• Healthcare is a business and, like every business, it needs good management to keep the business running smoothly.
• Medical and health services managers, also referred to as healthcare executives or healthcare administrators, plan, direct, coordinate, and supervise the delivery of healthcare.
• These workers are either specialists in charge of a specific clinical department or generalists who manage an entire facility or system.
• The structure and financing of healthcare are changing rapidly.
• Future medical and health services managers must be prepared to deal with the integration of healthcare delivery systems, technological innovations, an increasingly complex regulatory environment, restructuring of work, and an increased focus on preventive care.
• They will be called on to improve efficiency in healthcare facilities and the quality of the care provided.
• Large facilities usually have several assistant administrators who aid the top administrator and handle daily decisions.
  • Assistant administrators direct activities in clinical areas, such as nursing, surgery, therapy, medical records, and health information.
• In smaller facilities, top administrators handle more of the details of daily operations. For example, many nursing home administrators manage personnel, finances, facility operations, and admissions, while also providing resident care.
• Clinical managers have training or experience in a specific clinical area and, accordingly, have more specific responsibilities than do generalists.
  • For example, directors of physical therapy are experienced physical therapists, and most health information and medical record administrators have a bachelor's degree in health information or medical record administration.
  • Clinical managers establish and implement policies, objectives, and procedures for their departments; evaluate personnel and work quality; develop reports and budgets; and coordinate activities with other managers.
• Health information managers are responsible for the maintenance and security of all patient records.
  • Health information managers must keep up with current computer and software technology, as well as with legislative requirements.
  • In addition, as patient data become more frequently used for quality management and in medical research, health information managers must ensure that databases are complete, accurate, and available only to authorized personnel.
• In group medical practices, managers work closely with physicians.
• Whereas an office manager might handle business affairs in small medical groups, leaving policy decisions to the physicians themselves, larger groups usually employ a full-time administrator to help formulate business strategies and coordinate day-to-day business.
• A small group of 10 to 15 physicians might employ 1 administrator to oversee personnel matters, billing and collection, budgeting, planning, equipment outlays, and patient flow.
• A large practice of 40 to 50 physicians might have a chief administrator and several assistants, each responsible for a different area of expertise.
• Medical and health services managers in managed care settings perform functions similar to those of their counterparts in large group practices, except that they could have larger staffs to manage.
• In addition, they might do more community outreach and preventive care than do managers of a group practice.
• Some medical and health services managers oversee the activities of a number of facilities in health systems. Such systems might contain both inpatient and outpatient facilities and offer a wide range of patient services.

• The healthcare industry will continue to expand and diversify, requiring managers to help ensure smooth business operations.
• Managers in all settings will be needed to improve quality and efficiency of healthcare, while controlling costs, as insurance companies and Medicare demand higher levels of accountability.
• Managers also will be needed to oversee the computerization of patient records and to ensure their security as required by law.
• Additional demand for managers will stem from the need to recruit workers and increase employee retention, to comply with changing regulations, to implement new technology, and to help improve the health of their communities by emphasizing preventive care.
• Hospitals will continue to employ the most medical and health services managers.
• However, the number of new jobs created is expected to increase at a slower rate in hospitals than in many other industries because of the growing use of clinics and other outpatient care sites.
• Despite relatively slow employment growth in hospitals, a large number of new jobs will be created because of the industry's large size.
• Employment will grow fast in offices of health practitioners.
• Many services previously provided in hospitals will continue to shift to these settings, especially as medical technologies improve.
• Demand in medical group practice management will grow as medical group practices become larger and more complex.
• Medical and health services managers also will be employed by healthcare management companies that provide management services to hospitals and other organizations and to specific departments such as emergency, information management systems, managed care contract negotiations, and physician recruiting.
• Job opportunities will be good, especially for applicants with work experience in healthcare and strong business management skills.
• Medical and health services managers with experience in large hospital facilities will enjoy an advantage in the job market, as hospitals become larger and more complex.
• Competition for jobs at the highest management levels will be keen because of the high pay and prestige.

Medical and health services managers have training or experience in both health and management. Other occupations requiring knowledge of both fields include Insurance underwriters; Social and community service managers.

• A master's degree in health services administration, health sciences, public health, public administration, or business administration.