How to Become a Medical Office Manager

Learn About the Duties of a Medical Office Manager

A medical office manager oversees the day-to-day operations of a medical facility in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and more. Doctors and nurses take care of the clinical side while the medical office manager, sometimes referred to as the health services manager or administrator, takes care of the business side.

In small physician’s practices, there was a time when the secretaries ran the clinics. But as doctors’ practices grew, the need to hire dedicated medical office managers became essential to the business side of the practice. Not only do those involved in medical office management have to ensure that proper patient care is provided by the facility, they also have to make sure that the business remains profitable so that patient services are not hampered.

Before deciding if you want to enter health care management jobs, use this information to learn about the duties of a certified medical office manager; you can also find out about online educational options for this career. If office manager duties sound interesting to you, then you can start looking for medical office manager jobs.

Tasks of Medical Office Managers

The job duties of a medical office manager are no different from the job duties for an office manager or administrator in other types of businesses. Here are some of the tasks they perform.

  • Set up and enforce office policies and procedures.
  • Hire, evaluate and terminate employees.
  • Prepare budget, payroll and other accounting functions.
  • Prepare and manage physicians’ schedules.
  • Run staff meetings.
  • Purchase and manage supplies and equipment.
  • Handle compliance issues.
  • Deal with insurance companies and HMOs.
  • Deal with customer satisfaction issues.

Steps to Becoming a Medical Office Manager

  1. Get a degree. A master’s degree in one of the following courses is ideal:
    • Health services administration
    • Health sciences
    • Business administration
    • Public administration
    However, the educational requirements usually depend on the size of the medical facility. A bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration or even in a business course will often get you hired in a small facility. Several online universities offer courses in this specialty, so getting the education you need shouldn't be too difficult. Some physicians favor extensive experience over educational background.
  2. Enroll in other related courses or obtain more skills. Don’t rely solely on the classes in your curriculum. Look for areas that are not explored fully that you feel will be of good use to you as a future medical office manager. For example, take seminars and classes on time management, effective presentation, public speaking, communication, handling conflicts and computer software.
  3. Familiarize yourself with the industry. Read health journals, magazines and health sections in leading newspapers. Keep yourself abreast with developments in the field of medicine as well as in the field of business management. Increase your medical vocabulary.
  4. Join associations. Some associations of medical office managers accept both professionals and students. By joining these groups, you can take advantage of their resources and contacts in the field of healthcare. One goal that is common of all medical managers associations is to ensure that resources are available for members in their quest to hone their skills and continue their professional development. Three of these associations are:
    • Professional Association of Health Care Office Management
    • Physician Office Managers Association of America
    • Medical Group Management Association
  5. Get your certification. Certified Medical Office Manager (CMOM) is offered by the Practice Management Institute. Some office managers take classes to become certified in other areas such as coding. 

The salary varies widely in this field because of education, size of the office and experience. Salary ranges are from $38,000 to $80,000 with the higher ranges being in large, specialty practices. Medical office manager positions are expected to grow by about 15% in the next ten years. The largest growth will be in private practice offices. Office managers employed by hospitals will grow the slowest.

A medical office manager is the glue that holds a medical office together. They are there to plan, manage, organize and evaluate the business. A medical office manager oversees operations, staffing, records handling, fiscal management, marketing, purchasing and more. To become an effective medical office manager does not only hinge on your educational background but more on your experience in managing. Most of all, it is all about your attitude towards your job and how you can effectively use all of your skills to manage the medical facility so that it delivers quality healthcare to its patients and continues to maintain its profitability for its owners and share holders.