If you’re interested in the business side of the healthcare industry, then career training in allied health management may be right for you. First, we need to explore, what is allied health management? Professionals in this field play a critical role in keeping healthcare facilities running smoothly and efficiently — making a real difference in the lives of patients and healthcare providers alike.
What does it take to break into a career training in allied health management? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), medical and health services managers typically need a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Specifically, an allied health management degree could help you build the essential skills and knowledge needed to thrive in this dynamic line of work.
What Is Allied Health Management?
If you’re asking the question “What is allied health management?” it’s crucial to explore its foundation and its purpose. Even though they may not be responsible for providing any direct patient care, those working in allied health management must still have a solid foundation in healthcare and medical terminology, as well as the different systems and delivery systems for healthcare in the United States. These topics are often covered as part of an allied health management degree program, helping students prepare for the realities of working in the field.
Medical Terminology and Anatomy Essentials
Allied health management professionals, including healthcare managers and administrators, need to have at least a basic understanding of common medical terminology and anatomical concepts. Often, knowledge of these terms is needed for basic communication with doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. In other cases, knowledge of this terminology may be required for billing and coding purposes, as well as basic record-keeping and compliance.
Overview of U.S. Healthcare Systems and Delivery Models
Meanwhile, allied health managers also need to have an understanding of the complex healthcare system in the United States. This is important not just from a basic operational standpoint, but when it comes to billing and reimbursement as well. Digging deeper, these professionals need to have a robust knowledge of public healthcare programs (including Medicare and Medicaid), as well as such healthcare delivery models as:
- Patient Centered Medical Home
- Fee-for-Service
- Accountable Care Organizations
Healthcare Administration and Operations
Because much of an allied healthcare manager’s work is related to overseeing the day-to-day administrative operations of a facility, these professionals need to know how to effectively manage daily workflows and handle resource allocation to ensure smooth and efficient operation. As part of an allied health management degree program, aspiring professionals can expect to learn about these different aspects of healthcare administration and operations.
Managing Daily Clinical Workflows
An important part of an allied healthcare manager’s job entails assessing and refining clinical workflows to keep facilities running smoothly. These professionals optimize clinical workflows, leading to minimized costs, boosted efficiency, and improved patient care and outcomes. This may be done by pinpointing areas of inefficiency surrounding areas like patient intake, treatment planning, record-keeping, and billing. From there, allied health managers can make recommendations and implement new procedures/systems to enhance workflows as needed.
Facility Planning and Resource Allocation
Likewise, allied healthcare managers may also be responsible for ensuring resources within a facility are properly allocated to maximize patient care and outcomes. This requires an extensive understanding of which resources are most important, what future needs may look like for different departments, and how to divide resources based on different workloads. Effective resource allocation for a healthcare manager also requires a detailed knowledge of a facility’s finances, human resources, and technological resources for informed decision-making.
Finance and Budgeting in Allied Health
Allied health managers require strong business acumen, including a thorough grasp of finance and budgeting. Healthcare facilities, such as hospitals and physicians’ offices, operate as businesses that must remain profitable and operational. Fortunately, such topics as healthcare revenue cycles, reimbursement, and budget forecasting are often covered in an allied health management degree program.
Healthcare Revenue Cycles and Reimbursement
Healthcare revenue cycle management can have a major impact on a facility’s cash flow and overall financial health, so allied healthcare managers need to know how to streamline reimbursement processes to keep things running efficiently. This may include deciding between different reimbursement/compensation models, as well as ensuring that insurance claims are properly documented and submitted.
Cost-Control Strategies and Budget Forecasting
Healthcare managers also need to be proficient in cost-control strategies that may be used to optimize facility budgets while minimizing any unnecessary spending. For example, allied health managers may be responsible for negotiating contracts with medical supply vendors, implementing technologies (such as telehealth) to cut costs, and finding other ways to reduce spending without sacrificing the quality of patient care.
Health Information Systems and Data Management
As healthcare becomes increasingly reliant on data, allied healthcare managers must also be proficient in the use of electronic health records, data analytics, and health information systems for effective data management.
Electronic Health Records (EHR) Fundamentals
Many healthcare facilities now rely on electronic health records to keep patient health data accurate and up-to-date. When used properly, EHRs can also reduce the risk of medical errors while improving coordination of care and streamlining efficiency. To reap the benefits of EHRs, allied health managers need to understand how to use them effectively and how to stay in compliance with patient data security and confidentiality regulations (such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).
