Healthcare Legal Aspects of Health

Healthcare

Legal Aspects of Health Administration

Just like any type of business, the business of medical care requires trained management personnel in order to function effectively. Health care managers and administrators are responsible for planning and coordinating the delivery of healthcare. Some health care administrators are specialists and they supervise specific areas of practice or departments, while others are responsible for an entire health care facility in general (Health Care Administration and Management Careers, 2007).

Healthcare administrators face special challenges due to the ever changing nature of patient care, and it is expected that there will be many obstacles to overcome when the baby boomers all begin to retire. The delivery of health care is affected by numerous regulatory concerns which must be addressed in a timely manner. Managers are under constant pressures to lower costs while working to improve efficiency. There has also been a call to place a greater emphasis on techniques such as managed care and outpatient services (Health Care Administration and Management Careers, 2007).

Healthcare managers have to be good decision makers because they frequently have responsibility for everything from the physical plant with expensive and specialized equipment, to hundreds and even thousands of employees. It is important to understand finance and information systems, while having human relationship and leadership skills is order to have a successful career (Health Care Administration and Management Careers, 2007).

In hospitals it is not unusual for several assistant administrators to be in charge of areas such as surgery, therapy, and nursing, while others may be responsible for medical records and health information services. There are sometimes other managerial personnel in non-health care related areas. Smaller facilities, such as nursing homes, will typically have a senior manager who is responsible for most all the operational areas (Health Care Administration and Management Careers, 2007).

Health services administrators set the goals of the facility, develop the methods to carry out these goals, and coordinate the programs necessary to achieve a smooth functioning institution. They determine the policies and procedures then ensure that they are understood and implemented with cooperation of the entire medical staff and all other personnel. The administrator's job includes financial planning along with budget development, personnel administration, purchasing, public relations, departmental coordination, and patient services administration (Health Administration, n.d.). They are truly the meaning of jacks of all trades.

Changes in the health care delivery system are increasing the demand for competent people to direct and manage all health care facilities. Administrators also play a role in developing health care services by taking part in community activities and by discussing health concerns and issues with health associations and other professional groups. It takes many years of training in order to develop and administer a health care system. Most administrators have graduate degrees and possess the leadership skills and knowledge of management principles that enable them to handle the difficulties of managing a health care system (Health Administration, n.d).

The health care industry is heavily regulated and has several special risk areas that need to be looked out for. An effective compliance program is necessary in order to mitigate these risks. In addition to the challenges that are associated with taking care of patients, health care providers are subject to huge and sometimes intricate sets of rules that govern the coverage and reimbursement of medical services. Because federal and state sponsored health care programs play such a big role in paying for health care, compliance with these rules are necessary in order to avoid penalties that can occur. These penalties can include such things as recoupment of improper payments, along with sanctions imposed by Medicare and Medicaid against health care businesses that engage in abuse or fraudulent practices (Corporate Responsibility and Corporate Compliance: A Resource for Health Care Boards of Directors, (n.d.).

A good health care administrator will define and implement a good risk management plan in order to avoid as many problems as possible. The health care administrator is responsible for making sure that the health care facility runs a smoothly as possible. This includes making sure that the facility has an effective compliance program along with managing any accreditation and licensing actions that they facility may be undergoing.