Practice administrator vs patient care manager

The differences between practice administrators and patient care 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 practice administrator and a patient care manager. Additionally, a practice administrator has an average salary of $78,493, which is higher than the $65,369 average annual salary of a patient care manager.

The top three skills for a practice administrator include patients, patient care and customer service. The most important skills for a patient care manager are home health, patients, and quality care.

Practice administrator vs patient care manager overview

	Practice Administrator	Patient Care Manager
Yearly salary	$78,493	$65,369
Hourly rate	$37.74	$31.43
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	75,986	123,652
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
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 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.

Practice administrator vs patient care manager salary

Practice administrators and patient care managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Practice Administrator	Patient Care Manager
Average salary	$78,493	$65,369
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $109,000	Between $36,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Oakland, CA
Highest paying state	New York	California
Best paying company	Osa	Accenture
Best paying industry	Professional	Health Care

Differences between practice administrator and patient care manager education

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

	Practice Administrator	Patient Care Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Practice administrator vs patient care manager demographics

Here are the differences between practice administrators' and patient care managers' demographics:

	Practice Administrator	Patient Care Manager
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 25.0% Female, 75.0%	Male, 17.1% Female, 82.9%
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, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 7.4% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between practice administrator and patient care manager 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

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.

Practice administrator vs patient care manager skills

Common practice administrator skills

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

Common patient care manager skills

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

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Executive Management Industry
Practice Administrator
Practice Administrator vs Patient Care Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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