Medical administration refers to the roles within the healthcare industry that are primarily responsible for the efficient administrative operations of a medical facility. Medical administrators work in hospitals, long-term care facilities, physicians' offices, and a variety of other medical facilities performing both general administrative duties and specialized skills, such as coding, transcribing, and billing. Read this article to learn more.
Career Options
Medical administrators perform a variety of tasks that range from answering phones, scheduling appointments, and ordering supplies to transcribing operative reports and processing coded insurance bills. The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA, www.ahima.org) certifies medical administrators in some specialized area, including coders and patient records managers. Some common careers in medical administration include:
- Medical coders
- Transcriptionists
- Billing and insurance specialists
- Records managers
- Admissions clerks
- Medical secretaries
<h3 id="section---ImportantFactsAboutMedicalAdministration">Important Facts About Medical Administration</h3><p></p><table border="1"><tr><td> Median Salary (2021) </td><td> $37,190 (<i>for medical secretaries</i>)<br/>$101,340 (<i>for medical health and service managers</i>)</td></tr>
<tr><td> On-the-Job Training </td><td> Short-term training period may be required</td></tr>
<tr><td> Professional Certification </td><td> Professional credentials available at different levels</td></tr>
<tr><td> Key Skills </td><td> Integrity, organizational, communication, analytical, detail-oriented</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i>
</p><h3 id="section---Education">Education</h3><p>Certificate and degree programs are widely available in medical administration through vocational schools, community colleges, universities, and online institutions. Professional organizations, such as the AHIMA and the Certifying Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants (<i>www.aama-ntl.org</i>) provide professional credentials to medical administrative assistants who meet certain criteria. Degrees in medical administration include:
</p><ul><li>Associate of Science in Medical Assisting
</li><li>Associate of Science in Medical Administration
</li><li>Associate in Health Information Technology
</li><li>Bachelor of Science in Health Administration
</li><li>Bachelor of Science in Health Information Systems
</li><li>Master of Health Systems Management
</li><li>Master in Healthcare Administration
</li></ul><h3 id="section---EmploymentOpportunities">Employment Opportunities</h3><p>According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, <i>www.bls.gov</i>), jobs for medical health and service managers could rise by about 28% from 2021-2031. Jobs for medical secretaries are also expected to grow quickly, by about 8%. This makes these professions some of the fastest growing occupations.
</p><p>Over 15% of medical assistants, including administrative and clinical, worked in physicians' offices during 2021. The remainder worked for other medical practitioners, such as chiropractors and podiatrists, or in a variety of other medical settings, including:
</p><ul><li>Hospitals
</li><li>Outpatient Care Facilities
</li><li>Other Health Practitioners' Offices
</li><li>Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly</li></ul>
