Roles of Healthcare Administrators
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Roles of Healthcare Administrators
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Administrative Responsibilities within Complex Healthcare Systems
At some point, many patients and healthcare professionals have felt the anguish of an incredibly complicated and burdensome healthcare system. As a healthcare manager, one may change the plan in many ways. The prospects for change for those working in this profession are enormous, from creating more efficient health systems to adopting public health policy. The responsibility of managing the activities of healthcare professionals falls to a healthcare administrator (Doyle, 2019). The healthcare administrator plans and organizes the daily operations of the institution or units, whether it is a physician's office, hospital, outpatient clinic, or senior care facility (Coursera, 2022). Healthcare administrators face various challenges in the scope of their operations based on their responsibilities, including conflicting professional roles and responsibilities, managing influential relationships, and balancing fiscal responsibility with ethics.
Conflicting Professional Roles and Financial Interests
Healthcare administrators encounter conflicting roles and responsibilities in their line of duty while managing a healthcare facility. These conflicting roles arise when healthcare managers administer their tasks and face conflicts of interest between the case and their responsibilities. Healthcare is a vast sector in a nation that can be challenging to manage, particularly for administrators. The boundary between proper conduct and a conflict of interest is thin; therefore, administrators must be keen while carrying out their duties. An example of conflicting roles and responsibilities is the involvement of an administrator in purchasing products from a company in which the administrator holds shares. A conflict of interest exists when one can sway the healthcare system's choice to buy goods and services from an enterprise in which they are a shareholder. It results from the administrator's ability to control purchasing choices and their senior-level managerial position, which gives them the authority to increase business and exposure for a company they already partly own.
Managing Familial and Influential Professional Relationships
Additionally, healthcare administrators face the challenge of managing influential relationships. Relationships are critical in any environment, especially in a working environment. Healthcare managers may face a dilemma in managing influential relationships, such as family relationships, in their line of duty. For instance, a conflict of interest may exist if someone in an administrative position at a healthcare organization hires one supplier over another and a family member works for the selected supplier. Familial ties could influence that choice because the administrator is connected to the employee and the selected vendor.
Balancing Fiscal Responsibility with Healthcare Ethics
Lastly, healthcare managers may be challenged with balancing their fiscal responsibility and ethics in the course of duty. Twenty-first-century healthcare is regulated by a bewildering variety of laws, regulations, guidelines, and ethical standards. Even when healthcare professionals have the finest intentions, problems involving privacy, patient relationships, and informed consent can arise unexpectedly (MBA Healthcare Management, 2022). Healthcare ethics refers to the guiding principles of healthcare workers, intended to help them determine what is right or wrong and what is good or bad. Healthcare administrators face the challenge of balancing their responsibilities with healthcare ethics. For instance, a patient must first give the healthcare provider informed consent before any medical intervention is deemed legitimate. Surgery performed without the person's informed consent may be construed as an offense or even homicide if the person later dies as a result of the operation.
Sources Addressing Healthcare Administration and Ethical Management
Coursera. (2022). What is Health Care Administration? What you need to know in 2022. Coursera. Retrieved September 21, 2022, from https://www.coursera.org/articles/what-is-healthcare-administration
Doyle, L. (2019, June 5). How to become a Healthcare administrator. Bachelor's Degree Completion. Retrieved September 21, 2022, from https://www.northeastern.edu/bachelors-completion/news/how-to-become-a-healthcare-administrator/
MBA Healthcare Management. (2022). 5 ethical issues in Healthcare Management. MBA Healthcare Management. Retrieved September 21, 2022, from https://www.mba-healthcare-management.com/lists/5-ethical-issues-in-healthcare-management/