7 Ways Health Service Managers Help The Healthcare Industry
Modern medicine is developing at such a rapid rate that new fields and job titles are popping up every day. Having so many options can be overwhelming, making it difficult to choose a career pathway that aligns with your skills and interests. Unlike your colleague, you may find that you don’t want to spend your time dealing with blood or other elements associated with direct patient care. But this doesn’t mean you’ll have to drop out of the healthcare industry.
A health service manager is rooted deep in the trenches of any healthcare setting. They’re responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of any healthcare facility. If you want to leverage your leadership skills to the healthcare sector—a career in health service management may be perfect for you.
This career pathway is fast-paced, dynamic, and on the rise. Every healthcare facility is searching for qualified individuals who can juggle operations smoothly without compromising patient care. But what exactly does healthcare management achieve?
Here we have outlined the top seven ways a health service manager can help the industry.
1. Research innovative management strategies
The healthcare sector is constantly evolving, with new discoveries coming to light each day. As such, conventional management strategies soon become obsolete and must continuously be updated to keep up with the current trends in the industry. Without a doubt, innovation requires both art and science, and only someone with expertise in both can rise to this task.
Like most employers looking to hire a competent worker, a higher qualification in the healthcare industry can play to your advantage. For example, enrolling in an MBA program in healthcare administration can open doors to further your career advancement by a margin. The knowledge and skills acquired from such programs can help health service managers design innovative approaches that ensure service and care always remains top quality.
2. Handle financing and budgeting
Regardless of which healthcare setting you work in, there will always be an array of fiscal challenges. But one of the most fundamental obstacles is budgeting. Costs of medical care continue to rise, and there are often very slim margins for profit. Therefore, the healthcare industry relies heavily on its health service managers for financial management. They must provide health organizations with appropriate, doable, and practical financial plans to maximize profits and minimize risks—without harming patient care.
Besides navigating through changing payment models and complex billing systems, health service managers must stay updated regarding amended laws and regulations. Understanding both the demands of the healthcare industry and the concepts of routine financial operations help them take healthcare to its new heights.
3. Record medical data
Another essential responsibility of a health service manager is obtaining and storing patient information through electronic health records. By working with IT professionals in healthcare, they design and implement programs and software that guarantee data confidentiality and safeguard it from malware. They must ensure all files are up-to-date and backed up on the appropriate servers. Health service managers are also responsible for providing appropriate training to their staff whenever there is a new system update for proper digital information conduct.
All collected and stored health information must have the relevant access and storage procedures described by the health insurance portability and accountability act or HIPAA.
4. Ensure legal and policy compliance
As health service managers are department or facility leaders, they’re also responsible for adapting to any changes in the healthcare industry’s laws, policies, technologies, and regulations. They must implement the significant changes and train the staff and personnel to comply with federal, state, or local laws. Since they’re required to work with legal teams and government officials, they must be well-rehearsed with legal jargon.
Medical facilities that employ such professionals can succeed far more than others around them. Compliance with health laws and policies protects the healthcare setting from closure and instead sets a standard for other organizations to follow.
5. Collaborate between different departments
Unlike conventional medicine, modern healthcare is a team sport. Whether it’s a hospital, clinic, rehabilitation center, or urgent care, every healthcare setting comprises several departments. And for the smooth running of its facility, every department must work well together in a synchronized manner. This interprofessional communication between departments is crucial now with medicine becoming increasingly personalized and care teams getting more crowded.
Collaboration between multiple departments isn’t just about data sharing and efficient communication. Instead, it requires all team members to engage with the patient and each other and get managers to put their egos aside and prioritize patient care. Health service managers facilitate such collaborations because they want to provide patients with the best quality services.
6. Coordinate patient care
Today, healthcare industries exhibit a growing appetite for patient management tools to improve health outcomes. They want to make sure that the delivery of healthcare services is safe, appropriate, and efficient. Essentially, this means they’re looking to implement systems that can help them prevent quality penalties, avoid unnecessary utilization of resources, and not exceed the budget. A health service manager is responsible for ensuring the patient receives the appropriate care without going through unnecessary complications and turmoil. They may either work directly with patients to receive feedback or record concerns to help improve strategies for the future.
Health service managers may even refer a patient to another healthcare facility that’s more suitable to an individual’s socioeconomic background. Above all, they want to ensure the patient recovers fully without facing additional challenges or burdens.
7. Develop strategic goals
Setting specific goals and working towards them is crucial for any organization. And the healthcare industry is no different. Employees tend to work more efficiently when they better understand their roles, expectations, and importance in driving success. Every discipline in the health sector is mission-critical in providing patient-centered excellence. Therefore, ensuring that every team member is competent is the job responsibility of a health service manager.
Health service managers direct and discipline the staff to focus on the same objective by developing strategic goals. Effective workforce utilization helps reduce the loss of resources and the likelihood of delays. Setting goals can also cause an organization to have the edge over the competition, allowing the health industry to improve standards to stay at the top.
Conclusion
A career in health service management is on the rise, and now may be the perfect moment to pursue it. The healthcare industry is constantly evolving, with new and better job opportunities arising each day. To set yourself apart from other potential candidates, consider earning an advanced degree that can help you land leadership and other management positions in healthcare.