Healthcare Management - Essay Example

"Healthcare Management" is a perfect example of a paper on the health system. Rapid advances in the healthcare industry and increasing demands for healthcare services have increased the complexity of the management of healthcare services. This has created the need to implement better policies and regulations relating to healthcare management. Appropriate management of healthcare facilities has been associated with lower mortality rates, increased patient satisfaction, and clinical outcomes, and a positive impact on healthcare finances. Healthcare management involves management of staff beginning with the top levels to the lower end, framing the right healthcare policies, providing quality care to the patients and designing cost-effective treatment modalities, and finally helping the healthcare facility gain profits. While all of the above might seem to be a daunting task, all these challenges can be met with the help of technological advances in information systems management which is specifically designed to cater to the needs of the healthcare industry.  

Management of staff within a healthcare industry poses several issues which are unique compared to those faced in other businesses. Leadership skills play a vital role in managing healthcare staff as they are in direct correspondence with patients are required to be agile and responsible round the clock. In addition, there are various communication aspects that the management is required to oversee especially between the physician and nursing staff and those between patients and their physicians, nurses, and hospital pharmacists. In addition, the management is also responsible for framing policies and regulations for the healthcare facility which need to be both patient and staff-friendly. Public opinion about a healthcare facility will go a long way in ensuring a successful future for the concerned. Equally important are the benefits and comforts have given to the staff as they are responsible for providing quality care to the patients. As healthcare personals are required to work round the clock, their schedules and allocation of duties need to be taken care of by the management.

The management is also responsible for taking care of patient needs during their stay at the hospital up to the final billing process. Any irregularities in any of the above processes would reflect incompetency on part of the healthcare facility to meet the demands of their patients which would, in turn, affect the reputation of the hospital. Thus the management contributes immensely in ensuring patient satisfaction and is also responsible for maintaining a long-term association between the patient and the facility. These are some of the interesting aspects of healthcare management. It is the responsibility of healthcare managers and other management staff to ensure that the processes of planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling, and deciding on the activities of the facility. The management is also responsible to design strategies and implement them in the facility that would be profitable as well as be patient-friendly. Considering the high competition in the healthcare industry the management of a facility plays a crucial role in the constant up-gradation of the organization both in the management as well as in the technical front along with the medical fraternity. Cost-effective management of healthcare institutions without compromising on the quality of healthcare afforded is a challenging task. In order to achieve these targets, the management will also have to keep the staff updated on good laboratory practices and management of hospital resources through regular training.

Thus I consider the above to be the most interesting as well as challenging factors in healthcare management. The rapid strides made in the field of technology warrant suitable changes to be made in the management aspects of an industry. This is especially true with the use of information system that is now playing a critical role in time and resource management in the healthcare industry. With the aid of such technological advancements and able manpower, it is possible to successfully manage a healthcare industry.

Read More