Imagine that you walk into a hospital in a state of emergency. The hospital has quite a reputation in town and well-equipped with technologies and devices.
You take a glance across the hallway and see many other families waiting. You have no option but to wait. Numerous staff members, including doctors and nurses, are pacing down from one room to another.
During this period, you start thinking deeply about the operations of the hospital. The hospital has a similar decorum to the time of your childhood visits. The systems in place have rarely changed, and almost no automation has occurred. Moreover, the tired look on staff members is telling that they have more on their plate than they can handle.
In moments like these, we realize that many things do not have to be the way they are. They are simply a by-product of poor management practices. Moreover, management cannot afford to neglect any aspect of the healthcare area. It is because the cost of inefficiency may be a loss of precious lives. On the other hand, innovative management solutions can end up saving lives.
It is for these reasons that the role of management in healthcare is of prime importance. Here we present to you a list of the most critical healthcare roles and their responsibilities.
CARE MANAGER
We all need to maintain significant care for ourselves. Even more so when we are in bad health, a professional care manager’s role comes into the picture. The care manager job description focuses on providing all-inclusive elder-care and personalized plans. Therefore, the care manager’s role extends to ensuring that the home environment is also conducive for the patient. They must delve into details to identify all possible areas that may cause deterioration in the patient’s health.
It is only natural that a comprehensive care plan extending to the home will require the patients’ families’ cooperation. Moreover, the line between advocating a detailed care strategy and unwanted interference can often prove to be highly thin. Therefore, the care manager must explain about aged care dignity of risk as well as possess strong interpersonal skills to navigate inside the home environment. The family must be comfortable with the care manager’s involvement in the home.
Additionally, the care manager is to ensure that emergency conditions never arise. Regular tests, adequate communication with doctors, and keeping a check on meeting medical appointments will aid in this regard. Also, strong oversight of other staff members involved in the patient’s care is essential. In low-quality performance among staff, the care manager can use their knowledge to recommend better practices. It becomes critical for the care manager to stay informed about standard procedures and regulations in light of this.
A care manager usually gets tasked with welcoming the patient and ensuring a smooth transition out from the hospital. This role often becomes essential for handling patients who become nervy or lose tempers in a new environment.
Lastly, a good care manager may provide insightful individualized health productivity tips to the patient.
FINANCE MANAGER
While good intentions and technical expertise are essential in delivering good quality healthcare, the financial model’s soundness will determine a healthcare institute’s sustainability. In this regard, the role of the person managing the finances of the organization becomes critical. The finance manager keeps a check on revenue streams and drafts appropriate budgets. Moreover, they can use predictive models to ascertain the cash flow situation over some time. This extraction, in turn, will plan expansions and infrastructure improvements.
In the case of a dismal projected financial position, the finance manager can plan alternative financing sources. Therefore, for the smooth running of a healthcare organization, a good finance manager is a must.
HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGER
All institutes, both good and bad, are made up of people. The difference lies in the quality of talent they attract. The Human capital manager ensures that the healthcare institute hires a good quality workforce. Therefore, the task of conducting interviews also falls under the orbit of the Human capital manager. While important, hiring is only half of the work. The other half is about retaining talent. It is usually things like low salaries and other financial incentives that cause people to leave jobs. However, the Human capital manager can use the presence of a better working environment to retain talent.
Furthermore, other responsibilities include keeping a check on absenteeism or unprofessional behavior among the workforce. The sheer absence of a nurse has the potential to delay scheduled operations. Additionally, due to rapidly evolving procedures, the manager must ensure modern training of the workforce.
HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGERS
The health Information Managerial position is about ensuring the maintenance of the patient’s records. It is particularly crucial for people with a long medical history. Before any doctor can operate on the patient, they will need to be mindful of their medical history. The role of Health information managers has reached a new level of prominence in light of technological advancements. In a way, their jobs have become more manageable in terms of accessing soft copies from anywhere. However, it has also brought in new challenges. The security of data in the cyber world can be a tricky subject. Therefore, they must ensure that the database only gets accessed by authorized personnel.
CLINICAL MANAGERS
In both managerial and medical capacities, clinical managers work as managers to ensure that the establishment they work for operates smoothly. Clinical administrators also work with the offices of hospitals, clinics, facilities for long-term care, and outpatient facilities.
A clinical manager’s usual duties include overseeing clinical, technical, administrative, and clerical staff; managing employee recruitment, growth, and appraisal; supervising day-to-day management; creating and enforcing policies and directives; setting and tracking budgets; attending meetings; handling communications; and making purchasing decisions.
CONCLUSION
Almost half of the developed world faces an aging population crisis in the coming decade. As a result, the demand for good quality healthcare will increase at exponential rates. In times like these, those in the roles mentioned above must continue to excel in their job. Innovative approaches can go a long way in helping deal with the rise in demand for healthcare. Among these, automating a large chunk of processes can help reduce lead times and thereby increase efficiency. However, the drive towards better healthcare management must be organic. Practicing individuals are the ones best placed to offer efficient solutions.