As the healthcare industry—clinics, private practices, nursing homes, residential care facilities, and other health centers—go through the hustle and bustle of providing all kinds of patient care and treatment on a daily basis, there exists a discipline that standardizes these crucial operations and ensures that the healthcare sector delivers quality, law-compliant, and continuously improving health services to its patients.
But what is healthcare management? It’s a field that standardizes these vital operations, ensuring the healthcare sector delivers quality, is law-compliant, and continuously improves services to its patients.
It also guarantees that patient care, including all the processes involved, is provided without compromise and complications.
What Do Healthcare Managers Do?
Healthcare managers are equipped with distinct skills and knowledge to ensure the top-notch performance of healthcare facilities both in the public and private realms.
They streamline the handling of patient records, supervise hospital departments, standardize medical practices, capacitate medical employees through training, manage the healthcare center’s financial aspect (compensations and benefits, cash flow, and budgeting included), and ensure compliance with evolving industry standards.
Certain healthcare management roles also involve administrative and managerial functions to make sure that a healthcare facility is always in the appropriate condition to handle a significant number of patients with diverse needs, avoid the unnecessary sacrifice of a patient’s welfare, and ensure that care is delivered seamlessly despite the otherwise lengthy and multifaceted patient care process.
Types of Healthcare Management Jobs
Healthcare management takes on a wide range of functions that are necessary to keep healthcare facilities up and running. Thus, it offers a wealth of job opportunities for varying skills and educational backgrounds. Healthcare management professionals can be:
- Healthcare department managers
- Healthcare finance managers
- Quality and improvement managers
- Healthcare administrators
- Physician practice manager
Educational background and significant experience in the healthcare industry are on top of the qualifications for healthcare management roles. Usually, master’s degrees relating to business and health administration are sought after, while related bachelor’s degrees are also accepted.
What is Known as Primary Healthcare?
To understand what healthcare management is, it’s essential to also grasp the concept of primary healthcare. The World Health Organization defines primary healthcare as a “whole-of-society approach to organize and strengthen health systems for the health and well-being of communities.” Simply put, primary healthcare emphasizes meeting people’s health needs throughout their lives, addressing the broader determinants of health such as economic stability, education, access to healthcare, social contexts, and lifestyles, among others, and empowering individuals, families, and communities towards being proactive with their health.
Primary healthcare is concerned with various aspects of a person’s health needs—from disease prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, palliative care, and more.
What is the Goal of Primary Healthcare?
The goal of primary healthcare is simple—it goes beyond tackling specific diseases for specific organs and systems but extends itself to the holistic health and well-being of the individual.
Rather than being reactive, which is an unencouraged but common reaction to illness, primary healthcare aims to be proactive in preventing diseases and illnesses through optimal health maintenance and disease prevention.
When a disease or illness is indeed present in a patient, primary healthcare looks to make medical care accessible and reliable.
What are the Essential Health Services in Primary Healthcare Management?
With the goal of promoting the health of the individual and the community at large, primary healthcare management provides an expansive list of essential health services that range from health maintenance and disease prevention to disease treatment.
It does not only concern itself with transactional patient-doctor relationships but also promotes comprehensive and personalized treatment plans suited to the individual’s needs, lifestyles, and health goals.
The following are essential services and benefits that can be offered by the most efficient healthcare managers to ensure optimal individual, family, and community health:
- Direct primary care
- Lifestyle optimization programs (stress, weight, sleep, hormone management, and nutrition testing)
- Early cancer detection
- Focus on cardiovascular health
- Reliable access to the best medical tools
- Affordable rates and discounted prices for standard laboratory services
- Direct primary care appointments and acute visits
- Reliable 24/7 access to virtual care teams
- Minor procedures, disease management, and specialty care coordination
- Other preventative measures (early scanning procedures and detection)
How to Choose a Healthcare Manager
The best and most reliable healthcare managers must be able to offer all or at least most of the items aforementioned to ensure they are fit to deliver your healthcare needs.
In addition, they must possess the skills and knowledge in healthcare delivery. In choosing a healthcare manager, it is highly recommended to look for the following traits:
- Has a standard background in healthcare education and experience
- Able to offer direct primary care that is accurate, reliable, and suited to your needs
- Can strategize and work around diverse lifestyles, social and cultural backgrounds, and preferences of the patients
- Has the necessary resources and affiliations for reliable healthcare services and medical tools ([prevention, detection, laboratory services, etc.)
- Is accessible and reachable during times of emergency or whenever a healthcare concern arises
- Prioritizes the needs, concerns, and welfare of the patient first, rather than resorting to traditional, transactional means of healthcare administration
- Asks and keeps track of relevant information about the patient, including medical records, history of any disease in the family, expected health goals, and medical allergies, among other things, to ensure personalized healthcare.
- Works closely and passionately with the patient in achieving the most optimum health goals
- Remains in alignment with the patient’s established health plans and goals and exercises smart and ethical judgment/choices in the attainment of such
- Identifies wisely opportunities for saving costs and prevents the unnecessary ballooning of healthcare expenses for the patient
Take the First Step towards Proactive and Personalized Healthcare with Craft Concierge
We all know life can be unpredictable, especially when it comes to health. But knowing what healthcare management is can help you see how taking control of your well-being doesn’t have to be complicated.
At Craft Concierge, we’re here to help you and your loved ones stay healthy with personalized, proactive care that fits your unique needs and lifestyle.
We focus on what matters most—your health—without the stress of dealing with insurance, surprise bills, or confusing costs. You deserve care that’s straightforward and centered around you.
If you’re ready to make your health a priority, we’re just a call away. Reach out to Craft Concierge today, and let’s start your journey toward a healthier, happier future together.