Health administrators oversee various healthcare facility types including hospitals, outpatient clinics, long-term care facilities, clinical labs, and hospices. Hospitals provide in-patient care for patients needing extensive treatment while outpatient clinics offer brief care for issues not requiring an overnight stay. Long-term care facilities assist those with ongoing medical issues or disabilities with daily living. Clinical labs complete diagnostic tests ordered by doctors and other providers to diagnose and monitor patient health. Hospices care for terminally ill patients by a team of medical and support professionals. Healthcare administrators manage the business operations of facilities and their responsibilities vary depending on the type of facility and care provided.

1. What are the typical healthcare facility
types that health administrators oversee?
An efficient health care delivery system improves the health of an individual
and the country. But while employee absences from work due to illness cost
companies $530 billion in 2018, according to the Integrated Benefits
Institute, the expenses of poor health in the U.S. are increasing.
In response, the healthcare sector is switching from a fee-for-service
delivery system to a value-based one. All sorts of healthcare institutions can
benefit from the leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving skills of
healthcare administrators as they implement the value-based approach.
What Are the Different Types of Health Care
Facilities?
A vast network of facilities, insurance plans, specialists, technologies, and
other components make up the U.S. healthcare infrastructure. Hospitals,

2. outpatient clinics, long-term care facilities, clinical labs, and hospices are the
main facility types that health care directors oversee. These establishments
work together to provide communities and patients with high-quality
healthcare.
Hospital
Patients who need extensive or immediate care typically receive these
services from hospitals. The majority of hospitals are in-patient facilities,
necessitating that patients stay there under the care of trained medical staff
until they are released.
The kind of ownership, type of care, size of the facility, and length of patient
stay are the main categories used to categorize hospitals. Most of them are
nonprofit organizations that are normally run by a local health authority.
A general hospital, which accepts patients for a variety of medical ailments,
is something that most people are familiar with. A general hospital may refer
a patient to an acute care hospital, such as a cancer treatment, children's, or
maternity hospital, or to a member of the hospital's network of outpatient
facilities, depending on the patient's diagnosis.
Outpatient Clinic
Patients who just require brief medical attention and may recover at home
frequently use an outpatient clinic or facility. Hospitals assign patients who
are ready to be discharged to a network of outpatient clinics that focus on
providing care for chronic conditions like physical therapy, drug or alcohol
rehabilitation, and weight loss.
Patients often find outpatient clinics to be more convenient and affordable.
The proximity of day surgery centers, urgent care facilities, and specialty
clinics near patients' homes makes it simpler for them to get high-quality,
non-emergency care.
Long-Term Care Facility

3. People with temporary recoveries, ongoing medical issues, or disabilities are
supported in long-term care institutions. They are made to assist patients in
carrying out daily tasks as safely and independently as they can.
In their lifetimes, 7 out of 10 people will need long-term care, according to a
recent Genworth survey. Patients may receive in-home care from a home
health aide or a homemaker service, depending on their health. Seniors who
are still able to live independently are cared for in community and assisted
living facilities, while patients who require full-time nursing care are treated
in nursing homes.
Clinical Lab
A clinical laboratory, sometimes known as a lab, completes the diagnostic
tests that doctors and other primary care professionals require. Medical
technicians conduct tests on biological samples such blood, urine, or saliva
to help diagnose, treat, and keep track of a patient's health.
Facilities for clinical laboratories might be arranged according to task or test
specialism. Common tests are performed in general clinical labs, whereas
disease-specific testing are performed in other labs, such as cancer clinics.
Test specialty facilities carry out diagnostic exams for a particular discipline,
like hematology or public health.
Hospice
Another kind of healthcare facility is a hospice. The terminally ill or those
who are nearing the end of their lives receive treatment at a hospice facility.
Hospice treatment is often reserved for patients with less than six months to
live. A group of experts, including doctors, nurses, chaplains, and
counselors, provides assistance to the patient and the patient's family during
the transition.
Hospice care can be obtained in a hospice center, at the patient's home, in
long-term facilities, or in a hospital, depending on the level of care needed
and the cost.

4. How Medical Administrators Fit in Various
Facility Types
The business operations of a healthcare facility are led and managed by
healthcare administrators. They serve as the strategy's compass, ensuring
that the staff, resources, and facilities can meet the community's healthcare
demands. Medical administrators occasionally serve as mediators in conflicts
between patients and medical personnel. They also serve as liaisons
between the board of directors and other stakeholders in the facility.
The responsibilities of a health care administrator vary depending on the
kind of medical facility. Health care administrators collaborate with a group
of leaders who are in charge of each department's daily operations at a large
hospital with many beds. They examine the budget for employing new
employees in this situation, but they normally won't take an active part in
hiring and training.
The tasks of a health care administrator are also influenced by the type of
care provided in the facility. Because of the special care requirements of
their patient population, nursing home directors are obliged to hold a license
in their state. Additionally, they supervise recreational programs, collaborate
with outside care consultants, and plan end-of-life care.
Health Care Administrator Skills
Daily tasks for healthcare administrators are different. They might spend one
day concentrating on budgets and the next day creating a new facility policy.
By developing their technical, leadership, organizational, critical-thinking,
and leadership abilities, health care managers can get ready for this
challenging position.
The working culture in a facility is decided by the administrators. They can
motivate the workforce to carry out the facility plan and achieve objectives
through their leadership. Administrators in the health care industry show
leadership through exercising critical thinking and effective communication.
They must make wise decisions that are supported by facts, consistent with

5. the facility strategy, and grounded in logic. In order to support their
judgments and enhance the delivery of healthcare, administrators employ
technology and data analysis.
To win the trust and confidence of the facility's community, health care
administrators should be open to criticism and upfront about the thinking
behind their decisions.
Lead the Health Care Facilities of Tomorrow
Through education and experience, professionals develop the fundamental
abilities needed to be a health care administrator. To improve their
understanding of leadership, business, and health care policy, many
ambitious health care administrators obtain advanced degrees.
Administrators that are prepared to spearhead the move to value-based care
are needed in all types of healthcare facilities. Learn more about the online
Master of Health Administration program offered by Regis College and how
its emphasis on management, leadership, and health care economics can
help people get ready for success in senior positions in the field.