Physician Office Manager v. Administrator

Whats is the difference between an Office Manager and an Administrator?

There was a thread in a recent MGMA listserv regarding salaries for an office manager versus one for an office administrator. It got me to thinking the differences between the two, since the position of office manager and administrator are often considered interchangeable.

The Difference in Roles

To me, the real difference is the following based on my experience working with physician medical practices:

• An office manager basically "babysits" the daily operations of the office
• An administrator is making the practice grow.

Office Manager and Administrator Reminder

Don't call yourself a practice administrator when in fact you are being a glorified babysitter to the practice. While I don't mean to belittle this job duty, let's all be realistic about what happens on a daily basis in a medical practice. While these daily caretaking duties are necessary, they pretty much could be done by anyone with any sense of billing and collection processes and some human resource abilities.

A true practice administrator is out there looking to help the practice grow by being proactive and by bring fresh new ideas to the table. A practice administrator helps the physician or physicians take action.

Additional Resources

• Empower Your Administrators and Managers
• Physician Merger Team and Practice Administrators

About the Author

Reed Tinsley CPA

This article is written by Reed Tinsley, a Houston, TX-based CPA with over 30 years of experience advising physicians and medical practices across Texas and the United States. Reed holds certifications as a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA), Certified Healthcare Business Consultant (CHBC), and Certified Financial Planner (CFP), specializing exclusively in the healthcare sector. He is a published author, nationally recognized speaker, and trusted advisor to physicians on accounting & tax, practice management, and financial planning. Schedule a Free Consultation.