Health_Care_Operations_Management_Roles_and_Goals

Health Care Operations Management Roles and Goals Health Care Operations Management Carla Henderson University of Phoenix Online Health Care Operations Management Roles and Goals All industries require individuals who will accept roles of leadership. Individuals, who understand that he or she is accountable for ensuring that all aspects of the operation is on track with the company’s goals. For most organizations these leaders are managers. One very important managerial role is that of an Operations manager. The purpose of this paper will be to assist its readers in gaining more knowledge regarding that of Operations management and how this role of leadership works within healthcare. It will also provide a brief glimpse into the roles and goals of Healthcare Operations managers. A discussion will also be held regarding the role which is most important along with an explanation as to why. Operations Management Operations management is an area of management that works to manage processes which produce and distribute products and services. It involves an array of disciplines and activities such as managing of purchases, inventory control, quality control, storage and logistics. Two major areas of its focus are effectiveness of processes and efficiency, which means that this branch of management often includes measurement and analysis of internal processes (Twigg, 2006). Healthcare Operations Management Operations management within healthcare involves many of the same disciplines and activities as that of operation management for other industries. However, there is one major difference which defines Healthcare Operations management as its own discipline and that factor is patient care. Healthcare Operations management is a discipline of management that utilizes scientific or quantitative principles to determine the most productive and efficient methods of delivering patient care (Langageer, 2008). Goals Healthcare Operation managers may focus upon at any given time on numerous goals. However, ones that most managers consider to be mandatory and crucial to operations are the reduction of cost, improvement of productivity, the reduction of variability and improved logistics flow, the continuous improvement of business processes, and improvement of quality of customer service (Langageer, 2008). The overall goal of a Healthcare Operation manager is to ensure that all aspects of the operation runs in the most efficient, productive, and safe manner that will propel the company or unit toward its ultimate goal while maintaining and controlling cost. Roles In order for a Healthcare Operation manager to obtain his or her intended goals there are certain roles that a manager must understand how to manage. In other words healthcare operation managers must understand how effectively to wear and manage numerous hats. Each hat is reflective upon each individual goal that ultimately leads to the goal of a well ran facility. A Healthcare Operation manager must wear the hat and play the role of a cost manager, product manager, logistics manager, customer service manager, and even a quality assurance manager. Not only is it a must that these hats be worn but also they all must be worn simultaneously. Each of these roles is essential and a crucial if the manager is to be successful as a Healthcare Operation manager. Most Important Role Out of all the roles the one of cost manager is indeed the primary role. Operation manager’s primary focus above all should be to constantly look for areas of waste. Once such areas have been identified, he or she should then look for ways to improve utilization and new methods that will allow for stabilization and reduction of cost in delivering services (Langageer, 2008). However, the area of cost is not just an important issue and factor when looking at the bottom line of the operation, it is equally important to the continuation of patient care. New technologies that are capable of extending human life are being created daily. Being able to bring these new technologies to one’s facility requires money. Only facilities that are good at controlling cost have the capabilities financially of extending in this area (Beta, 2007). Conclusion Healthcare Operations management is a branch of management that is quantitative in nature. Its ultimate goal is to achieve operational effectiveness by focusing on smaller goals such as cost, productivity, variability and logistics, improvement of processes, and quality of customer service (Langageer, 2008). It takes an entire team effort to ensure that all of these goals are accomplished, but it is the direction and organization of the Healthcare Operations manager who ensure that the team itself stays on the right track to do just that. References Beta. (2007). Operations Management in Healthcare. Retrieved December 19, 2010, from Research School for Operations Management and Logistics: http://beta.ieis.tue.nl/research/hc Langageer, J. (2008). Health Care Operations Management: A Quanititative Approach to Business and Logistics. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc. Twigg, D. (2006, July). What is Operations Management' Retrieved December 17, 2010, from Technology & Operations Management: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/Users/dt31/TOMI/whatisom.html