The healthcare industry has undergone massive changes with the passing of healthcare reform. Hospitals need to figure out ways to cut costs and improve the bottom line to stay competitive. Strong hospital operations management is the one of the best ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
What is hospital operations management?
Hospital operations management is essentially the day-to-day operations of the hospital. Hospitals offer healthcare to patients and have skilled workers such as doctors and nurses who see to those needs. But there are also managers and staff in place to make sure rooms get clean, the lights stay on and everyone’s needs are met. In recent years there has been a shift that is creating a blur in these lines, and this shift is to the patient’s advantage. When everyone is working together toward a common goal of greater patient care, the hospital as a whole succeeds.
Waiting hurts hospitals
Perhaps one of the greatest struggles hospitals face is playing the waiting game. Patients wait in the emergency room. Doctors have to wait for results. Patients wait for medicine or to see the doctor. Waiting is inefficient and costs money. Good hospital operations management focuses on efficiency and improved communications between departments to cut down waiting and impact the bottom line.
Hospitals need effective management to impact the bottom line
Hospital executives who earn an MBA with a Concentration in Healthcare Management may be better prepared for the challenges hospitals face. Challenges include not only running the day-to-day operations, but also creating capital, cutting costs and setting long-term goals. Currently healthcare costs account for 18 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. Greater focus needs to be made on operating hospitals from a business point of view. Executives with an MBA in Healthcare Management will be in better position to look for places to cut costs and improve efficiency. Increasing patient throughput should be a goal of operations management as well as implementing marketing strategies.
Hospital operations management is a challenging role. Impacting the bottom line of the hospital in a positive way by cutting down on wait times and moving patients through the system more efficiently are good ways to cut costs. Management also needs to be able to communicate effectively with caregivers and positively impact each patient to meet the long-term goals of the hospital.
Sources:
http://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/top-10-healthcare-issues-2014
http://www.ihi.org/education/InPersonTraining/ManagingHospitalOps/pages/default.aspx