What Is the Difference Between Health Services Administration and Healthcare Administration?

Tyler Epps
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Updated on May 30, 2024
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Learn about the roles, responsibilities, and differences between health services and healthcare administration, and decide which field may be right for you.

Portions of the following article were drafted using an in-house natural language generation platform. The article was then reviewed, fact-checked, and edited by multiple members of our editorial team prior to publishing.


When choosing a degree in healthcare, you may find yourself trying to decide between health services administration and healthcare administration. While these two fields have many similarities, they differ in a few key ways, from their focus areas to job roles and potential salaries.

Let’s delve into what each field entails and how they compare to help you make the most informed decision about your education and career path.

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What Is Health Services Administration?

Health services is a broad term that encompasses an array of services delivered by healthcare professionals or those under their supervision. Health services includes a wide spectrum of services, from providing basic preventive care to delivering specialized medical services. These services play a pivotal role in safeguarding and promoting the health and well-being of communities.

Health services administrators are the backbone of our healthcare system, working tirelessly to enhance healthcare services and patient outcomes.

Role and Responsibilities of a Health Services Administrator

  • check-circle Managing day-to-day operations of healthcare facilities
  • check-circle Recruiting and hiring staff, as well as establishing work schedules
  • check-circle Administering healthcare procedures and ensuring patient care
  • check-circle Guiding patients through the healthcare system, ensuring they receive appropriate services and resources
  • check-circle Advocating for improved health outcomes at the community level by promoting health equity and accessibility
  • check-circle Engaging with policymakers, health institutions, and community groups to address health disparities and enhance the quality and availability of health services

What Is Healthcare Administration?

Healthcare administration is a field that revolves around the organization and management of healthcare facilities. It’s the detailed work that happens behind the scenes to ensure healthcare systems run smoothly and efficiently. This sector is less about direct patient care and more about the strategic, financial, and operational aspects of healthcare.

Healthcare administrators play a crucial role in shaping the future of their organizations, focusing on big-picture issues to propel organizations toward efficiency, quality care, and profitability.

Role and Responsibilities of a Healthcare Administrator

  • check-circle Developing organizational goals and strategies to improve patient care standards
  • check-circle Overseeing the financial management of the organization, including budgeting and financial planning
  • check-circle Ensuring strict compliance with health and data protection regulations
  • check-circle Acting as a spokesperson for the organization, representing its interests to various stakeholders
  • check-circle Providing leadership for clinicians, providers, financial managers, and marketing specialists to achieve organizational goals

Looking for an Online Healthcare Administration Degree? Consider these Top Online Programs:

Health Services Administration vs. Healthcare Administration: Key Similarities

While the two fields have distinct focus areas, they do share some similarities. Both involve overseeing medical departments or facilities, require knowledge of business, and are driven by a desire to improve patient care. Both fields offer diverse career paths in various healthcare settings.

Where They Work

Health services professionals and healthcare administrators work in a variety of settings. Both work in hospitals and medical centers, nursing homes, outpatient health facilities, health insurance companies, and many other organizations.

Their specific roles within these organizations can be similar but are influenced by factors like education level and years of experience.

Career Prospects

Health services administration and healthcare administration have similar career prospects. Due to an increased demand for healthcare services, both fields are projected to see strong growth in the coming years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

With either degree, you might find yourself working as a health services manager, health information manager, hospital administrator, or even a health advocate. Whether you’re interested in managerial healthcare roles or more specialized positions like health education, there’s a wealth of job opportunities available in both fields.

Health Services Administration vs. Healthcare Administration: Key Differences

While both fields focus on improving the efficiency of a healthcare facility, the specific job focus can differ. Healthcare administration is largely concerned with the leadership and business efficiency of a healthcare organization, while health services administration is more focused on day-to-day management, ensuring efficient patient care.

Focus Areas

Healthcare administration is about the big picture. It’s about setting the course for the organization, coordinating with external partners, and ensuring business efficiency.

On the other hand, health services administration is more about the details. It’s about organizing records of facility services, ensuring organization resources are properly allocated, and ensuring the smooth daily operations of the facility.

Job Functions

Health services administration and healthcare administration are often used interchangeably within the medical community, as both involve running medical departments or facilities. The primary difference lies in how organizational goals are accomplished, which can affect what job title you’re given.

Health services administrators may more often handle tasks like establishing staff schedules, recruiting and training new hires, and managing resources. In contrast, healthcare administrators might deal with business aspects such as strategic planning, developing organization goals, and regulatory compliance. They also work very closely with clinicians, providers, and financial managers.

Salary

As for pay, both fields offer salaries above the national average for all occupations, but healthcare administration tends to pay slightly more on average.

According to Payscale, those with a bachelor’s in healthcare administration make an average annual salary of $70,000, whereas those with a health services degree earn about $65,000. It’s worth noting that managerial roles, which are more likely to be filled by healthcare professionals with a management or administration background, can yield higher salaries.

Health Services Administration vs. Healthcare Administration: Which Degree Is Right for You?

The answer to this question depends entirely on your professional goals. If you’re interested in improving health outcomes, the quality of healthcare services, and handling the day-to-day administrative tasks, a degree in health services administration may be a good fit.

If you’re drawn to the financial health and strategic direction of a healthcare facility and are interested in roles that involve hospital management, compliance, or finance, then a degree in healthcare administration could be the better choice. However, your specific career after graduation may depend on where you work and what kind of work experience you earn.

Featured Online Bachelor’s in Health Services Management Programs

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Frequently Asked Questions About Health Services Administration And Healthcare Administration

While health services and healthcare administration are both focused on the efficient operation of healthcare organizations, they’re not exactly the same. Healthcare administration is about setting the course for the organization, while health services administration is about improving health outcomes and the quality of healthcare services.

Both focus on improving access to healthcare and decreasing healthcare costs. Both also require a deep understanding of business, strong organizational and communication skills, and a passion for healthcare, but the focus and responsibilities of each field are different.


Note: The insights on this page — excluding school descriptions — were reviewed by an independent third party compensated for their time by BestColleges. Page last reviewed May 15, 2024.

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