Data Analytics for Quality Improvement
Increasingly, healthcare managers are also learning to use data analytics as a means of improving patient care, streamlining operations, and ensuring efficient allocation of resources within healthcare facilities. Through the use of data analytic software and similar tools, these professionals can gain valuable insights into their facilities’ operations that can be used to inform future decision-making.
Leadership and Team Management Skills
In addition to basic healthcare knowledge and business acumen, allied health managers also need to possess strong leadership and team management skills. For sustained success, these professionals often need strong leadership, delegation, and motivational skills, as they are frequently tasked with overseeing entire facilities or departments.
Supervising Interdisciplinary Teams
Allied health managers often work with professionals across many different disciplines. For example, they may be responsible for overseeing departments of nurses, physicians, and healthcare administrators alike. Allied health managers can enhance their leadership and communication with interdisciplinary teams by recognizing the distinct needs and challenges of each team member.
Conflict Resolution and Effective Communication
Meanwhile, when conflict inevitably arises, the most effective healthcare managers are those who can see all sides of the conflict and resolve problems swiftly. For instance, an allied health management degree program can equip students with valuable negotiation, mediation, and conflict resolution skills applicable to the workplace, fostering team harmony.
Regulatory Compliance and Ethics
The healthcare field is subject to a wide range of federal and state regulations, all of which allied health managers need to stay up-to-date on in order to keep their facilities within compliance. In an allied health management degree program, students can expect to learn about important industry regulations (including HIPAA), accreditation standards, and quality assurance strategies.
Navigating HIPAA and Patient Privacy Rules
HIPAA lays out critical requirements regarding the privacy and protection of sensitive patient healthcare data. Allied health managers need to be aware of these and other related patient privacy laws to keep their facilities within regulatory compliance. Otherwise, they could end up facing hefty fines, penalties, and even litigation for violations.
Accreditation Standards and Quality Assurance
Some healthcare facilities may also seek accreditation (or to maintain accreditation) by different governing bodies (such as the National Committee for Quality Assurance), which requires these facilities to meet certain quality and safety criteria. Allied health managers are often tasked with performing assessments and other evaluations to ensure that their facilities are meeting all accreditation standards, especially in the time leading up to an audit.
Experiential Learning and Capstone Projects
The right allied health management degree program will delve into all of these important topics and more. However, it’s important to acknowledge that students in a degree program can only learn so much from classroom lectures and readings. Ideally, an allied health management degree program should also include plenty of opportunities for students to gain practical, hands-on experience that will directly translate to their future work in the field.
Internship or Practicum Requirements
Some allied health management degree programs, for example, may include an internship or practicum component. Typically, this will occur towards the end of a student’s program and will consist of several credit hours. Internships or practicums may be carried out at a hospital or other medical facility where students can gain valuable experience seeing how these facilities operate from a financial and regulatory perspective.
Applying Classroom Knowledge to Real-World Settings
In addition to internship and/or practicum experience, students in an allied health management degree program should also be given ample opportunities to apply what they’re learning in the classroom to real-world scenarios. This can be accomplished through realistic simulations and case studies inside and outside of the classroom, where students can experience what it’s like to manage and oversee different aspects of a healthcare facility.
Explore a Bachelor’s Degree Program in Allied Health Management
Working in an allied health management role, such as health services manager, requires a wide range of both technical and soft skills. Besides knowing basic medical and healthcare terminology, the most successful health managers are those who also have strong business acumen and excellent leadership skills.
The good news? Florida Technical College’s Bachelor’s in Allied Health Management degree program is specifically designed for aspiring healthcare managers who are looking to strengthen these skills, with dedicated coursework in such topics as leadership, organizational behavior, healthcare policy/law, and more. In this 120-credit program, you could be ready to enter the field in as little as 36 months.
Contact us today to request more information about our Allied Health Management program, or check out our admissions page to take the next step.
This article presents a general overview of the field of allied health management, including job opportunities within that field; it does not describe the educational objectives or expected employment outcomes of a particular Florida Technical College program. Florida Technical College does not guarantee that students will obtain employment or any particular job. Some positions may require licensure or other certifications. We encourage you to research the requirements for the particular career you desire.
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