Challenges and Opportunities for Medical Administrators

Healthcare administrators are some of the busiest professionals in a hospital. They juggle the long-term objectives of the hospital and the day-to-day operational needs. As “big picture” thinkers, medical administrators are always on the lookout for emerging challenges to turn into opportunities.

The Growing Shortage of Healthcare Professionals

Primary care doctors, specialists and nurses are in high demand, and there isn’t expected to be enough professionals to meet that demand during the coming years. Healthcare administrators are faced with the challenge of recruiting and retaining top talent, while still keeping salaries, benefits, and malpractice insurance premiums within budget. The administrators who will rise to this challenge are the ones who will recognize that, as important as salary is to a potential recruit, it isn’t the only important aspect. Hospitals can attract the brightest, most dedicated healthcare professionals by cultivating a positive, inclusive work culture and by demonstrating an uncompromising commitment to quality care.

The Rapidly Changing Landscape of Healthcare IT

Healthcare information technology (IT) is changing faster than many hospitals can keep up with. Some medical centers are facing the challenges of outdated tech infrastructure that, at best, make them less competitive, and at worst leave them vulnerable to patient data security breaches. This presents opportunities for creative health care administrators to take full advantage of grant opportunities and similar funding avenues to update their tech infrastructure. With the implementation of better technology comes the opportunity to capitalize on it as a marketing strategy.

The Increasingly Severe Weather Disasters

It might seem odd to talk about the weather in regards to healthcare challenges and opportunities, but any medical administrator who works in a hurricane-prone state will immediately grasp the significance of it. Scientists agree that major weather events, including hurricanes and tornadoes, are getting more severe and occurring with greater frequency. Even hospitals located safely away from these areas have their own natural and man-derived disasters to deal with, from prolonged power grid failures to wildfires. Forward-thinking medical administrators need to ensure that their hospitals have a modern disaster preparedness plan in place. Take the opportunity to develop a comprehensive disaster plan, which considers these factors:

• The population shift that occurs with a major disaster
• The potential vulnerability of generators and critical systems
• The outpatients in the community who are reliant on life-saving equipment
• The impact of the disaster on employees, insurers, credit rating agencies and creditors

Another emerging challenge for healthcare administrators is the potential for false information to spread via social media, such as whether a hospital is being used as an emergency shelter. A plan that considers all possible outcomes will position the hospital to better serve its community when disaster strikes.

Medical administrators can expand their leadership capabilities with a doctoral degree from Grand Canyon University. We invite you to explore our Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership with an Emphasis in Health Care Administration degree program. Use the Request More Information button to find out if GCU is a good fit for you.