The Role of Senior Manager in Eldercare

Introduction: The Role of Senior Manager in Eldercare

Eldercare organizations can exhibit various organizational structures depending on their role in the community, their size, mission and vision, and strategic objectives. Most eldercare institutions will, like other healthcare organizations, have hierarchical organizational structures with senior or executive leadership at their zenith. The purpose of this case assignment is to show that senior managers in healthcare organizations will encompass a wide range of specific skills and competencies, including those related to coordination, strategic planning, capital budgeting and cost accounting, marketing, advocacy, and interfacing with policymakers, community allies, and stakeholders.

The role of the senior manager is multifaceted and varied, and may shift on an almost daily or even hourly basis. At times, the senior manager will function as a visionary leader who devises strategies for planned organizational change. Other times, the senior manager embodies a transformational style of leadership to empower colleagues and subordinates, particularly in an institution with departmental divisions. The senior executive in an eldercare organization may also work with financial planning and accounting teams to make strategic planning decisions and decisions linked to allocation of resources, methods of managing or cutting costs, and effective human resources policies. Ultimately, the senior management team aim to “foster an environment that can provide necessary and quality health care at maximum profit,” (Locsin, n.d., p. 1).

All executive decisions made in the eldercare facility need to reflect the organization’s core vision, values, and mission. Therefore, the senior manager needs to make sure that all department leaders are on track, and that patient or resident outcomes meet stated objectives. The senior manager also receives regular updates to healthcare policy at the state or federal level, while also responding to local contingencies stemming from relations with community stakeholders and strategic allies. Particularly in the realm of eldercare, politicians are “closely in touch with and aware of the attitudes and beliefs of the public about their local health service,” (Walshe & Smith, 2006, p. 2). Senior executives are in the unique position of needing to systematically balance the pressures of public opinion with the economic expediencies of the organization. Additionally, the senior manager works with the marketing department of the organization to promote the products and services being offered to target audiences. Executives in eldercare facilities frequently serve as spokespeople for the entire institution, implying an additional role in public relations.

Key Administrative Processes

Key administrative processes that need to be managed in an eldercare facility include human resources, management marketing and outreach, public relations, advocacy, reimbursement policies and procedures, and financial management. Strategic planning and quality improvement are also critical administrative processes. Unlike supervisors or managers, executives or senior administrators will not necessarily be working directly with patients or managing nursing teams. However, the senior manager of the eldercare organization does need to understand the fundamental principles of organizational culture and behavior in order to interface well with the human resources department. Human resources managers will implement policies and programs that are passed down and supported by senior leadership, which is why an executive needs to provide visionary guidance that aligns human resources policies with the values of the organization.

Issues related to finances, budgeting, fee scheduling, and reimbursement will require strong leadership too. Dunn (2010) points out the challenges that managed care present to the eldercare facility, noting that reimbursement declines have been on the rise (p. 3). Challenges and concerns like these impact administrative processes, requiring creative solutions, concerted efforts at devising temporary or even ad hoc management teams, and communicating with relevant staff and stakeholders.
Role of Communication and Coordination

Communication is the cornerstone of effective leadership in every sector, but particularly in healthcare where so many disparate interest groups and parties vie for their needs. Senior leaders will also have a coalition or team within the eldercare organization, as well as beyond it, helping to guide visionary activities, assess risks, and plan for change. To achieve their goals, executive leaders in eldercare organizations also need to recognize and assess available resources and “leverage resources and assets at will,” (Stack, 2014, p. 31). Leveraging resources and assets requires communication and coordination. Communication strategies include the use of traditional and new media for internal communications and inbound marketing, as well as leveraging the interconnectivity of the healthcare sector.

Because senior administrators work in a collaborative environment, “healthcare leaders must try to engage others in the process
of making their own changes,” (Porter-O’Grady & Malloch, 2015, p. 11). Those changes need to be evidence-based and driven by empirical needs assessments. Likewise, a senior manager in the eldercare organization remains dedicated to achieving results that are measurable and achievable. Communication with various departments allows the senior manager to coordinate all efforts that are focused on reaching specific patient outcomes or budgetary outcomes. Parand, Dopson, Renz, et al (2016) conducted a systematic review of literature and found “evidence that managers’ time spent and work can influence quality and safety clinical outcomes, processes and performance,” (p. 1). Therefore, senior managers should spend additional time with staff to cultivate the core competencies in key areas including the implementation of new technologies, new guidelines for best clinical practices, renovations to the structure, or methods of attracting new clients.

Departmentalization, Delegation, and Work Functions

One of the main functions of the senior manager in the eldercare organization is the creation of new departments, maintenance and oversight of existing departments, and appropriate delegation of processes or roles to “divisions, departments, units, or services,” (“Understanding Healthcare Management,” n.d., p. 17). As a senior manager in an eldercare organization, I would identify needs systematically and then work together with the departmental heads to devise solutions to each challenge. Three of the most important jobs that would need to be filled in a new eldercare organization would include human resources management, financial management, and marketing. If I were the senior manager in an eldercare organization, I would divide work processes among these roles accordingly. The advantages of departmentalization include the ability of employees with various skills and competencies to pool their knowledge and collaborate on reaching common goals.

Human resources managers would work with me to prevent the “leadership crisis” that has threatened healthcare (Groves, 2006, p. 2). To develop talent, and keep all staff training up to date, the senior manager would work regularly with the human resources department. Financial managers would also perform strategic functions in guiding institutional practices, helping the senior care facility to offer new programs and services or to cut back on unnecessary programs, services, or costs. Likewise, the marketing department would be entrusted with the objective of attracting new clients, forming relationships with other healthcare institutions in the community that can provide ancillary services for clients, researching target markets and how to promote programs and services in culturally appropriate ways.

Conclusion

Executive leadership guides best practices within the eldercare organization. Working with a team of departmental managers, a senior manager performs various interrelated functions that help promote the mission and values of the organization. Although communication and coordination remain the most important functions of the senior manager, executive leadership also requires astute awareness of healthcare policy and the needs of community stakeholders.

References

Dunn, R.T. (2010). Dunn & Haimann’s healthcare management. Chicago: Health Administration Press.

Groves, K.S. (2006). View from the top. The Journal of Health Administration Education, Winter 2006, http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.452.5942&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Locsin, A. (n.d.). The role of managers in health care. The Chronicle. http://work.chron.com/role-managers-health-care-16590.html

Parand, A., Dopson, S, Renz, A., et al (2014). The role of hospital managers in quality and patient safety: a systematic review. BMJ Open 2014;4:e005055. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-005055

Porter-O’Grady, T. & Malloch, K. (2015). Quantum leadership. 4th edition. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett.

Stack, L. (2014). Execution IS the strategy. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
“Understanding Healthcare Management.” Chapter 2. http://samples.jbpub.com/9780763759643/59643_CH02_5289.pdf

Walshe, K. & Smith, J. (2006). Introduction: the current and future challenges of healthcare management. In K. Walshe & J. Smith (Eds.) Healthcare Management. Berkshire: McGraw-Hill.