What is the Role of a Healthcare Administrator?
A healthcare administrator works in every type of medical services operation, from hospitals and outpatient surgery centers to assisted living facilities and community clinics. Because of rapid growth in the healthcare industry, experts in healthcare administration are in more demand than ever.
Those who work in the field take on jobs with multi-faceted challenges. They focus on making healthcare operations financially stable and efficient and develop processes and procedures that lead to the best possible patient outcomes. As noted by Indeed.com, “Leaders in the healthcare industry play an important role in ensuring that the members of their healthcare team deliver high-quality medical care to their patients.”
A master’s in healthcare administration prepares graduates to take on critical leadership roles in the healthcare system. Potential positions include healthcare facility director, department manager, or clinical laboratory manager.
What Is Healthcare Administration?
The term “healthcare administrator” describes a large variety of jobs. Essentially, anyone works in a management position within the healthcare industry. Demand for healthcare administrators has grown along with the overall explosive growth in the healthcare industry, which has ranked as the largest employer in the United States since 2018.
Rapid expansion in healthcare has increased demand for qualified managers at every type of medical facility. They include management jobs in direct care, like hospitals and clinics, and non-direct businesses that support better patient care by providing services and products to direct care operations, such as health informatics companies.
The number of medical and health service managers is expected to increase by 28% through 2031, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS also estimates 54,700 job openings annually, including retirements and newly created jobs.
What Are the Responsibilities of a Healthcare Administrator?
In the complex landscape of modern healthcare, effective management is crucial for delivering high-quality patient care. Healthcare administrators play a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth operation of medical facilities.
The details of the job differ depending on the type of facility. However, specific responsibilities are universal. A healthcare administrator’s primary role is overseeing day-to-day operations, including managing staff schedules, coordinating patient flow, developing and managing financial budgets, and ensuring operations function efficiently.
In financial management, healthcare administrators take on responsibility for overseeing all financial aspects of a healthcare facility. This involves budgeting, financial planning, and monitoring expenses to ensure an organization operates within its financial means. Regulatory compliance is also the responsibility of administrators. They must ensure the facility complies with legal standards and ever-evolving government regulations.
Administrators also take the lead on strategic, long-term planning to guide the future direction and goals of the facility. This involves expanding services, implementing new technologies, or establishing partnerships with other healthcare organizations.
The focus of healthcare administrators is always on patient outcomes, relations, and satisfaction. Healthcare administrators enhance the quality of care, including implementing evidence-based practices, conducting performance assessments, and developing quality improvement programs.
In today’s digital age, healthcare administrators oversee the integration and management of tech-driven systems, including electronic health records (EHR) and telemedicine platforms.
Touro University Worldwide’s Graduate Programs in Healthcare Administration
Many employers prefer job candidates with a master’s in healthcare administration or a related field, according to the BLS. Touro University Worldwide offers two degree programs that allow students to achieve that goal: a Master of Science in Health Administration (MHA) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in health administration management.
Both accredited programs are 100% online, allowing busy professionals to earn a graduate degree while maintaining their professional and personal responsibilities. The MHA program provides students with foundational knowledge, analytical prowess, and management skills that prepare them to excel in the business of healthcare. Students can complete the online MHA degree program in one calendar year.
Students in the program can choose concentrations in Operations Management or Health Informatics. Operations Management students learn to efficiently manage healthcare systems by developing financial management, consumer marketing, and health information systems expertise. Health Informatics students develop the skills and knowledge to work in healthcare system technology, including applying data information and managing patient privacy and critical information.
In the MBA Health Administration Management concentration, students learn problem-solving management skills and how to apply them to the unique structure and needs of healthcare systems.
