Healthcare · Practice leadership
A practice manager is usually the one person in a physician group who sees payer contracts, payroll, the schedule and the compliance calendar at the same time, so the job description has to say plainly how much of the P&L they own. Careerscape runs practice manager searches nationwide through remote recruiters who specialize in healthcare operations.
Ready to post
Replace the brackets with your numbers: providers, locations, staff and annual collections tell candidates the size of the job better than any adjective.
[Group name], a [specialty] practice with [number] providers across [number] locations, is hiring a practice manager to run daily operations, the revenue cycle and a team of [number] staff. You will report to [managing physician or board] and own the practice's operating budget.
Scope check
Titles overlap and searches go wrong when the title and the scope do not match. Use this to decide which role you are actually hiring.
| Factor | Medical office manager | Practice manager | Healthcare administrator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical scope | One office: front desk, supplies, schedules | A whole practice or group: operations, revenue cycle, staff, budget | A facility, service line or system division |
| Financial ownership | Petty cash, deposits, payroll inputs | Operating budget and collections; reports to physician owners | Department or facility P&L; reports to executives or a board |
| Reports to | Practice manager or lead physician | Managing partner, board or ambulatory director | COO, CEO or VP |
| Common credentials | Usually none required | CMPE, CPPM | Graduate degree common; state license required for nursing home administrators |
| Where to read more | Office manager | This page | Healthcare administrator |
BLS groups all three management levels under medical and health services managers, which is why the pay figures on this page run so wide. The nursing home administrator license is the only state license BLS says all states require in this occupation. Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Medical and Health Services Managers (last modified Aug 27, 2026).
Practice economics
Physician practices are consolidating. The AMA's Physician Practice Benchmark Survey found 42.2% of physicians worked in private practices in 2024, down from 60.1% in 2012, with more practices owned by hospitals and other organizations. Independent groups that want to stay that way need a manager who can run the business side without a health system's back office.
Medicare pay is the main external variable. For 2026, CMS set the physician fee schedule conversion factor at $33.40 for most clinicians, up 3.26%, but applied a 2.5% efficiency cut to the work values of non-time-based services such as procedures, and shifted practice expense values toward office-based care. CMS's July 2026 proposal for 2027 would lower the conversion factor to $32.84, down 1.68%, as a one-year 2.5% increase expires. A good manager will already be modeling both.
Some rules have settled. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 extended Medicare telehealth flexibilities, including care delivered to patients at home, through December 31, 2027. Others are arriving: states must start Medicaid work requirements for expansion adults no later than January 1, 2027, and six-month renewals for that group begin in 2027, which adds eligibility work at the front desk.
Demand for the role is strong. BLS projects employment of medical and health services managers to grow 24% from 2025 to 2035, with about 62,300 openings a year nationally.
Credentials
No license is required to manage a physician practice. These two credentials show structured knowledge of the business side; neither replaces a reference check on results.
Board certification for medical practice executives. Candidates pass a 175-question knowledge exam and a 90-question scenario-based exam and complete 50 continuing education hours. A bachelor's degree or 120 college credits and two years of healthcare experience are needed before the scenario exam. Recertification is 50 CE hours every three years, with MGMA membership.
The Certified Physician Practice Manager exam covers business and financial management, compliance and risk, HR and office management, health information and technology, and patient relations and quality. AAPC calls it a difficult, high-level exam. Holders keep annual AAPC membership and earn 36 CEUs every two years.
A CMPE signals depth in group practice operations; a CPPM often marks someone who came up through coding and billing. For many groups, proof of a budget managed, a denial rate cut or a location opened tells you more than either.
Interview guide
Ask for numbers from their current or last practice. A manager who cannot tell you their collections, A/R days or turnover was not running the business.
Listen for: Specific figures, a named intervention such as front-end eligibility checks or a denial work queue, and an honest account of what did not work.
Listen for: Awareness of the efficiency adjustment for procedures and the practice expense shift, and how they modeled the impact by provider or service line.
Listen for: Documentation, fairness, involvement of HR or counsel where needed, and steps taken to prevent the same problem.
Listen for: Data-led persuasion, respect for owners' authority and a clear view of when to escalate to the board.
Listen for: HIPAA risk assessments, OSHA training, credentialing renewals, payer revalidations and, where relevant, CLIA. Vague answers here are a red flag.
BLS pay
BLS counts practice managers with all medical and health services managers, a group that runs from clinic supervisors to hospital executives. That is why the national range spans $73,390 at the 10th percentile to $224,340 at the 90th.
