Health Care Facility Organizational Structure - Research Paper Example

Health Care Facility Organizational structure Course: Tutor: Date: Abstract Health care is one of the most important human needs, this is because, it is among those factors that increase life expectancy not only in humans, but also in animals. Good and proper health care services are can only be provided be qualified health practitioners under properly designed health care systems. A good health care system is not defined by the number of qualified health care practitioners that it has, but by the way its organizational structure is designed to meet its set objectives. Creating an organizational structure requires that stakeholders reach a consensus over the kind of positions to have and the people to recruit to manage those positions, this is the only way that set objectives and goals can be effectively attained. This paper looks at the entire process of hospital and health care systems management as well as the importance of having an organizational structure in a health care system. It also explores some of the functions that are performed by a health care organizational structure, bearing in mind that different health care systems have different structures. Introduction Health care, as it is well known, describes all those processes involving diagnosis, treatment as well as prevention of diseases and illnesses, in addition, the process also includes efforts in effective prevention of physical and mental impairments in human beings (Chin 2008). Qualified practitioners in allied health, dentistry as well as mid-wifery services among others are examples of people who offer important health care services in the lives of human beings. Access to proper health care is a process that varies from one country, group of people or individuals to another; this is because of prevailing differences that are common in social and economic conditions. Various countries and jurisdictions have been effective in laying down different policies, regulations and plans in relation to the personal and population -based health care goals within these populations. Health Care systems Health care systems are those specially established organizations with the main objective of meeting health needs and challenges of target populations. The exact configuration and design of health care systems varies from one country to another, depending on the policies and regulations that have been established laid down. The process of health care planning and execution of plans happens differently from one organisation or country to another, in some, the process is distributed among market participants while in other places it is centrally coordinated among governments or other coordinating bodies (DeWit 2009). In all these cases and processes, the World Health Organisation, which is a global body that is charged with the mandate to oversee all health matters worldwide, has held that a properly functioning health care system should have certain characteristics. For instance, it should have a robust and reliable financial mechanism to purchase equipment and resources that are needed to effect efficient service deliver, it should also be adequately equipped with a qualified and paid workforce. As far as reliability is concerned, a particular health care system should have reliable information systems upon which decisions and policies will be based on, finally it should be well stocked and maintained with facilities and other logistics that delivers quality medicines and other technologies. Health care management One of the features of health care organizations is that they are complex and dynamic; the nature of these organizations requires that managers and people in senor level management provide proper leadership as well as supervision and coordination of staff and all other employees. In general, organizations are registered with the basic objective of attaining certain goals that are beyond the capacity of any single individual. In health care organizations, the scope and complexity that comes with the associated tasks are very complex, as such; any individual staff working as a lone ranger cannot achieve them. In fact, the nature of tasks in health care settings requires effective and proper coordination of multiple disciplines that have to work together seamlessly. Hospital and health care system managers are supposed to ensure that organizational tasks in these settings are carried out the best possible way to achieve the goals and objectives that are usually predetermined (Tulenko et al 2012). They have to devote all the necessary resources available to ensure that the final objective is met, these resources include financial and human resources as well as other equipment necessary to support these organizations. In effective coordination of all these processes, there is always the need to have an efficient organizational structure that is highly responsive to any changes that are geared towards achieving the main objective. For this reason, health care managers are usually appointed to positions of authority where they are charged with the mandate of shaping the organisation by making important decisions to spur efficiency and reliability in service delivery. Some of these decisions relate to recruitment and development of staff, acquisition of equipment and technology services as well as effective allocation and expenditure of financial resources to achieve the same objectives. The decisions that are made by such health care managers not only place emphasis on ensuring that patients receive the most appropriate, reliable and timely care but also addresses the achievement of performance targets that are clearly spelt out by these managers. The decisions that are achieved by health care systems as coordinated by health care managers affects health care system’s overall performance (Radcliffe 2000). There are two important domains that health care managers are usually confronted with, these domains are; the external and internal domain. The External Domain One of the important domains that hospital and other health care system managers need to put major emphasis is the external domain, here, focus is placed on resources and activities that exist outside the boundaries of health care organizations but have a significant effect on the health care system. Factors that are characteristic of the external domain include