QUESTION:
Upon reviewing the multiple facilities offering healthcare administration support and services, discuss the following:
· What are the healthcare administrative/management job opportunities in these organizations?
· How are these organizations interrelated?
· What type of support do these organizations offer direct care facilities?
· Identify one available position in which you are interested and discuss the KSAs needed to secure the position.
ANSWER:
When reviewing the multiple facilities that offer healthcare administration support and services you can see how varied the opportunities in this profession can be. There are positions to work as part of Internships and Medical Offices and as an Administrative Medical Staff Secretary, Front Desk Receptionist, Patient Services Representative, Patient Account Representative, Medical Biller, Nursing Home Administrator, Home Health Care Administrator, Department of Public Health & Human Services Health Care Administrator among many other options depending on the organization’s needs.
As you navigate through all the websites of the different healthcare management organizations provided in Appendix A of the textbook (Buchbinder & Thompson, 2010) you can see how all these organizations interrelated. In some way they all provide healthcare managers with educational programs, research and volunteering opportunities and they even offer different tools for professional development like certifications, conferences and seminars. Most of these organizations have their own professional associations that help healthcare managers, administrators and students stay up to date with all the changes that are constantly happening in this field. They also help by providing them with the opportunities of connecting with other professionals in the field and in this way they facilitate job searching process.
As defined by Buchbinder and Thompson (2010), direct care settings are those organizations that provide care directly to the individual seeking help and non-direct care settings are those that provide the products and services needed in order to support that direct care. When referring to the list provided in Appendix A of our text book, all these agencies and organizations support, in some way, the many facilities that provide direct care. They all provide healthcare administrators and managers with education options, career development courses and are continuously researching in order to provide the most updated information and in this way equip professionals with the knowledge needed to effectively execute. Having motivated and appropriately skilled personnel determines the ability of a health-care system to provide safe, high-quality, effective, patient-centered services (Skela Savič & Robida, 2013).
As mentioned before, professionals in this field serve the healthcare industry in many different settings. Jobs could range from clerical and administrative to educational and research duties. Some of these organizations also support the field by monitoring that healthcare facilities are in compliance with the right regulations and guidelines. An example of this will be the AAAHC which as described in their official website, advocates for the provision of high-quality health care through the development and adoption of nationally-recognized Standards (aaahc.org). Acquiring the Certificate of Accreditation from this agency demonstrates an organization’s commitment to provide safe, high quality services to patients. With a similar purpose we have the AHRQ which is the lead federal agency in charge of improving the safety and quality of America’s health care system. These organization has the duty of “developing the knowledge, tools, and data needed to improve the health care system and help Americans, health care professionals, and policymakers make informed health decisions” (ahrq.gov). On the other hand, we have many associations that provide committed members with educational programs and many career development and networking opportunities like ACHCA, ACHE, AHA and AHIP.
When going in to the healthcare field and acquiring a degree in healthcare administration we choose to help others in having a better quality of life, especially in times of illness. There will be a variety of career options, not necessarily in the hospital setting, that will give us the opportunity to do so. A great example of this and a position a would be interested in applying for will be the opening for an administrator with the responsibilities of managing the administrative, operational and financial operations of Turning Point Breast Cancer Rehabilitation Center. This position includes operational, human resources and finance responsibilities. Some of the Knowledge, Skills and Attributes required for this position include: “Exercise a high degree of initiative, judgment, discretion, and decision-making to achieve TP’s objectives; Attention to detail and ability to prepare and maintain accurate records; Exceptional computer skills; General knowledge of accounting practices and procedures; Skill in gathering and interpreting data, analyzing situations accurately, and taking effective action; Knowledge of general principles of medical office operations including scheduling, billing, patient collections; Knowledge of Medicare, Medicaid, managed care, and other third-party payers’ guidelines; Knowledge of HIPAA and compliance regulations; Knowledge of state and federal employment laws applicable to small businesses; Skill in planning, organizing, delegating and supervising; Skill in effective oral and written communication, including group presentation; Ability to work effectively as a team member with clinicians, staff, Board, and donors; Adheres to professional, ethical and legal standards of practice” (mgma.com).
When working in the healthcare field it is imperative to genuinely care for the wellbeing of others in order to truly enjoy our profession. This can be translated as patient-centered care (PCC), which according to Zhou, Kankanhalli, Yang and Lei (2017), refers to care that is respectful and responsive to individual patient preferences and needs, and ensures that patients’ values guide clinical decisions. Understanding and treating patients as unique human beings can increase patient satisfaction, improve outcomes, increase adherence, decreased healthcare utilization, improved quality of care and in return it will even help increase ratings of care for the organization (Fix et al., 2018).