- Health administration
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For management of health information systems, such as electronic medical records, see health information management.
Health administration or healthcare administration is the field relating to leadership, management, and administration of hospitals, hospital networks, health care systems, and public health systems. Health care administrators are considered health care professionals.
The discipline is known by many names, including health management, healthcare management, health systems management, health care systems management, and medical and health services management.[1][2][3]
Contents
Background
In the United States, the first modern health systems management program was established in 1934 at the University of Chicago.[4] At the time, programs were completed in two years – one year of formal graduate study and one year of internship. In 1958, the Sloan program at Cornell University began offering a program requiring two years of formal study[5], which remains the dominant structure in the United States and Canada today (see also "Academic Preparation"). In 1978, as part of an effort to establish healthcare management as an autonomous profession, the first modern practitioner-teacher model graduate program was established at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.[6][7]
Health systems management has been described as a “hidden” health profession [8] because of the relatively low-profile role managers take in health systems, in comparison to direct-care professions such as nursing and medicine. However the visibility of the management profession within healthcare has been rising in recent years, due largely to the widespread problems developed countries are having in balancing cost, access, and quality in their hospitals and health systems.[9]
Education and training
A master's degree is considered the "standard credential"[10] for most health administrators in the United States. There are multiple recognized degree types that are considered equivalent from the perspective of professional preparation.
The Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) is the accrediting body overseeing master's-level programs in the United States and Canada on behalf of the United States Department of Education. It accredits several degree program types, including Master of Health Services Administration (MHSA), Master of Business Administration in Hospital Management (MBA-HM) in Haryana Technical Institute, Rohtak, Master of Health Administration (MHA), Master of Public Health (MPH, MSPH, MSHPM), Master of Science (MS-HSM, MS-HA), and Master of Public Administration (MPA). Master of Health Care Management (MHCM) is the accredited 2 year master programs of Pokhara University in Nepal. In India universities including Devi Ahilya University also offer postgraduate degrees in health administration.
While respectable grades and test scores have always played a major role in the health administration world, more and more medical schools are implementing the "multiple mini interview" test into their curriculum. The school's are finding it necessary to have well rounded students who not only have good grades but also good communication skills. The multiple mini interview (MMI) test helps to weed out the students who just look good on paper and identifies the most well rounded students.[11]
Professional Organizations
There are numerous professional associations related to health systems management, which can be subcategorized as either personal or institutional membership groups. Personal membership groups are joined by individuals, and typically have individual skill and career development as their focus. Larger personal membership groups include the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Healthcare Financial Management Association, and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. Institutional membership groups are joined by organizations; they typically focus on organizational effectiveness, and may also include data-sharing agreements and other best-practice sharing vehicles for member organizations. Prominent examples include the American Hospital Association and the University Healthsystems Consortium.
Software
Main article: Practice management softwareThere are computer software packages, called practice management software (PMS), that deal with the day-to-day operations of health administration. Such software frequently allows users to capture patient demographics, schedule appointments, maintain lists of insurance payers, perform billing tasks, and generate reports.
See also
References
- ^ "World Health Organization - Management". http://www.who.int/topics/management/en.
- ^ "Bureau of Labor Statistics". http://www.bls.gov.
- ^ "ACHE Health Management Careers website". http://healthmanagementcareers.org.
- ^ "University of Chicago - Graduate Program in Health Administration and Policy". http://gphap.uchicago.edu/aboutgphap.shtml.
- ^ Stevens, R. (1999). “In sickness and in wealth: American hospitals in the twentieth century.” Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
- ^ Montgomery LD, Enzbrenner LR, Lerner WM (1991). The practitioner-teacher model revisited. The Journal Of Health Administration Education, 9(1), 9-24.
- ^ "Rush University - Department of Health Systems Management". http://www.rushu.rush.edu/hsm.
- ^ Haddock, C. C., & McLean, R. D. (2002). “Careers in Healthcare Management: How to Find your Path and Follow It.” Chicago: Health Administration Press.
- ^ Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2006). “Rising health costs put pressure on public finances, finds OECD.” Retrieved January 20, 2009 from the OECD Web site: http://www.oecd.org/document/37/0,3343,en_2649_201185_36986213_1_1_1_1,00.html
- ^ "Bureau of Labor Statistics - Occupational Outlook Handbook entry". http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos014.htm.
- ^ http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/news-analysis/more-medical-schools-formally-test-communication-skills-in-admissions-process.html
External links
- American College of Healthcare Executives
- Association of University Programs in Health Administration
- Healthcare Financial Management Association
- Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society
- Healthcare Leadership Alliance
- Home Economics Archive: Tradition, Research, History (HEARTH)
An e-book collection of over 1,000 books spanning 1850 to 1950, created by Cornell University's Mann Library. Includes several hundred works on hospital administration--particularly hospital nutrition--in this period, itemized in a specific bibliography. - Journal of Health Administration Education
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - Reviews of health systems
- World Health Organization - 'Making Health Systems Work' series
Categories:- Policy
- Healthcare
- Healthcare management
- Health economics
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