Modern-day hospitals work like corporates. However, there are immense differences when one compares government hospitals and private corporate hospitals. For smooth day to day functioning, hospital operations have to be handled very carefully with quality execution. It is where Patient care Managers play a very important role.

They are of prime value since they serve as a connecting link between the Healthcare professionals, patients, and other support agencies. They have immense responsibilities and serve very important roles in various healthcare facilities, including hospitals, medical offices, nursing homes, and clinics. Patient Care Managers supervise a clinical team and are responsible for the direction of patient care. They protect the health and safety of the patient and advocate to improve patient outcomes.

Patient Care Managers interact with all members of the healthcare team facilitating effective and efficient patient care by keeping open and transparent channels of communication. Doctors and Nurses involved in a case report to the Patient Care Manager who is responsible for coordinating the information and ensuring everyone involved in the case are up-to-date with the latest patient information.

The Patient Care Manager not only works with healthcare providers, but they also work with the family and friends of the patient and anyone else involved in caring for the patient to ensure proper care is provided. They work in a variety of hospital settings, ranging from human resources to specialized clinical areas. They must collaborate across disciplines, manage an organization’s budget and finances, and lead talent development.

All hospital Patient care managers work with physicians, make policy decisions, oversee patient care and budgeting and accounting, and lead marketing efforts to ensure their organization functions smoothly. Managers can influence innovative teamwork by preparing, summarizing, and formatting information for staff consumption. At the same time, they also serve as mediators between goals strategies and day to day activities as well as promoting innovative operational approaches. Patient care managers oversee team initiatives, especially frontline employees. Such teams collaborate to resolve patient and workflow issues.

Thus, managers bridge informational gaps that ensure innovation reaches the right outlets. They may manage an entire facility, a specific clinical area or department, or a medical practice for a group of physicians. Work to improve efficiency and quality in delivering healthcare services. Patient care managers work closely with physicians and surgeons, registered nurses, medical and clinical laboratory technologists, and technicians, and other healthcare workers. Others may interact with patients or insurance agents.

In terms of qualifications, now what majority of hospitals ask for is to have at least a bachelor’s degree (Bachelor in Hospital Administration) before entering the field. However, master’s degrees (Masters in Hospital Administration) are common and quite preferred by employers. Any aspirant irrespective of his educational background (Humanities, Commerce, Science) can join BHA and look forward to a stable career.

The efficient Patient care Managers use a number of scientific methods including time-motion studies, queuing methods, statistical tools to evaluate and facilitate flawless operations within the healthcare settings. Knowledge in particular segments including health services management, accounting and budgeting, human resources administration, strategic planning, law and ethics, health economics, and health information systems, help patient care Managers to grow immensely in their respective domains within a short span of time.

Key Job Responsibilities

  • Develop departmental goals and objectives
  • Ensure that the facility in which they work is up to date on
  • Have to be compliant with new laws and regulations
  • Recruit, train, and supervise staff
  • Manage the finances of the facility, such as patient fees and billing
  • Create work schedules
  • Prepare and monitor budgets and spending
  • Ensure departments operate within allocated funds
  • Represent the facility at investor meetings or on governing boards
  • Keep and organize records of the facility’s services,
  • Communicate with members of the medical staff and department heads
  • Communicate effectively with patients to resolve their concerns

When it comes to experience, it is of immense importance that the prospective employers look for medical and health services managers (Patient Care Managers) who have the desired experience, have a pleasing personality, are patient, able to handle stress calmly and are creative with a problem-solving approach. Clear communication skills in both verbal and non-verbal communications are a definitive plus in such public dealing positions.

With respect to job opportunities, there is a huge demand-supply mismatch especially when it comes to India. With a deficit of around 80,000 beds per year, new and new corporates hospitals are coming up across the country expanding footprints their footprints to even T-II and T-III cities as well. The starting salaries are around 25K – 40K per month with a stable career progression and very strong chances to be placed abroad especially the Middle East and Western Countries where the quality of Health services is of critical importance.

Similarly, GOI initiatives in form of KayaKalp program, Mission Laqshya have made the role of patient care managers quite important within the government setups. Hospitals like AIIMS,  IBLS, RML apart from all district hospitals pan -India have opened positions for patient care managers with immense job opportunities for the fresh as well as experienced BHA and MHA graduates. The implementation of Quality standards such as NABH and NQAS are making it even more demanding with much stronger growth in the near future.