Indian Healthcare Sector needs a healing Touch!
Healthcare is a fast growing field, promising ample employment opportunities. The industry’s turnover by 2020 is estimated at $280 billion. An annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.5 per cent has necessitated the need for a proper policy framework, adequate infrastructure and skilled human resources for the sector.
While the domain pledges to generate employment, it also has to overcome many challenges. The gap can be filled by putting technological innovations into practical use.
Indian Healthcare Sector needs a healing Touch!
Administrative improvements can further help. The future of the Indian healthcare industry relies on the ability of hospitals and healthcare organisations to improve upon their management and administrative functions.
Private healthcare facilities and super-specialty hospitals are sprouting up at a rapid pace. As a result, hospital administration is becoming more corporatised with each passing day. It needs healthcare managers to carry out vital administrative functions. Hospital administration, one the most lucrative and sought-after professions today, requires managers to possess the following skill-sets:
1. Ability to lead: Inculcate leadership skills to bring staff members in line with the aims of the organisation. Before you lead the team, make sure that you are an organised worker yourself, besides being technologically inclined, and a problem solver. In a nutshell, a hospital manager is expected to be a good listener, a problem solver, and planner for future.
2. Strategic thinking: Formulating strategies for efficient management of super-specialty hospitals is a critical part of the resume of a hospital manager. These strategies are meant to both streamline day-to-day operations of hospitals, as well as aid the long-term vision of its founders.
3. Eagerness to learn: Earlier, most hospital managers were entrusted with a checklist of duties that they were expected to perform. Today, they not only execute tried-and-tested solutions, but also create solutions borne out of continuous research and learning.
4. Understanding modern management: At present, the role of a hospital manager is no different from a strategic head at a major consulting group. In addition to basic managerial skills, hospital managers are now expected to have a thorough understanding of modern management principles.
5. Analytical skills: Successful managers must shape strategies for the future. They must put their analytical skills into practice to assess current operations and find areas for improvement.
6. Problem-solving abilities: No matter what is the size of the organisation, healthcare managers must equip themselves with problem-solving skills. These skills come in handy when settling staff disputes or balancing the budget. These also help them identify areas of weakness within their organisations. After using analytical skills to assess company’s processes and procedures, it takes problem-solving know-how to correct and improve a facility.
7. Co-managing: Healthcare managers need to employ skilled workers to solve a particular problem. Co-managing has become an important part of the contemporary healthcare landscape. Work collaboration is encouraged. Successful managers must be open to sharing responsibility with others in key positions, including clinical leaders and front-line employees.
8. Technical skills: Knowledge of technology have become crucial to the success of managers working in the healthcare industry. Most hospitals and healthcare facilities use electronic health records, along with specialised coding and billing software. Mobile healthcare programmes are also on the rise. As technology advances, healthcare managers will need to keep pace with the latest inventions.
An ever-Expanding work profile
Hospital managers and administrators oversee all the services that are provided by a hospital. They perform complex managerial tasks, both in new and traditional models of healthcare institutions. They are aware that the boundaries between administrative and medical management are slowly merging. Although the basic competencies remain the same, but it is vital to develop skills to execute managerial functions in a complex and dynamic environment.
As managers, you will be responsible for supervising budgets, securing funding, hiring new employees and fixing appropriate remunerations for specific services. The managers must always stay abreast of regulations and laws that affect hospital operations.