For someone investing in their future with an education, one of the most obvious areas to commit to is in healthcare. Healthcare costs are expected to continue to rise for the foreseeable future, and one of the areas that will see considerable growth because of rising populations is in healthcare administration. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in healthcare administration are expected to grow by 22% in the next eight years. That adds up to an increase in 68,000 jobs in healthcare administration alone. Although many people enter the field of healthcare administration with only a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree is often essential to keep up with advancements in the field. However, confusion can remain even after graduation about where exactly someone can go with a MHA. Along with guidance from a good counselor, here are some areas where someone can expect to go with their MHA degree.
People in the medical and health services administration work to increase and improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare services. Since it is an administrative position, these people are required to stay up to date on new laws and requirements so that the facilities they manage remain in compliance with them. Healthcare delivery in this country is dynamic, and it will continue to change in the next few years. Since healthcare administrators work closely with medical staff, they act in a supervisory role managing finances, patient billing, and the work schedules of the various staff members. Since healthcare administrators are responsible for the financial management of various medical agencies, they are often present in investor and board meetings. They also complete more mundane tasks like making sure that all the equipment that a facility uses is in stock, and they maintain all the records for the facility services. These include things like beds and medical supplies.
The complexity of the field is evident in the various job titles that healthcare administrators can hold. Just for healthcare providers alone, healthcare administrators are employed in a variety of healthcare situations. For instance, many people are familiar with the healthcare administrator in private group physician clinics and outpatient clinics. But they are also employed in nursing homes, rehabilitation, and mental health facilities. This offers someone considering a career in healthcare administration to tailor the program to their individual concerns. Often the job title will depend on the area of expertise, and many healthcare administrators do no even find themselves in hospitals and clinics.
Healthcare suppliers need healthcare managers. Healthcare suppliers are responsible for not only the supplies and equipment that hospitals and clinics use, but also the financial and information services and the training of staff. Healthcare administrators in this part of the industry are employed by consulting firms and healthcare management groups, as well as pharmaceutical and biotech companies. As costs continue to rise for healthcare in the United States, insurance companies continue to grow, but they need people to help contain those rising costs to make insurance both affordable and profitable. In health insurance roles, the healthcare administrator might find themselves employed as utilization manager. This position requires that the healthcare administrator develop policies and procedures for the utilization control of inpatient and outpatient referral, and monitor the patterns of referral to make recommendations for cost control.
Given the complexity of healthcare in the United States, it can be daunting for someone considering a career in healthcare administration to figure out just where to go with their degree. A master’s degree in this field allows for specialized education that can make planning for this career much easier.
Mark Davis writes for education blogs where you can read more about the Top 10 Best Online MHA Programs and Degrees.