Healthcare Management
- Healthcare management = planning, organizing, coordinating, leading and controlling healthcare activities
- Purpose:
- efficient use of human, financial & material resources quality healthcare – improved population health
- Most important resource = information
- Information exchanged between:
- Ministry of Health – NHIF – hospitals – dental clinics – professional organizations – universities
Management Cycle
- Aim – Information – Decision – Implementation Assessment & Control
Aim = define goals
- Information = collect & analyse data
- Decision = choose best solution
- Implementation = apply decision
- Assessment = evaluate results
Example:
reduce dental caries – introduce prevention programme assess outcomes
Entropy (Important Exam Question)
- Entropy = disorder, uncertainty or disorganization
- Examples:
- poor communication – delayed treatment – missing documentation – chaotic organization
Management reduces entropy and creates order
- Levels of Management
Management of Dental Practice
- Dentist acts as both:
- clinician – manager
- Responsibilities:
- office planning & equipment – purchasing materials schedules & workflow – staff management
- legal compliance – documentation
- finance & accounting
Strategic Management (Top Level)
- Government – Ministry of Health – NHIF – WHO
- Responsible for:
- healthcare policy – legislation – financing
- long-term planning
- Characteristics:
- broad decisions – long-term goals – highest uncertainty national healthcare priorities
- Most important skills:
- conceptual thinking – analysis . – communication