community needs, demography and its associated characteristics as well as insurance companies and agencies whose objectives are related to health care. The Internal Domain The internal domain describes those areas of important interest that managers are expected to address effectively on daily basis, they include, ensuring availability of the right number and quality of staff, financial performance as well as quality and improved health care. Internal domain refers to those resource and other factors that health care managers and other staff have full control over, in this case, they can easily manipulate them to achieve desired and set objectives. It is important for health care system managers to understand that keeping this dual perspective in health care requires a significant balance on the part of the management as well as other significant efforts in making good and reliable decisions. Health care managers do not work in isolation, their duty is to put into place effective organizational structures that can coordinate all management processes, responding to changes and arising needs promptly. Health Care Facility Organizational Structure In general, it is important to understand that successful organizations are characterized by effective organizational structures that are flexible and highly responsive to changes in their particular management environment. An effective organizational structure is that which creates and maintains an organizational culture that defines work practices and other activities that happen at the work place in the course of the organization’s life (Levsey, Campbell & Green 2007). With peoples’ live in their hands, hospitals are expected to function in a manner that is precise, effective and executing services of high quality on daily basis. Organizations that are characterized by this kind of organizational structures have many and different types of layers of management. In this kind of structure, employees work in specific roles that are narrow and involving low authorities, at the same time, the numerous layers in such management structures are designed to ensure that no one person can throw the system off too much. In addition, this kind of structure also ensures that tasks are being done exactly and correctly within the set and required time frames.An effective health care system comprises of several people holding certain strategic position, discharging their duties to achieve set objectives, some of them are discussed include the following. Board of Directors Generally, hospitals are corporations that are charged with discharging health and allied services, for this reason, they are managed and overseen by a board of directors. In as much as all hospitals strive at achieving similar objectives, they are different depending on the manner in which they are managed. For instance, non-profit hospitals have boards that often consist of influential members of health care and local communities, religious organizations and groups found some of these hospitals; in this case, they are usually maintained by their religious affiliations. On the other hand, hospital that are attached to educational institutions are overseen by their particular institutions, therefore, university boards of trustees or regents may double as the board of directors for a hospital. Multi-hospital systems, particularly those described as profit making ones, usually have one board of directors overseeing numerous facilities. Executive Officers The board of directors in hospitals may not always be available to oversee normal duties in the hospital, for this reason, they leave it to executives to see that their decisions are carried out and that the day-to-day operations of the hospital are performed successfully. The chief executive officer is the top boss responsible for everything that goes on in a hospital, however, hospitals usually have different other officers in charge of various sections for instance, there are chief nursing officers, chief medical officers, chief information officers, among many others who also carry a lot of weight. This group of top executives forms the central core management of the hospital system, working together to achieve set goals and objectives. Other people that form part of an effective health care organizational structure include departmental managers, who coordinate activities of various departments that are available in the hospital system. There are patient care managers whose responsibility is to ensure that patients in health care settings receive quality and reliable services in order to improve their health. It is important to understand that different hospitals have different organizational structures depending on the size and complexity. Conclusion One of the things that bring out the ultimate different in the way health care systems provide health service is the manner in which its services are designed and offered. A good organizational structure is important for any business and health care system, through it, hospital and other health care managers are able to provide guidance and clarity on specific human resources issues, such as managerial authority. It is important to understand that health care systems require formal structures in order to grow and not only become profitable but provide proper health care to people. Designing an organizational structure enables the top management to identify talents and other important resources needed for the success of the hospital. Planning the structure ensures that there is enough and qualified health care practitioners to provide services, it the same time, it defines peoples responsibilities and roles, which is an important prerequisite for success in any venture. References Chin, P. L. (2008). Integrated theory and knowledge development in nursing. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Publishers. DeWit, S. (2009). Fundamental Concepts and Skills for Nursing. Missouri: Saunders Elsevier. Levsey, K. R, Campbell, D & Green, A. (2007). Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow; Challenges in Securing Federal Support for Graduate Nurses. Journal of Nursing Education, 46(4), 176-183. Radcliffe, M (2000). "Doctors and nurses: new game, same result". British Medical Journal. 23(2), 320-9. Tulenko et al. (2012). Framework and measurement issues for monitoring entry into the health workforce. Geneva: World Health Organization. Read More