Practice Manager Job Description: Top Duties and Requirements

A Practice Manager , or Physician Practice Manager, is responsible for managing the business side of a medical practice. Their duties include record-keeping, ensuring the clinical practice is compliant with industry regulations and hiring and training administrative staff. 

 

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Practice Manager duties and responsibilities

A Practice Manager has to maintain the day-to-day operations of a medical practice and oversee all business transactions. In general, some of the Practice Manager’s duties and responsibilities are to:

  • Open and close the office daily as per clinic schedule
  • Screen, hire, and train new employees by following all required human resource guidelines
  • Review staff productivity and make adjustments when required
  • Ensure optimal operation of the medical practice by managing daily staffing and other related business activities
  • Review accounts receivable reports every month
  • Track licensure requirements for all staff members, and monitor and approve time cards
  • Conduct annual performance evaluations
  • Schedule and conduct regular staff meetings 

 

What does a Practice Manager do?

A Practice Manager is primarily responsible for overseeing the business affairs of a medical practice. This could be a medical practice of a physician, dentist, veterinarian, or chiropractor. The primary goal is to ensure that the clinical practice operates within the specified budget, and that the overall operations of the practice would run smoothly and efficiently.

 

Practice Manager skills and qualifications

An ideal Practice Manage would have the necessary qualification and skills to manage and run the business side of a medical practice. Here are a few examples of a Practice Manager’s skills and qualifications:

  • Mastery in managing medical office billing statements
  • Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • Knowledge about handling accounts receivables and medical expenses

 

Practice Manager experience requirements

The ideal candidate for the role of a Practice Manager would have three years plus of experience in the field of medical office management. This is an important requirement as a Practice Manager plays an important role in the supervision of the day-to-day operations of a clinical practice.

 

Practice Manager education and training requirements

A Practice Manager should have a Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare Management or Business Administration, which would then allow the candidate to have a sound knowledge of varying medical terminologies. A basic to medium level of medical knowledge is required to function professionally in a medical setting. This would ideally include a basic familiarity of disease management, medical treatments, and the processes undergone in laboratory tests. In addition, a Practice Manager must be trained in the use of medical billing software, as well as the Electronic Health Records (EHR) system.  

 

Practice Manager salary expectations

According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for an HR Generalist is $61,342 per year in Canada. Salary may be dependent on experience, location and company.

 

Job description samples for similar positions

If a Practice Manager  is not quite what you’re looking for, here are a few other job description samples that may fit your needs:

 

Practice Manager job description FAQs

 

What qualities make a good Practice Manager?

Some qualities that would make a good Practice Manager may include excellent financial and analytical skills, and the ability to manage the business transactions of a clinical practice. These would allow the candidate to stay within the allocated budget, while emphasizing their versatility and how their decision-making skills would reflect excellent management practices. It also goes without saying that employers should look for candidates that have a  familiarity with medical software and patient records management, as well as a capacity to run and manage schedules while ensuring that the overall medical practice runs smoothly. Practice Managers also play a role in hiring and training administrative staff; therefore, skills in this area would be a bonus.

 

Who does a Practice Manager report to?

A Practice Manager falls in the category of upper-level administrators. If it is a small medical practice with one doctor, for example, then the Practice Manager would report directly to them. If the organization is  a bigger clinical practice with three to five doctors practicing from one location, the Practice Manager would then report to the Head Practitioner or the Head of Administration, if there is one. Practice Managers have to follow certain budgets, so they are answerable to their superiors regarding the business operations of the medical clinic.

 

What makes a good Practice Manager job description?

A good job description for a Practice Manager would clearly outline the minimum work experience and the educational qualification and skills that are needed. Since Practice Managers work in a variety of settings such as a general practitioner’s office, a dentist, a veterinarian, or a chiropractor, the responsibilities will differ from clinic to clinic, as will the job requirements. A good job description would clearly specify these needed skills. If there are specific medical-related experiences that are required, or if a candidate is to be expected as knowledgeable on specific medical software, then these should be stated as well. Stating the salary or other performance bonuses would also add to the viability of the posted description.

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