Healthcare Leadership
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In healthcare, organizational sustainability requires leaders who are skilled to plan and solve any potential problem. Currently, leaders in healthcare encounter challenges such as policy and regulatory changes, technological and medicinal advancements, education, funding and ethical issues. These challenges consume money and time for medical research, equipment overhaul, facility upkeep and operational training. Three problems that healthcare leaders face include rising costs in healthcare, regulatory challenges and technological and medicinal advancement challenges.
Firstly, the cost of healthcare is rising, which is a challenge to healthcare. As more individuals strive to live healthier, more active and longer, it leads to an increase in healthcare spending and costs at rates higher than inflation. The rising cost is a significant concern to leaders as they seek to offer coverage for employees in healthcare. They should find techniques of combating the increasing costs of healthcare through intensive research and implementing procedures at the pace of change (Dennis, 2015). Secondly, leaders face healthcare regulatory challenges. They have been administrative changes in terms of healthcare through replacing and repealing medical insurance and other medical programs. Healthcare leaders emphasize that any transition in programs will need time for adjustment or insurers. They should be informed, together with the staff, on ways of handling changes in coverage. Leaders are faced with the challenge to counter confusion and frustration from citizens who have already formed a sense of security in their coverage (Jumaa, 2010). Also, regulatory challenges bring about an increase in the cost of providing care and services. The third challenge is on technological and medicinal advancement challenges. Despite the opportunities created by the practice of technology and medicine, it has difficulties developed as well in the manner in which the providers practice medicine. In healthcare, there is a shift from the traditional prescreening and office visits to cyber and virtual doctor-patient interaction as well as telemedicine. Therefore, rapid changes require healthcare leaders to develop and acquire techniques for accessing and maintaining private sessions and patients’ data.
Transformational leadership requires the leaders to communicate their needs meaningfully, which results in collaboration and unity by empowering others. This leadership model can be adopted in the healthcare setting to change management. Collaborative leadership is a leadership model where workers cooperate in achieving common goals (Al-Sawai, 2013). The model involves the communication of information to coworkers and allowing them to make an informed decision. The collaborative leadership model promotes healthcare management by enabling sharing of experience and training, dialogue between stakeholders and minimizing complexities of health care facilities.
Healthcare leaders must possess as well as demonstrate certain competencies to ensure good healthcare outcomes for patients. One of the competencies includes leading with knowledge. Comprehending of the overall healthcare system and the specific operations and functions of particular organizations is a leadership skill that healthcare leaders must have (Jumaa, 2010). With healthcare system knowledge on meeting financial outcomes, designing an information system, managing conflict and delivering outstanding care, leaders can make effective decisions necessary to attain organizational goals and inspire employees.
Moreover, another leadership competence is meeting healthcare organizational objectives, goals and missions. Healthcare leaders should be able to develop a shared vision as well as encourage employee’s performance. To achieve healthcare organizational objectives, goals and mission, skills such as delegation, facilitation and delegation are essential. Communication is a critical skill in attain objectives such as interpersonal communication skills and both written and oral communicational skills. These skills are also significant, particularly when working with employees since they provide an opportunity for the leader in making adjustments in operations and policy so as meet the organization mission and vision.
Changes in healthcare policy may bring about both risks and benefits such as a change in the Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care Act was signed in 2010 by the president into law and had an impact on the American citizens. Some of the risks of the change include, there will lack universal coverage and citizens may require coverage. Also, there will be a gap in coverage in some states which choose not to expand eligibility, therefore leaving a significant number of uninsured nonelderly adults with no access to healthcare because of no expansion (Sarto & Veronesi, 2016). Additionally, women greatly benefit from the Affordable Care Act, particularly considering the new coverage options on pre-existing conditions such as cancer and being pregnant. The benefits of change in the policy include reducing taxes which are as a result of the policy, including taxes on pharmaceutical sales, medical devices and taxes on individuals with higher income. Another benefit of the change is reducing the cutting down of employee hours in businesses to avoid covering their employees.
Health care managers may not find time to review and update healthcare policies. This may result in a negative impact because health care organization may impact outdated and non-consistent practices which result in patient harm. The use of outdated practices can cost the health care organization as they will not able to present a defensible claim due to malpractice claim. Increase in new requirements such as the Affordable Care Act requires effective communication. Benefits of policy change in health care organization are to promote a favourable foundation for better care
References
Al-Sawai, A. (2013). Leadership of healthcare professionals: where do we stand? Oman medical journal, 28(4), 285.
Denis, J., & Van Gestel, N. (2015). Leadership and innovation in healthcare governance. The Palgrave International Handbook of Healthcare Policy and Governance, 425-440. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137384935_26
Denis, J., & Van Gestel, N. (2016). Medical doctors in healthcare leadership: Theoretical and practical challenges. BMC Health Services Research, 16(S2). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-016-1392-8
Jumaa, M. (2010). The Clinlap model – A model for nursing management and leadership development. Effective Healthcare Leadership, 79-99. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470774984.ch6
Sarto, F., & Veronesi, G. (2016). Clinical leadership and hospital performance: Assessing the evidence base. BMC Health Services Research, 16(S2). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-016-1395-5
Sfantou, D., Laliotis, A., Patelarou, A., Sifaki- Pistolla, D., Matalliotakis, M., & Patelarou, E. (2017). Importance of leadership style towards quality of care measures in healthcare settings: A systematic review. Healthcare, 5(4), 73. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare5040073