Reimbursement Manager Salaries

The position of reimbursement manager is an administrative position in corporate health care that has grown in scope since the early 2000s. These supervisory workers are involved in directing alternative forms of health insurance for employees or other covered individuals. Salaries for reimbursement managers vary based on the size of their employer but are analogous to salaries earned by other types of medical and health services managers working in the United States.

Health Reimbursement

• Reimbursement managers typically manage health insurance accounts known as health reimbursement accounts. These types of health insurance plans, typically available through a corporate employer, reimburse policy holders or employees for expenses covered by an insurance policy. Health reimbursement accounts have existed as a corporate insurance choice since 2002, when the U.S. Department of the Treasury first issued guidelines on the use of these accounts. Health reimbursement accounts differ from other types of health insurance in that money for policy claims is deposited by a company into a special fund instead of paid as a premium to an outside insurance provider.

Job Duties

• Reimbursement managers are typically responsible for directing the efforts of an entire reimbursement department for a company. Job duties and tasks may include monitoring reimbursement strategies, keeping up-to-date on federal guidelines for health reimbursement funds as well as managing billing for reimbursement funds. Reimbursement managers are also responsible for analyzing health reimbursement expenses and making reports based on this information which may affect future policies and procedures.

Salary

• According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for medical and health services managers, including reimbursement managers, was $80,240 as of May 2008. Earnings of reimbursement managers typically vary with the size and scope of the health reimbursement fund which they administer. Reimbursement managers working for home care hospice operations make an average salary of $61,727 per year, according to salary data provider CBSalary. Medical heads of reimbursement, managers who usually work for hospitals or other large health care firms, make an average salary of $110,547 according to CBSalary.

Qualifications

• Employers of reimbursement managers typically require applicants to possess at least a bachelor's degree in a business field, such as accounting or finance. For managerial positions, reimbursement staff usually must gain at least five years' experience in financial operations in other reimbursement departments, billing departments or collections. Reimbursement managers also must possess a certain level of technological expertise, which may include familiarity with Microsoft Office software and data entry.