws, vmware.
Manage accounts payable and accounts receivable activities using QuickBooks and online banking applications.
Compose monthly productivity reports, manage payroll; develop and implement policies & procedures.
Manage the overall operations of a large pediatric practice that provide services to a predominantly Medicaid population

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.

Practice administrator vs medical director skills

Common practice administrator skills

Patients, 14%
Patient Care, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Payroll, 5%
Practice Management, 4%
Oversight, 4%

Common medical director skills

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

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Practice Administrator
Practice Administrator vs Medical Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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