October 25th, 2011  Posted at   Careers Employment, Health Care
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You’ve heard that healthcare is one of the few job markets that is still growing in a down economy and you think you might like to be a medical office manager. The question is: how much do medical practice managers make?

The real answer to this question is “it depends.” Two people in different parts of the United States could have the same job description and one could make $50,000 and another could make $100,00. Most experienced, capable medical practice managers make a good living somewhere in the middle.

What differentiates medical practice managers (and I use this term in a generic sense to cover the variety of titles used in the healthcare field) from other office managers is that they are expected to know something about almost everything. A typical day in the life of a medical manager might well include tasks in the areas of:

* human resources
* risk management
* coding and billing
* credentialing
* accounting
* information technology
* facilities management
* conflict resolution
* physician compensation plans
* marketing
* physician/provider recruiting
* and more!

The medical practice manager is often in the unique position of both answering to the owners (physicians) and managing them – a phenomenon not seen in other industries.

What a medical practice manager earns relates to:

* what the decision maker(s) believes the job is worth, or what they’re willing to pay
* what a consultant or financial adviser has said the job is worth
* what other local practices are paying their managers
* what the previous manager made

Factors influencing the posted salary for a position are:

* the specialty or specialties (single-specialty vs multi-specialty and primary care vs. sub-specialty care)
* the number of physicians/providers
* the number of sites or ancillary services (imaging, physical therapy, medical spa, ambulatory surgery center)
* hospital-owned vs. non-hospital-owned
* if hospital-owned, how the position is graded, or where it fits in the management structure
* billing in-house or outsourced
* financial soundness of the entity
* the entity’s competition in the community
* cost of living factor for region

Factors that might influence the salary ultimately offered YOU for a position are:

* Years of experience in healthcare management
* Years of experience managing the same or similar specialty
* Years of experience managing the same or similar # of physicians
* Stability of jobs over the past 10-15 years
* Special degrees: Master’s, CPA, CPC, Compliance, RN, Lean, Black Belt (Six Sigma)
* Having installed an EMR (electronic medical record)
* References

Where does one look for specific information on what managers make?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) most recent information reports:

Median annual wages of wage and salary medical and health services managers were $80,240 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $62,170 and $104,120. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $48,300, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $137,800. Median annual wages in the industries employing the largest numbers of medical and health services managers in May 2008 were:

General medical and surgical hospitals $87,040

Outpatient care centers $74,130 Read more… »

October 25th, 2011  Posted at   Careers Employment, Medical
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Like every business, healthcare needs strong and effective management to keep it running smoothly. Managers in medical and health services are known as healthcare executives or healthcare administrators. Healthcare administrators are responsible for planning, directing, coordinating and supervising healthcare delivery. Career longevity is greatly supported by the diversity of functions for which practice managers are responsible.

Rapid changes are being seen in structure and financing of healthcare in this day and age. Practice managers will be called on to deal with the integration of healthcare delivery systems, innovations in technology, a regulatory environment with increasing complexities, reformation of the work structure and an enhanced focus on preventive care. For the improvement of the efficiency of existing healthcare facilities and provision of quality care, practice managers will most likely be consulted with.

There is much promise for professionals applying for medical practice manager jobs. Applicants who possess work experience in healthcare and strong business and management skills have greater chances of enjoying successful careers in this particular management profession. There is also longevity in the medical field for those seeking new careers. A group of 10 to 15 physicians may employ 1 medical office manager to oversee matters relevant to personnel, billing and collection, budgeting, core planning, equipment outlays and flow of patients. This group of 10-15 doctors could be considered small. A large practice has a greater demand for practice managers and usually employs several of them. This size practice would be composed of 40 to 50 physicians and will generously offer vacancies for medical practice manager jobs. In these practices, a chief administrator has many assistants with each being responsible for a particular area of expertise.

Some medical practice manager jobs entail overseeing the activities of many facilities and healthcare systems. Such systems may be composed of inpatient and outpatient facilities with a broad range of patient services that are offered. In the year 2008, approximately 283,500 jobs were held by medical and health service managers. Read more… »

October 25th, 2011  Posted at   Health Care, Health Insurance, Medical
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Health insurance pays for private medical expenses, usually for short term, curable medical conditions. It allows the consumer to receive quick, convenient use of private healthcare facilities, for non-life threatening conditions and avoid long queues in the in the National Healthcare Service (NHS).

This by no means is an alternative to the NHS; private practices do not cover accident or emergencies for example, nor does medical insurance cover long term ailments. It compliments the traditional NHS in the UK providing private rooms often with a television and phone, better food and nursing facilities.

Health insurance usually covers specialist surgeries, accommodation in a private hospital or a private ward in an NHS facility, nursing bills drags and X-rays etc, though it is not necessarily better or worse care than the standard of care provided by the NHS, but the highlighted benefit is that of time, and convenience, allowing you the freedom to have any medical procedures carried out at a time to suit you rather than waiting in long and extensive queues, limited available appointments and lack of flexibility.

Why is it important for ex-patriots? I am sure you all know if you are one that getting professional health care when living abroad is sometimes a bit of a joke, and I don’t mean funny, what I mean is terrible in fact. A story I heard recently was a good friend of mine went to, well let’s not say the county in question. My friend, whilst abroad ran into a spot of bother abroad, where he contracted a foreign ailment and medical care turned out to be expensive and difficult to arrange. Definitely the last thing he wanted to go through in his condition.

Health insurance is often more broadly used to include long tem nursing care or to cover disability. It ma be provided through government sponsored programs and social welfare programs funded by the government, or from private insurance companies. Often care I provided to individuals as an incentive or a benefit to working individuals, particularly those working for a larger corporations and can include eye care and dental care as well, and is then purchased by the employer to cover by a group basis to cover its employees. It can also be purchased by individuals or by families.

When applying for medical insurance, taking into account the applicant’s health, the type of coverage they are applying for, the overall risk of healthcare expenses and the finance they can afford to pay, a routine finance structure consisting of a monthly premium may be developed to ensure that the coverage specified in the insurance agreement can be paid for. This allows health insurance to be affordable and accessible to a wide range of people with different circumstances. Read more… »

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