Hospital Administration Overview

Hospital Administration

• Hospital administration is delegated to a hospital administrator and their staff by the board of trustees
• The administrator is responsible for the overall operation of the hospital, including ensuring high standards of care and economy
• The administrator often holds a Master of Hospital Administration degree, but other qualified individuals may be appointed
• The administrator's key functions include:
  • Enforcing trustee policies
  • Establishing organizational structures
  • Implementing financial management policies
  • Developing and implementing management reporting systems
  • Maintaining and safeguarding physical resources
  • Identifying institutional weaknesses

Medical Staff

• The medical staff is composed of fully licensed medical practitioners
• The medical staff is responsible for the quality of medical care, professional services, and ethical conduct within the hospital
• The structure of the medical staff varies by hospital size and activities
• Medical staff is categorized into active and associate members
• Associate members are aspiring to become active members and often participate in organizational and administrative tasks
• Medical staff is organized to ensure fair representation of each member through administration and the governing body

Support Services

• Support services provide essential non-clinical functions to facilitate clinical departments
• The pharmacy department distributes medications, provides therapeutic consultation, and conducts research
• The pharmacy department is staffed by pharmacists and supervised by a director or pharmacist-in-chief
• The radiology department utilizes radiant energy for diagnostic imaging under the supervision of a qualified physician
• The nuclear medicine department utilizes radiopharmaceuticals for diagnosis, palliation, and treatment of oncology patients
• The radiotherapy department utilizes radioactive energy for tumor and carcinoma treatment, supervised by a qualified radiotherapist
• The biomedical engineering department maintains clinical and laboratory instruments under the supervision of a qualified engineer
• The central sterile service department provides sterile and non-sterile supplies and equipment to various departments
• The central sterile service department ensures decontamination and high processing standards for improved patient care
• The finance/account department manages the hospital's finances, including employee salaries and billing for services rendered
• Shared services, including both administrative and clinical activities, offer cost-effective solutions for providing high-quality technical services
• Shared administrative services are easier to implement than clinical shared services because they don't directly involve medical staff
• Clinical shared services involve direct patient care or clinical research
• Sharing services allows institutions to protect assets, develop new revenue sources, and attract additional funding.

This quiz covers the key aspects of hospital administration, including the responsibilities and functions of a hospital administrator. It also touches on the composition and duties of the medical staff, highlighting the importance of quality care and ethical conduct in a healthcare setting.