Healthcare facilities, hospitals, and clinics run on profit-driven business models to maintain patient care quality without running into losses. These facilities are managed and overseen by a competent team of highly skilled administrators and executives. Healthcare administrators regulate and control expenses, maintain supply chain relations, and monitor quality controls.

It’s no exaggeration to say that healthcare administrators are vital to the success and profitability of healthcare facilities and their business models. These well-qualified and financially savvy professionals mitigate risks, handle emergencies, manage employees, and improve operational preparedness.

As seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare administrators emerged as frontline fighters equipping hospitals with resources to fight the novel coronavirus. The duties of healthcare administrators evolve continually, subject to healthcare emergencies, emerging technologies, and economic shifts.

Keep reading to learn more about the job responsibilities of healthcare administrators.

Financial Management & Profitability

Managing a healthcare facility like hospitals and clinics demands an acute understanding of financial management concepts and principles. Hospitals must diligently manage their expenses and income to ensure profitability and maintain quality standards. These facilities procure numerous equipment, electronics, furniture, fixtures, and medications.

Administrators maintain supply chain efficiency and regulate relationships with vendors, suppliers, and pharmaceutical companies. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, financial challenges have intensified tenfold, demanding hospitals reassess their economic models.

There’s a burgeoning demand for financially savvy healthcare administrators to regulate profitability and ensure compliance with government-mandated healthcare plans. Professionals serving in healthcare administration have much to gain by pursuing advanced degrees and specializations to advance their careers.

For instance, pursuing a master in health administration with a concentration in finance can open career advancement opportunities within your department. The degree will prepare you with advanced leadership skills and financial planning with real-world exposure to healthcare budgeting and financials. Modern-day curriculums teach professionals how to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19-like emergencies on hospitalization expenses.

The curriculum focuses on revenue and resource management, such as inventory management, handling forgone or canceled services, and procuring equipment. Degree programs also provide training in healthcare recruitment and retainment efforts. Pursuing a master’s program offers healthcare administrators a viable route to the C-suite and executive leadership roles.

Improving & Maintaining Healthcare Quality

The quality standards determine the reputation and credibility of a hospital it provides to its patients. Hygiene issues, delayed assistance, medical malpractice, patient discomfort, and mismanagement negatively affect the market reputation and overall ranking.

Healthcare leaders face complex challenges, pushing them to adopt sophisticated healthcare technologies to maintain quality. Healthcare administrators design and implement standardized quality controls to regulate patient care standards with various metrics. Maintaining and improving quality controls in healthcare emergencies like the ongoing pandemic becomes more challenging.

For instance, healthcare administrators adopt telehealth solutions to improve doctor-patient communication and implement frameworks to regulate clinical care. Administrators also design checklists and SOPs to maintain preparedness during emergencies, like pandemics, earthquakes, and fire hazards.

Addressing staffing shortages and improving staff coordination is crucial in maintaining patient care quality and supporting positive treatment outcomes. Administrators ensure their healthcare facilities are well-prepared for forecasted events and changes to avoid quality lapses.

Acquiring & Implementing Healthcare Technologies

The healthcare sector is driven by emerging technologies and digitally savvy clinical care solutions. Modern-day administrators are tasked with the overwhelming challenge of building digital competency and acquiring efficient health tech solutions. This responsibility demands an organization-wide strategy to transform existing practices with tech-savvy alternatives.

The emergence of telehealth has transformed patient care and communication dynamics dramatically, demanding various uncomfortable yet efficient changes. Telehealth involves using tools and devices to deliver remote healthcare assistance to patients, fellow healthcare practitioners, and caregivers.

The shift to e-Health is another dynamic trend that demands administrators ensure digital preparedness and a robust IT infrastructure. Healthcare facilities worldwide also embrace tech-savvy diagnostic tools, clinical solutions, and equipment powered by sophisticated technologies like artificial intelligence.

Procuring and managing sophisticated technologies demands a digitally savvy skillset and an organization-wide strategy to take everyone on board.

Talent Acquisition & Retainment

Healthcare sectors worldwide are grappling with alarming staffing shortages and depleting quality standards. The acute shortage of skilled physicians is the most troubling issue, especially for patients diagnosed with cancers and chronic illnesses.

Presently, administrator leaders address physician shortages by hiring skilled nursing leaders and physician assistants. Many healthcare talent acquisition specialists recruit healthcare providers from global talent pools to address nationwide labor shortages.

Healthcare administrators design and implement HR practices to incentivize experienced healthcare providers and attract new entrants. They also manage team coordination and scheduling efforts to ensure timely patient care and speedy ER response management.

Final Thoughts:

Doctors, nurses, and healthcare providers cannot perform their magic to save human lives without administrators providing them with the necessary resources. Healthcare administrators are the unsung heroes who rarely receive recognition and credit for their tireless and dedicated services. They oversee and maintain every aspect of healthcare quality, from the freshly mowed lawns and bedding to pharmaceutical medications and equipment. Professionals who are fascinated by healthcare facilities but don’t want to pursue medical degrees can explore administrative positions. There’s a growing demand for digitally literate and financially savvy administrators.