Medical Office Management

Medical office managers oversee a wide team of nurses and office staff members. Managing a medical office requires you to be good at detail-oriented tasks like records keeping. You must also hold strong leadership abilities if you wish to enter this in-demand field.

Inside Medical Office Management

The majority of physicians at private practices are not trained to run a business. They instead turn to medical office managers to manage the day-to-day business and office duties of their practice. Medical office managers handle tasks like purchasing and maintaining equipment, overseeing billing and collection, making personnel decisions, training staff and planning budgets. Another increasingly important task that medical office managers need to oversee is the transition of health records from paper to electronic format.

In a small practice of less than 15 physicians, medical office managers may only be required to have prior managing experience or undergo on-the-job training. However, many offices with more employees take managers with a bachelor's degree in business or healthcare administration. Larger offices, such as those that contain over 50 physicians, often look for a manager with an advanced degree in healthcare administration. These managers usually have several sub-managers working underneath them. Medical office managers can further increase their credentials by opting to take the Certified Medical Manager exam offered by the Professional Association of Health Care Office Management.

The healthcare field is changing rapidly due to technological advancements that have made it possible for physicians to perform many medical procedures in their offices that they were once only able to perform in a hospital. This change has increased the number of medical office management jobs that have become available. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimated that health services and medical management jobs would increase by 16% between 2008 and 2018, which was above average (www.bls.gov).

According to the BLS, general office managers, who typically need work experience or an associate's degree to find employment, made a yearly median wage of $47,460 as of May 2010. Medical and health services managers earned a much higher median annual salary of $84,270, but these professionals must usually hold a master's degree in healthcare administration and oversee a much larger staff.

Learn More About Medical Office Management

Medical office management offers you the chance to work closely with physicians to increase the efficiency and productivity of a medical practice. You must stay very organized and possess strong people skills to be effective at this job. Education-Portal.com provides several articles that can shed more light on medical office management careers.

Degree Options

Some medical office managers receive on-the-job training or advance from lower-level administrative positions. However, many medical practices look for applicants who hold a degree or certificate. Here are some common medical office management programs.

Career Options

Careers in this field are expected to expand over the coming years due to increases in medical office technology and the need to computerize medical records. Learn more about medical management and administration jobs below.

Online Options

Many colleges and technical schools offer online programs for aspiring medical office managers. These programs are more relevant than ever with the increased use of computer technology in the medical field.

Specialization Options

Medical office management specializations are as diverse as the medical field itself. Most of these positions require you to earn an advanced degree. The following links will give you more information about specific types of medical administration and management positions.