MANAGEMENT

Leadership and Role of Healthcare Managers

Leadership and Role of Healthcare Managers

Introduction

Leadership in health care presents opportunity for unique challenge and self-fulfillment. It also calls on personal strength, values, and vision. In addressing health care leaders, there are clear differences among them: some lead academic medical centers, others are responsible for health systems comprising various hospitals, and still others work in long-term care services, rehabilitation and specialty hospitals, hospice care, outpatient and ambulatory care, teaching and research institutions, managed care organizations, and other divergent organizations—all of them participants within a continuum of care. In some cases, hospitals stand alone as the sole provider in their communities, smaller in size, more narrow in scope of services, to the primary and secondary care services that are within their range of technology and practitioner skill (Buell, 2008). In each case, leadership is facing similar challenges related to changing reimbursement systems, clinician workforce shortages, new technologies, and waves of patients unable to pay for their services.

For a deeper understanding of leadership in healthcare perspective, I conducted an interview with Miss Nancy Schlichting; CEO of Henry Ford Health System (HFHS).

Discussion

Miss Nancy Schlichting is an inspirational healthcare leader, with proven track record, in the country. An MBA in Accounting and Hospital Administration from Cornell University, she has previously worked as chief operating officer and vice president for the system. She was responsible for the community care services, joint ventures, doctor's practice development, integrated aiding services and hospitals of the system. Previously, she has worked as chief operating officer at Summa Health System at Akron, Ohio. She is an important member of numerous professional, corporate, and community boards. She is a famous quick, firm, and empowering decision-maker. She understands that most people do not like being managed and wants them to feel they are following their own motivation. She takes calculated initiatives, and reinforces her team members to keep them motivated.

Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) is the country's leading integrated and comprehensive health systems. It provides superior healthcare services, including specialty, acute, preventive and primary healthcare services backed by excellent education and research. The system's main focus is to provide improved quality healthcare services. It has more than 19,261 full-time employees, scientists and physicians from 60 countries across the globe. Last year, in 2010, approximately 3.2million patients visited the various healthcare services units of the system, and about 88,000 surgical operations done at HFHS. Under the leadership of ...