Introduction
Determining the roles of physician leaders and practice administrators will be necessary for the practice. The administrator within the medical group practice is trained to carry out the issues within the office, as well as outside the office. To be successful, one must be an effective communicator, understand the roles of the practice, and have a clear understanding of the goals. As medical groups become more integrated, the importance of physician leadership becomes more seeming.
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Forms of medical group practices
There are many forms of medical group practices, which include solo and group practices. Solo practice is a practice without other physicians and can make business decisions without the need to consult any associates (Wolper,2013). Solo practice can function as a self-employed individual. Given that a solo practice has a smaller staff and one is the only physician, it allows for a better relationship between the physician and the patient.
A Group practice is divided into two practices, which are single-specialty and multispecialty practices. The characteristic of single-specialty practice is the presence of two or more physicians providing patients with a specific type of care, while multispecialty group practices offer several types of medical specialty care within the practice. These types of practices are for those who are newly licensed physicians. Within a group practice the physicians with a single area of specialization and share the responsibility when it comes to certain task. One can also learn from experienced physicians, as well as develop skills that can become beneficial as they advance in their career.
One advantages of group practices is increased financial security. Because of the substantial number of physicians and increase in size of patients, group practices are usually better to manage financial risk than solo practices. Group practices have the resources to aid in administrative tasks associated with running a practice, taking away from the individual provider to do this alone.
The role of physicians then and now
When thinking about the role of a physician in a medical group practice, one may say that physicians make diagnosis by identifying the problem area of the patient, come up with an action plan for treatment, as well as function as a member of the healthcare team. But more often the physician must make clinical decisions. Until the nineteenth century, a physician was considered a solo entity that carried out all the decisions in the facility and it wasn’t until the twentieth century that the roles changed. Now in the twenty-first century, they carry more of a role as manager.
It is said that 5 percent of hospital leaders are physicians and it is said to increase as the health system takes a shift toward a more value-based care (Angood,2014). One thing that has not changed is that the physician carries certain levels of knowledge and skills that aids in the treating of patients. Physicians are put into leadership roles because they are proficient in the clinical aspect of the organization. To be successful, physician leaders must show clinical knowledge, be able to collaborate with staff and other members of the team, business insight, strategic and decision-making skills.
Physicians have an overall knowledge of the healthcare business in the whole and are the primary contact for patients, which makes them effective leaders, but with the constant change and shift in healthcare, there can sometimes be challenges and hurdles that physicians may face as leaders and even as members of the staff. For one, the use of electronic health records has changed the role of doctors and other providers, which may decrease the future demand for physicians (McCarthy,2014).
Another challenge is patient satisfaction, along with staffing obligations. It is important that the patient is satisfied when visiting and that their concerns are being properly addressed. Making sure that there is enough staff on hand to avoid long wait times to avoid having an overworked physician is a concern and a potential challenge. Physicians and other members of the staff should have effective communication skills in place to properly address the need of the organization to keep patient satisfaction. It is also important for the physicians to use the team members when making decisions because there are some things that one may not be an expert in, and the staff is there for a reason.
The value of effective Human Resources Management
Human resources, when it comes to health care, can be defined as the people who work for a company or organization and the department responsible for managing resources related to employees, such as payroll, hiring, compensation and benefits, and even training of new employees. Human resource professionals face many difficulties when it comes to delivering quality of care to individuals. Some of these constraints include trying to stay within the budget, the lack of staff, and even trying to stay on top of competitors (Kabene,2006). Even with the constraints, human resource management can be very effective when it comes to a practice and long-term success.
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For one, recruitment is one responsibility of HRM where they screen and select qualified individuals based on the job needs. Managers recognize that an organization's staff is the most critical element when it comes to running a practice. Employees are investments that can potentially offer long-term rewards to the organization, such as improved productivity and those who poses the qualifications and skills can aid in the operation of the practice as well.
Another is by offering good compensation and benefits. Compensation could be in the form of rewards, as well as the salary pay offered. The pay itself is one of the main reasons that one may prefer an employer over the other and the benefits it offers. If the pay reflects the overall duties, then the more an employee will be willing to devote more time and energy in their work to aid in the organization’s success. The reward on the other hand will show they how valuable they are to the organization, as well as motivation.
Effective marketing strategy for medical practices
Consumers are the main ones involved in the decision making when it comes to their health. Consumer behaviors are important when it comes to developing a marketing strategy that a practice should implement when needing to connect with new, old, and even potential patient. A marketing strategy is a way to show case who you are as a practice and what do you have to offer as a business. When determining an effective marketing strategy, one would need to know the specific audience they are targeting, what specifically are consumers looking for in a service, as well as products the service offer, demographics, and even target promotions to reach them. The information needed can be gathered through research surveys and even the internet.
Research surveys can pinpoint where a organization lacks and need improvement, while the internet is a means of scanning the competition, determining if the right prices are offered by comparing it to others within the same location, as well as where to potentially advertise the organization. An effective marketing strategy can optimize the growth of the practice and aid in the reaching of the goals toward a more successful practice.
Conclusion
With the constant change in healthcare it is important for physicians and administrators to work together. Physicians must understand the importance of teamwork within the practice and use their skills to become an effective leader. It is the role of the administrator to encourage team development among the physicians and support the staff by improving their skills in communication, leadership and drive. The principle of teamwork can work at all levels within the physician practice because in the end there needs to be a tighter arrangement with a clear and consistent expression of the organization’s clinical task and transparency between administrators and physicians about the business model under which the organization runs.
References
- Angood, P., & Birk, S. (2014). The Value of Physician Leadership. Retrieved from https://csms.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/The-Value-of-Physician-Leadership.pdf
- McCarthy, K. (2014, February 21). How EHRs change the role of physicians. Retrieved from https://www.nuemd.com/news/2014/02/04/ehrs-change-role-physicians
- Kabene, S. M., Orchard, C., Howard, J. M., Soriano, M. A., & Leduc, R. (2006). The importance of human resources management in health care: a global context. Human Resources for Health, 4, 20–17. https://doi.org/10.1186/1478-4491-4-20
- Wolper, L. (2013) Physician practice management essential operational and financial knowledge. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
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