What is Health Administration? Paper PDF

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First major assignment in understanding the foundational concepts of what entails health administration (including your own understanding)...

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What is “Healthcare Administration”? Jessica Kim California State University of Northridge

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Definition of Health Administration Healthcare Administration is a versatile professional field that overlaps many sectors of the economy and society. This growing profession offers diverse career opportunities that range from the financial sector to community outreach. It is important to understand that each healthcare organization functions differently because of how individuals within the organization defines the term “Healthcare Administration” and the values that they attribute to the concept. Even though each healthcare organization may differ than others, they all follow the fundamentals recommended by the Association of University Programs in Healthcare Administration (AUPHA). The essay will approach the question: “What is Healthcare Administration?” In an attempt to answer the question, it is crucial to keep in mind the difficulty of finding a balance between what characteristics and values are and are not required for a healthcare organization to become successful.

AUPHA Definition of Health Administration The Association of University Programs in Health Administration (2016) defines “Health Administration” as a profession of management and leadership of health organizations to improve the lives of the communities they serve and continuously adapt to the changes in the healthcare needs of the population. It is comprised  of three knowledge areas: 1) the study of management theory 2) the study of epidemiology and health 3) practical application of management theories. Furthermore, a health administrator must be knowledgeable in: 1) Financial management 2) Economics 3) Law 4) Organizational behavior 5) Planning 6) Quantitative methods 7) Epidemiology & Health 8) Human behavior 9) Medical care

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organization. Careers in Health Administration are not limited to the hospital; many individuals with Health Administration degrees pursue careers in areas such as financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, federal agencies and so much more (AUPHA 2016). Personal Definition of Health Administration

The definition of “Health Administration” varies across the continuum of healthcare organizations so there is no single definition that exists. The variance of the definition is dependent on the values of the organizations or individuals defining the term. Based on my current knowledge and values, the definition of “Health Administration” is: the business practice of improvement and innovation of healthcare organizations through effective management, leadership, and compassion as well as cultivating interpersonal relationships and decision-making skills. A health administrator must be able to assess areas of improvement to effectively deliver care within and outside the organization and provide creative solutions to multifaceted problems. An example would be maintaining employee motivation as mentioned in Hewko and Cummings (2016) article about performance management. Hewko and Cummings (2016) suggests that a healthcare administrator can maintain employee motivation by giving them the incentive of “free-thinking” as it allows employees to find creative ways of approaching tasks and situations. When employees are given the freedom to think outside of the box, they and the health administrator work together to utilize new perspectives of how the organization’s performance can improve. I find this approach in management unique and innovative because it accommodates individuality. This management approach establishes trust between employer and employee, where the employee is expected to do what is best in the interest of the company

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and its clients. Conversely, micromanagement has been known to be an effective management approach but its rigidity fails to incorporate and/or encourage creative thinking that could help an organization improve its management performance. I do believe that an organization will work effectively when its set of rules establishes structure and order while it does not infringe on creative thinking which results in an increase in productivity and motivation. Another crucial characteristic that health administrators should possess is the ability to make decisions. “Evidence-based decision making” is an important management approach that applies problem-based and population-based evidence to make management decisions (Janati, Hasanpoor, Hajebrahimi, & Sadeghi-Bazargani, 2018). I believe it is important that management decisions are based on factual evidence in order to make sound decisions that would benefit both the health organization and individuals within the organization. Management is a practice that is analytical and requires decision-making that could best benefit the productivity and efficiency of an organization. Although evidence-based decision making is most effective in running an organization, I believe that health administrators should also possess interpersonal skills in order to cultivate lasting relationships with employees. A humanistic and compassionate approach can take technical practices such as management to the next level as it demonstrates an understanding of human behavior. Evidence-based decision is important, however, I believe that it will be more effective in combination with an empathetic approach. It helps cultivate more humane resolutions rather than making ones that may damage certain groups within the population.

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Comparative Analysis of the Defintion Even though the definition of Health Administration and what the field entails may vary depending on the values of the organization and individuals defining the term, I do agree with the AUPHA that health administrators should possess the basic knowledge of management, financial management, economics, law, and human behaviors in order to increase efficiency in the delivery of care. In my opinion, AUPHA’s definition focused more on the technicality of the field and career rather than incorporate a creative solutions, humanistic and/or compassionate approach in management which can bring forth innovation and change. Combining financial and management approaches to an organization with humanistic approaches can help health administrators respond to change with change.

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References

Guo, R., Berkshire, S., Fulton, L., & Hermanson, P. (2017). Use of evidence-based management in healthcare administration decision-making. Leadership in Health Services,  30( 3), 330-342.

Hewko, S., & Cummings, G. (2016). Performance management in healthcare: A critical analysis. Leadership in Health Services,  29( 1), 52-68.

Janati, A., Hasanpoor, E., Hajebrahimi, S., & Sadeghi-Bazargani, H. (2018). Evidence-based management – healthcare manager viewpoints. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 31( 5), 436-448.

Unal, A. K. (2017). Competence in healthcare managers: HLA model. Management Review : An International Journal, 12 ( 2), 43-61. Retrieved from http://libproxy.csun.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.libproxy.csun.edu/docvie w/1999558377?accountid=7285...