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HEALTHCARE CAREER GUIDES

Health Services Manager Career

OVERVIEW

What Is a Health Services Manager?


 

Health services managers, sometimes referred to as medical services managers, plan, coordinate, and facilitate the business activities of healthcare service employees. These professionals are vital to overall organization and efficacy. They work primarily in hospitals with teams of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare personnel. 

A health services manager acts as a liaison between hospital workers and insurance agents, patients, and medical staff to ensure that care is delivered accurately and promptly. Their major contributions are understanding the impacts of health policy and healthcare law on hospitals, understanding the cost and reimbursement for drugs and other products, building programs that can attract medical staff and patient referrals, and promoting research partnerships.  

RESPONSIBILITIES

What Does a Health Services Manager Do?

Health services managers work at the intersection of business and healthcare. Their role is to bridge the gap between the two worlds to assist healthcare professionals, patients, and insurance companies. Some of their major responsibilities include:

  • Overseeing the day-to-day operations of a healthcare organization, a specific unit, or a service area.
  • Gathering and analyzing data, using it to plan and manage projects and systems.
  • Managing clinical, professional, clerical, and administrative staff as well as the recruitment, selection, appraisal, and development of staff.
  • Liaising and negotiating with medical and non-medical staff and with people in external organizations (e.g., social services, voluntary groups, or the private sector).
  • Implementing policies and ensuring that quality care is delivered to patients and government guidelines are followed.
  • Setting budgets and maintaining finances within tight constraints.
  • Managing contracts and service delivery agreements.
  • Planning and implementing strategic changes to improve service delivery, including new policies and directives.
  • Scheduling and attending meetings, writing reports, and delivering presentations.
  • Organizing clinical governance and audit.
  • Sitting on committees and representing the views of departments and teams.
  • Handling communications and corporate affairs.
  • Managing premises, catering, cleaning, transportation, and security.
  • Buying equipment and supplies and organizing stores.
  • Using computers to manage information and financial data, analyze and measure performance, and plan provision and development for major projects. 

EDUCATION & BEST DEGREES

How Do I Become a Health Services Manager?

There are some educational requirements on the path to becoming a health services manager. It is also recommended that you gain certification to make yourself more competitive in the job market. You’ll need experience in the field to progress to this managerial role. The following is a step-by-step guide to becoming a healthcare services manager:

Consider getting a certificate in the field:

  • Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE)
  • Certified Medical Manager (CMM) 
  • Certified Healthcare Administrative Professional (cHAP)
  • Certified Professional in Health Care Risk Management (CPHRM).

Best Degrees for a Health Services Manager

Health and Human Services – B.S.

An online health degree program for students who are committed to making a...

An online health degree program for students who are committed to making a difference for patients in a variety of ways.

  • Time: 95% of students finish similar programs faster than the traditional 4 years.
  • Tuition: $4,085 per 6-month term.
  • Courses: 29 total courses in this program.

Sample careers and jobs this degree will prepare you for:

  • Care coordinator
  • Patient advocate
  • Health services coordinator
  • Patient educator
  • Community health educator

This degree allows you to work inside the healthcare industry, while also directly working with patients who need help.

Healthcare Administration – B.S.

You can become a healthcare industry leader:...

You can become a healthcare industry leader:

Compare with B.S. Health Information Management

  • Time: 73% of graduates finish within 37 months.
  • Tuition: $3,755 per 6-month term.
  • Courses: 40 total courses in this program.

Sample careers and jobs this business degree will prepare you for:

  • Health information manager
  • Community service manager
  • Clinical manager
  • Medical records manager
  • Social service manager

The online courses in this career-focused business degree program will prepare you with management-level skills and an up-to-date understanding of our healthcare delivery system.

Master of Healthcare Administration

A master's focused on managing comprehensive, value-based care, directly...

A master's focused on managing comprehensive, value-based care, directly in line with innovations in health and healthcare.

  • Time: 81% of grads finish within 24 months. 
  • Tuition: $4,755 per 6-month term.
  • Courses: 12 total courses in this program.

Examples of careers and jobs this degree will prepare you for:

  • Managed care executive
  • Director of integrated care management
  • Health center manager/clinic manager
  • Director of integrated facilities

Your rich experience in a health-related field can mean more when you bring a master's level of understanding to the problems that organizations need to solve.

Compare degrees

This program is not the only degree WGU offers designed to create leaders in the field of healthcare. Compare our health leadership degrees.

How Much Does a Health Services Manager Make?

$104,830

The health services manager salary range is an attractive attribute to this career path. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for medical and health services managers was $104,830 in May 2022. The lowest 10% that year earned less than $64,100, while the highest 10% earned more than $209,990.


What Is the Projected Job Growth?
 

28%

Imagine never struggling to find a job. That's a reality for health services managers. In fact, health services manager is one of the most in-demand positions in the healthcare industry.

The employment of health services managers is projected to rise by 28% from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations. About 51,800 openings for health services managers are projected each year, on average, over these 10 years.

SKILLS

What Skills Does a Health Services Manager Need?

  • These professionals have important and unique responsibilities, which is why it’s important that they hold the skills necessary to effectively meet the needs of a health services manager’s job description. Some of these essential skills include:
  • Verbal and written communication skills, as well as listening skills and the ability to cooperate and negotiate with others.
  • Motivation and an interest in the sector, identifying with the common values and aims of the organization.
  • The ability to handle responsibility, delegate effectively, and manage resources.
  • Prioritizing the achievement of results, maintaining the energy and enthusiasm needed to ensure that objectives are met.
  • Initiative and leadership skills and the ability to gain the trust, commitment, and cooperation of others.
  • Teamwork and the ability to collaborate effectively with others.
  • The ability to grasp clinical issues, including the understanding of treatments and evolving medical technologies.
  • Organizational skills to deal with a diverse range of challenges.,
  • Decision-making, particularly in sensitive areas such as the allocation of funds or organizing staff levels for a unit.
  • Numeracy and the ability to analyze complex issues, absorb information, understand data, and identify underlying trends.
  • Adaptability and readiness to challenge existing practices and find alternatives.
  • The ability to cope with pressure and ongoing change in the form of new medical technology and treatments, policies, practices, and reorganization.

Our Online University Degree Programs Start on the First of Every Month, All Year Long

No need to wait for spring or fall semester. It's back-to-school time at WGU year-round. Get started by talking to an Enrollment Counselor today, and you'll be on your way to realizing your dream of a bachelor's or master's degree—sooner than you might think!

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Interested in Becoming a Health Services Manager?

Learn more about degree programs that can prepare you for this meaningful career.