Medical and health services managers, also called healthcare executives or healthcare administrators, plan, direct, and coordinate medical and health services. They may manage an entire facility, a specific clinical area or department, or a medical practice for a group of physicians. Medical and health services managers must adapt to changes in healthcare laws, regulations, and technology.
Medical and health services managers typically do the following:
Medical and health services managers work closely with physicians and surgeons, registered nurses, medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians, and other healthcare workers. Others may interact with patients or insurance agents.
Medical and health services managers’ titles depend on the facility or area of expertise in which they work.
The following are examples of types of medical and health services managers:
Nursing home administrators manage staff, admissions, finances, and care of the building, as well as care of the residents in nursing homes. All states require licensure for nursing home administrators; licensing requirements vary by state.
Clinical managers oversee a specific department, such as nursing, surgery, or physical therapy, and have responsibilities based on that specialty. Clinical managers set and carry out policies, goals, and procedures for their departments; evaluate the quality of the staff’s work; and develop reports and budgets.
Health information managers are responsible for the maintenance and security of all patient records and data. They must stay up to date with evolving information technology, current or proposed laws about health information systems, and trends in managing large amounts of complex data. Health information managers must ensure that databases are complete, accurate, and accessible only to authorized personnel. They also may supervise the work of medical records and health information technicians.
Medical and health services managers held about 480,700 jobs in 2021. The largest employers of medical and health services managers were as follows:
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | 30% |
| Offices of physicians | 12 |
| Nursing and residential care facilities | 9 |
| Government | 8 |
| Outpatient care centers | 7 |
Most medical and health services managers work in offices.
Most medical and health services managers work full time. Some managers work more than 40 hours per week. Work during evenings or weekends may be required in healthcare settings that are open at all hours, such as hospitals and nursing homes. Medical and health services managers may need to be on call in case of emergencies.
Most medical and health services managers have at least a bachelor’s degree before entering the field. However, master’s degrees are common and sometimes preferred by employers. Educational requirements vary by facility and specific function.
Medical and health services managers typically need at least a bachelor's degree to enter the occupation. However, master’s degrees are common and sometimes preferred by employers. Graduate programs often last between 2 and 3 years and may include up to 1 year of supervised administrative experience in a hospital or healthcare consulting setting.
Common majors for medical and health services managers include healthcare and related fields, such as health administration, nursing, or public policy and social services. Degrees that focus on both management and healthcare combine business-related courses with courses in medical terminology, hospital organization, and health information systems. For example, a degree in health administration or health information management often includes courses in health services management, accounting and budgeting, human resources administration, strategic planning, law and ethics, health economics, and health information systems.
Many employers require prospective medical and health services managers to have some work experience in either an administrative or a clinical role in a hospital or other healthcare facility. For example, nursing home administrators usually have years of experience working as a registered nurse.
Others may begin their careers as medical records and health information technicians, administrative assistants, or financial clerks within a healthcare office.
Analytical skills. Medical and health services managers must understand and follow current regulations and adapt to new laws.
Communication skills. These managers must effectively communicate policies and procedures to other health professionals and ensure their staff’s compliance with new laws and regulations.
Detail oriented. Medical and health services managers must pay attention to detail. They might be required to organize and maintain scheduling and billing information for very large facilities, such as hospitals.
Interpersonal skills. Medical and health services managers discuss staffing problems and patient information with other professionals, such as physicians and health insurance representatives.
Leadership skills. These managers are often responsible for finding creative solutions to staffing or other administrative problems. They must hire, train, motivate, and lead staff.
Technical skills. Medical and health services managers must stay up to date with advances in healthcare technology and data analytics. For example, they may need to use coding and classification software and electronic health record (EHR) systems as their facility adopts these technologies.
All states require licensure for nursing home administrators; requirements vary by state. In most states, these administrators must have a bachelor’s degree, complete a state-approved training program, and pass a national licensing exam. Some states also require applicants to pass a state-specific exam; others may require applicants to have previous work experience in a healthcare facility. Some states also require licensure for administrators in assisted-living facilities. For information on specific state-by-state licensure requirements, visit the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards.
A license is typically not required in other areas of medical and health services management. However, some positions may require applicants to have a registered nurse or social worker license.
Although certification is not required, some managers choose to become certified. Certification is available in many areas of practice. For example, the Professional Association of Health Care Office Management offers certification in medical management, the American Health Information Management Association offers health information management certification, and the American College of Health Care Administrators offers the Certified Nursing Home Administrator and Certified Assisted Living Administrator distinctions.
Medical and health services managers advance by moving into higher paying positions with more responsibility. Some health information managers, for example, can advance to become responsible for the entire hospital’s information systems. Other managers may advance to top executive positions within the organization. Advancement to top level executive positions usually requires a master’s degree.
Median annual wages, May 2021
The median annual wage for medical and health services managers was $101,340 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $60,780, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $205,620.
In May 2021, the median annual wages for medical and health services managers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | $119,450 |
| Government | 117,000 |
| Outpatient care centers | 99,540 |
| Offices of physicians | 98,230 |
| Nursing and residential care facilities | 83,550 |
Most medical and health services managers work full time. Some managers work more than 40 hours per week. Work during evenings or weekends may be required in healthcare settings such as hospitals and nursing homes, which are open at all hours. Medical and health services managers may need to be on call in case of emergencies.
Percent change in employment, projected 2021-31
Employment of medical and health services managers is projected to grow 28 percent from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations.
About 56,600 openings for medical and health services managers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
As the large baby-boom population enters older age groups, which typically experience more health problems, there should be increased demand for healthcare services. This means there will be greater need for physicians and other healthcare workers, medical procedures, and healthcare facilities, and therefore greater need for managers to organize and oversee medical information and healthcare staff. These managers are important for improving care coordination, which is key in team-based care.
In addition, widespread use of electronic health records (EHRs) will continue to create demand for managers with knowledge of health information technology (IT) and informatics systems. Medical and health services managers will be needed to organize, oversee, and integrate these records across areas of the healthcare industry.
| Occupational Title | SOC Code | Employment, 2021 | Projected Employment, 2031 | Change, 2021-31 | Employment by Industry | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | Numeric | ||||||
SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program |
|||||||
Medical and health services managers |
11-9111 | 480,700 | 616,900 | 28 | 136,200 | Get data | |
For more information about medical and healthcare management, visit
Professional Association of Health Care Office Management
American Health Information Management Association
American College of Health Care Administrators
For more information about academic programs in this field, visit
Association of University Programs in Health Administration
Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education
For information about career opportunities in healthcare management, visit
American College of Healthcare Executives
For information about career opportunities in medical group practices and ambulatory care management, visit
Medical Group Management Association
For more information about licensure and training requirements for nursing home and assisted-living facility administrators, visit
National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards