The world of medicine is rapidly changing; technology has democratized the process, providing patients with more knowledge and power over their own health than in any point in history. Legislation has provided for more healthcare access to those who need it most, and doctors are receiving better training than ever. There are still many challenges facing medical professionals today. Here are the Top 4 Issues on the Minds of Healthcare CEOs.
Financial Challenges
Like any business, healthcare is often vulnerable to the pressures of needing to stay afloat. Managing patient expectations, negotiating the waters of trying to remain properly staffed in order to meet the healthcare needs of the community while also remaining under budget are just the tip of the iceberg of some of the issues that healthcare CEOs must deal with on a daily basis.
In 2015, the American College of Healthcare Executives conducted a survey of 1,054 community hospitals, and almost 400 CEOs responded that financial challenges were the primary topic on their minds. After all, if the hospital or clinic closes, the entire surrounding area suffers. As a result, CEOs are becoming ever more reliant on non-medical support staff in order to ensure that the doors stay open, and patients can receive care.
Patient Safety and Quality
While finances will always be a cause of concern for healthcare CEOs, at the end of the day, their primary goal is to ensure that patients are treated with a high degree of quality and, above all else, safety. Creating an atmosphere where patients are able to receive the best and most reliable care possible is a goal shared by a vast majority of all CEOs who responded, ranking at number two on their list.
Establishing a positive connection between both physician and patient is critical to making sure that patients are receiving effective, patient focused care. CEOs are actively engaging patients in new ways, utilizing digital test results and new healthcare related apps in order to make sure that the an individual’s healthcare decisions are as transparent and easy to understand as possible.
Governmental Mandates
The Affordable Care Act was a revolutionary step towards making healthcare more affordable and accessible to those living within the United States. It opened the door to healthcare to those who needed it most. And although there are many positives to the passing of this act, it also created bureaucratic challenges for both physicians and CEOs. CMS regulations and audits as well as proper implementation of ICD-10 has made practicing patient focused medicine more challenging than ever.
Personnel Shortages
Providing access to medical care is critical to improving both life expectancy and morbidity rates. While acute medical procedures to save lives will remain important, they are often very costly for both the patient and the hospital. As a result, CEOs and administrators have been making a renewed effort on providing better access to medical services and preventative medicine. The idea being, the sooner a disease is caught and treated, the better outcome for all involved.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest obstacles in providing this kind of care is a critical shortage of doctors and associated medical care professionals. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that the demand for healthcare professionals will continue to outpace the supply through 2025. There is going to be a critical need for qualified individuals, and a health administration degree from the University of Southern California is a great way to make an impact.
Sources:
http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/30/6/1260.full
https://www.ache.org/pubs/research/ceoissues.cfm
http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/healthcare/financial-challenges-lead-hospital-ceos-list-top-concerns