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HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATORS understand the meaning of President Truman’s famous statement that “the buck stops here”, and they accept the responsibility that comes with it. Simple problems are resolved by subordinates, but the toughest ones land on the desk of the highest official in a hospital setting. A HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATOR’S desk is the last stop that problems make, and they can relate to any area of a hospital’s range of services. Working at the top level of a hospital’s management hierarchy, the executive faces challenges in cost control, funding sources and staffing according to a British report.
Controlling Costs
A quarterback controls the assets on a football field, and HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATORS similarly have to command their area of activity like field generals. Expenditures for the latest electronic equipment are necessary to keep pace with the rapidly expanding field of medical technology. By using cost saving measures, the executive in charge of running a fiscally sound organization needs to encourage staff to make use of the latest developments. Eliminating paperwork by converting documentation to electronic record keeping is a proven cost saving technique. In addition, access to medical records is easier and more efficient. Patient care improves when physicians have access to historical records, and saving time equates in many cases to saving money.
Managing Funding Sources
Caps on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements put constraints on funding that hospitals need to provide care for people who need it. The demand for services to an aging population that uses Medicare as a primary insurer increases the number of required procedures. As patients age, medical problems are often more complex and more difficult to resolve. Longer periods of treatment may involve extended stays in a hospital, making it essential for HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATORS to find ways to supplement income from alternative funding sources.
The current number of unemployed people, many of whom are uninsured or underinsured, puts further stresses on the financial assets of hospitals. Fiscal responsibility is a chief concern of the executive who runs the organization, and providing health care to patients who are unable to pay for it is a major challenge.
Hiring the Best Staff
A hospital’s reputation is often closely linked to the achievements and qualifications of its staff members, and attracting them is a challenge that faces the leader whose choices are influential. HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATORS have access to incentive programs that can bring outstanding physicians to a facility, providing the opportunity to establish a reputation in specialty areas. Reaching out to colleges and universities can aid an executive in the development of a relationship that is beneficial to the educational institution and its graduates as well as the patients that need hospital care. Graduates who have extraordinary medical skills are sought by administrators who often seek supportive qualities like compassion and understanding.
Leading a hospital as a top level member of the management hierarchy is a challenging job that requires the ability to manage many tasks simultaneously. Routine duties are often interrupted by demanding challenges that require expert management. HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATORS are in charge of everything except the direct delivery of medical care, but their ability to control costs, hire the best staff and maintain funding sources provides support for all of a hospital’s services.
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