Middle half of all workers (25th to 75th percentile)
Most practice manager offers sit in the lower half of this table. A manager for a single-location practice with a small staff typically falls between the 10th and 25th percentiles. Managers of multi-site or specialty groups that own the full revenue cycle land closer to the median of $123,860. Pay above the 75th percentile, $166,100, mostly reflects administrators and directors at larger organizations. The healthcare administrator salary guide covers the senior end. Annual pay, all U.S. employers, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), occupation: Medical and Health Services Managers. BLS does not publish this title separately; the figures are for medical and health services managers, the closest BLS occupation, which can include other job titles. Closest Salary Guide page: Healthcare Administrator.
Metro view
Medical and health services manager jobs, median pay and concentration across our 29 metros. Practice managers usually work onsite, so local depth matters more here than for billing roles.
| Market | Jobs | Median pay · vs. U.S. | Concentration |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | 35,260 | $167,580+35% | 0.97 |
| Los Angeles | 23,740 | $134,230+8% | 0.99 |
| Dallas | 17,140 | $121,640−2% | 1.10 |
| Chicago | 16,680 | $123,090−1% | 0.96 |
| Philadelphia | 14,060 | $122,920−1% | 1.26 |
| Boston | 12,990 | $136,760+10% | 1.25 |
| Houston | 12,410 | $124,400±0% | 0.98 |
| Miami | 12,290 | $128,770+4% | 1.14 |
| San Francisco | 11,980 | $166,310+34% | 1.31 |
| Washington, DC | 11,730 | $140,670+14% | 0.97 |
| Phoenix | 8,370 | $130,070+5% | 0.92 |
| Baltimore | 8,060 | $124,990+1% | 1.55 |
| Minneapolis | 7,350 | $126,880+2% | 0.98 |
| Detroit | 7,110 | $114,340−8% | 0.97 |
| Tampa | 7,000 | $124,980+1% | 1.26 |
| San Diego | 6,980 | $138,080+11% | 1.18 |
| Atlanta | 6,300 | $137,260+11% | 0.57 |
| Pittsburgh | 5,990 | $101,570−18% | 1.40 |
| Nashville | 5,510 | $116,480−6% | 1.30 |
| Austin | 5,160 | $126,110+2% | 1.04 |
| Denver | 4,700 | $137,760+11% | 0.76 |
| Seattle | 4,600 | $160,100+29% | 0.57 |
| Providence | 4,150 | $119,260−4% | 1.51 |
| Charlotte | 3,630 | $111,080−10% | 0.70 |
| Portland | 3,210 | $151,260+22% | 0.69 |
| Hartford | 2,980 | $128,810+4% | 1.29 |
| Raleigh-Durham | 2,070 | $113,710−8% | 0.72 |
| Albany | 1,880 | $121,470−2% | 1.09 |
| Buffalo | 1,380 | $132,720+7% | 0.67 |
Pay first: the New York City metro ($167,580) edges out San Francisco ($166,310), with medians about a third over the U.S. figure of $123,860, and San Francisco combines that pay with a deep pool (location quotient 1.31). Relative to size, the deepest benches are in Baltimore, Providence and Pittsburgh, all at 1.40 or above. Pittsburgh is the bargain market, with a median of $101,570, roughly 18% below national. Atlanta and Seattle are the thinnest at 0.57, so expect to recruit from outside the metro there, even though Atlanta's median, $137,260, is above the national figure. Medical and Health Services Managers, by metro area, sorted by jobs. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; U.S. median $123,860. Concentration is the BLS location quotient: above 1.0 means the job is a bigger share of local employment than nationally.
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FAQ
They run the business of a physician practice: staffing and HR, scheduling, the revenue cycle, budgets, vendor and system management, credentialing and compliance. In small groups they also cover payer contracting and facilities. BLS describes managers in group practices as working closely with physicians, which in practice means translating owners' goals into daily operations.
BLS says a bachelor's degree is typical for health services managers, though work experience sometimes substitutes, and employers often want prior administrative or clinical work in healthcare. For a practice manager, look for staff management, revenue cycle knowledge and budgeting. MGMA's CMPE and AAPC's CPPM are optional credentials that show structured training.
Promote when the office manager already handles staff issues well and is ready to own collections and the budget. Hire from outside when the practice is adding locations, struggling with denials or changing systems, and needs experience the team does not have. An interim manager on contract can cover the gap while you decide.
When the role is a group administrator or director over several sites, reports to a board, or the search must stay confidential because the current manager is still in place. Executive search adds discreet outreach to people who are not looking. Single-site roles are usually a direct hire search.
Yes. BLS projects 24% employment growth for medical and health services managers from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average, with about 62,300 openings a year nationally. Job seekers can browse open roles or submit a resume confidentially; Careerscape never charges candidates.
Confidential searches are common for this role. A healthcare recruiter will agree on scope, pay and discretion with you before reaching out to anyone.
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