The Importance of Admin in Healthcare

Have you ever watched Grey's Anatomy?

Grey's Anatomy is a series about doctors, brain surgeons, anesthesiologists, pediatrics, orthopedic surgeons etc.

Usually they swoop in to save the day and the patient. If they have the time that is. Because usually they're very busy with their love lives.

But what you don't see in Grey's Anatomy are the people that make sure the hospital runs smoothly. The people who make sure there's enough medicine to go around. And that a patient's file is up to date.

It's the people behind the curtain.


And if you or your loved ones have to go to hospital or a doctor, you are also dealing with these people.

So who are they, and what do they do?

The Importance of Admin in Healthcare

Doctors, nurses, radiologists, anesthesiologists, physical therapists and other medical professionals are on the front lines when it comes to delivering an excellent standard of care to patients. But there is another line of defense that is just as integral. You can find it in the back offices of hospitals, clinics and physician’s practices, ensuring that insurance policies are billed properly and patients are seen as needed.

And it's called healthcare administration

Healthcare administraion

Healthcare administration can sometimes be overlooked. After all, you don't really see it. So many people don’t understand the skill, time and effort that goes into making healthcare facilities run smoothly.

Sometimes medical professionals can also be administrators, as when nurses complete RN to MSN online programs, but the two sets of roles usually remain separate.

Here are the various ways that healthcare administrators work to save lives as hard as the doctors and nurses in operating rooms.

1. Medical Coding and Support Services 

When a patient arrives at a healthcare facility there two expectations:

• It is expected that his or her complete medical chart is available for the doctor to look at.
• It is assumed that the information in the medical chart is accurate. 

Complex medical codes are used in the medical world as an effective means of consolidating information and also to create uniformity between medical facilities. Those in healthcare administration ensure that medical professionals are able to review their patients’ records, look up currently prescribed medications and make the rounds without delay. Staff with degrees in MSN administration are also able to provide helpful medical advice to patients, providing detailed information on illnesses, treatments and prognoses.

2. Managing Medical Professionals 

Busy medical practices can be home to dozens of doctors under a single roof. While medical professionals do what they can, healthcare administration is there to manage the tasks that can be inadvertently left behind.

From stocking medical supplies to determining which examination rooms are to be used for each patient. Healthcare administration workers have a hand in every aspect of healthcare facility management, scheduling, insurance policy processing and maintaining HIPAA compliance standards.

While patients may trust their physician’s medical expertise, they also have trust that the facilities that they visit meet the mark. 

3. Patient Scheduling Services 

You may think that scheduling hundreds of appointments at a doctor’s office each day is as simple as putting the information in the right software, but patient scheduling is quite complex.

Between managing phone lines, greeting patients in person and dealing with problems as they arise, patient schedulers often carry a heavy load. Know that healthcare administration is present in every part of healthcare facilities, scheduling appointments, making special arrangements with patients and aiding doctors to meet their patients’ needs in every way that they can.

Doctors can’t do their jobs well unless they have a solid support staff working to keep their offices fully operational. Patients and even doctors themselves may not always consider how healthcare administration impacts their lives, but the result is the same.

The importance of admin in healthcare is absolutely unquestionable, as doctors, administrators and support staff work hand in hand together to create a better future for their patients.

How admin in healthcare is a lot like being a mom

I think admin in healthcare is a lot like being a mom. With both admin and being a mom the work you do seems kind of invisible. It's only when people stop doing what they're doing that you can see how important their work was!

Also read: Honey, you look like dr. McDreamy!

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