Community Health Care Management
Introduction
Good management is very important in every business organization. However, Health Care is also a business, and like every businesses, its need for a good management is crucial to maintain its efficiency. Health and medical services manager consists of every individual who plan, direct, organize, and take charge of the delivery of healthcare. In this competitive world, everything changes rapidly and the organization and financing of healthcare is no exemption. Future health and medical services managers should get ready to deal and adapt with changing integrated healthcare delivery systems, a gradually more complex regulatory environment, technological innovations, an increased attention on preventive care and restructuring of work. A good management team can cope up with the pressures and demand on the rapid changes in the market. This can only be done when there is good leadership in that organization. Managers on this kind of business will be called upon to develop efficiency in healthcare facilities and the quality of the healthcare being provided (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2004).
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the contribution that better leadership makes to improve management in health care organizations. The possibilities that a good management team can provide to enhance the condition of the organization and the strategies needed in order to maintain its efficiency will also be discussed.
Managers of Health Care Organization
Compared to the generalists, clinical managers have more detailed and specific responsibilities and also have training or experience in a specific clinical area. For instance, directors of physical therapy are experienced physical therapists and most health information and medical record administrators have a bachelor’s degree in health information or medical record administration. Clinical managers ascertain and execute policies, objectives, and procedures for their areas; assess personnel and work; develop reports and budgets; and coordinate the activities with other managers. Managers work directly with physicians in group medical practices. While an office manager may handle business dealings in small medical groups, thus, leaving policy decisions to the physicians themselves, larger groups normally employ a full-time administrator to assist and help create business strategies and synchronize everyday business (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2004).
Moreover, medical and health services managers in managed care settings carry out functions comparable to those of their counterparts in large group practices, but that they may have larger personnel to administer. Besides, compared to the managers of a group practice they may accomplish more work in the areas of community outreach and preventive care. A number of medical and health services managers manage the activities of a number of facilities in health systems. Such systems may include both inpatient and outpatient amenities and present a broad range of patient services.
Leadership in the Health Care Organization
Leadership, specifically good leadership is very important in handling wise decisions within the organization. It in fact, needs vision to have direct view in their destinations. Aside from the good vision, leadership also requires communication. In other words, leaders must be good communicators. Here, Paotow and Meyer (1999) presented the communication steering wheel metaphor that effective leaders need to communicate well in six different directions:
In the communication steering wheel metaphor a good leader knows how to serve, help and lead his subordinates. As for instance, A CEO in an international pharmaceutical firm was a kind of leader who knows how to help his subordinates has realized that the firm was already operating in a truly empowering environment. The CEO himself practices the virtue of servant leadership instead of being an authoritative leader, the “You do this…do that…” attitude. This kind of leadership produces productivity in the organization. However, most of the organizations, including the healthcare organization do not practice this kind of leadership.
Moreover, it is also emphasized that a good leader should know how to respond well on different issues. For example, when an emergency contraceptive method that prevents fertilization and implantation after unprotected sex was introduced, numerous opponents condemn them as abortifacients. Though, the products do not prevent implantation or even fertilization in many cases, the real conflict was under way. A good manager should know how to deal with this issue and negotiate it with the concerned party. That’s why the contribution of the leader is necessary so that when issues like these arise, he/she knows how to handle it. A manager with enough knowledge is efficient enough to support the arguments. Better leadership in fact, helped improved the management in the health care organizations. The elements of Strategic Communication Inward are very significant since it deals with the driving forces that make an effective leader (1999). Four H’s summarizes the elements that make effective leaders:
a.) Be honest: about yourself, what you stand for, and what you really can do to meet the most important needs of your organization. Follow your internal guiding system your conscience which connects you with basic ethical principles and gives you a sense of your unique gifts and mission.
b.) Be humble: Nothing is accomplished alone. Everything we do is interdependent and deals with all six directions of communication. The accomplishments we take credit for, as well as the discoveries we credit to great men, all rest on the work of others who cleared the path for our work to succeed.
c.) Be hopeful: Was there ever an effective leader who told his subordinates, this is not going to work, guys, but we have to do it anyway? Hope creates the imagination to envision a better future. Hope enables us to see ourselves better off than we are at present. Hope empowers us to keep our mission burning bright even under the most challenging circumstances.
d.) Be holistic: Lead a balanced life. Balance past accomplishments by increasing your capacity to accomplish more in the future. Continue to learn, acquire new skills, and apply the principles that create quality results. Look at the big picture. Live by your vision.
The above mentioned are good qualities of a good leader. If this is to be applied in the organization, there will be efficiency and effectiveness. But most of all, a good leader should know how to listen and listen to learn; to change himself/herself first before changing others. If the manager doesn’t posses any of these qualities and doesn’t know how to respond on different issues well, the consequence would be failure in the management that sooner or later result to poor production, inefficiency, ineffectiveness and can’t perform well the implementation and distribution of clinical technologies and health service innovations that have been shown to improve quality and effectiveness of health care.
Importance of Health Care Management
The health care industry should always move forward. It involves continuous quality improvement. By improving management systems and operational processes, it provides customers with quality services. According to Simmons (nod.), insurance companies, customers and other payers is inclined to do business with an established health care organization. Simmons stressed out that today it is very important that health care organizations are ISO 9000-qualified so that their survey processes would be simpler and less costly. In addition, the implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) in the healthcare organization has improved productivity and quality but this will be achieved with the collaboration of leadership, teamwork and supplier (2001).
On the other hand, good management aims for creativity, continuous improvement and customer value. By meeting the active expectations of the customers, health care organizations will surely flourish. And only good management can meet with the demands of the customer. Therefore better leadership is a must. It is only the positive quality of leader that can implement effective training for the improvement of the organization. Health care organization is a business, and therefore it needs the quality of top leaders in order to impose proper implementations and sustain growth.
Conclusion
Health Care is also a business, and like every businesses, its need for a good management is vital to maintain its competence and effectiveness. Health and medical services manager consists of every individual who plan, direct, organize, and take charge of the delivery of healthcare. In this competitive world, everything changes rapidly and the organization and financing of healthcare is no exemption. Because of the rapid changes in the environment, good management is necessary in order to respond and adapt immediately the increasing demands of the market. Better leadership on the other hand, is essential in handling wise decisions within the organization. In the communication steering wheel the ways of effective leaders is being discussed. Also the implementation of Total Quality Management is being suggested in collaboration with leadership and teamwork so that there will be an improved productivity and quality. By improving management systems and operational processes, it provides customers with quality services, which is the top priority of every organization. More so, an effective leader can meet the challenges inherent in what does and does not work in health care. The contribution of a good leader in management in the health care organization will surely pave way for growth and success.
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