How to Hire Medical and Health Services Managers
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Medical and health services managers, sometimes known as healthcare administrators, are tasked with ensuring healthcare companies and facilities run smoothly and efficiently, providing high-quality care while minimizing operating costs.
Choosing the right medical and health services manager for your business is essential. But how do you go about identifying highly qualified candidates and eventually bringing them on board? We’ve teamed up with ZipRecruiter, one of the largest and best job sites for employers and employees alike, to outline the process.
Keep reading to learn more about the administrative experience, analytical skills, communication skills and other talents necessary for the job, and tips for conducting a quick and effective hiring campaign.
What is a medical and health services manager?
A medical and health services manager is a healthcare professional responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of a healthcare provider or organization. They’re responsible for the personnel, finances, equipment and resources of a healthcare organization.
It’s a demanding job, with medical and health services managers in charge of interpreting and enforcing legislated regulations, policies and procedures while ensuring that the organization effectively serves both patients and healthcare providers.
What does a medical and health services manager do?
A medical and health services manager’s primary job responsibilities include overseeing employees, budgets and other resources in hospitals, medical clinics, nursing homes and many other facilities that provide healthcare services.
They’re also responsible for developing and implementing policies and procedures to ensure the provider or organization complies with state and federal laws and regulations. Medical and health services managers must also coordinate patient care activities, develop strategies to improve patient care and ensure quality control.
In addition to directing healthcare services and implementing regulations, policies and procedures, they must supervise the organization’s daily operations and manage its budget.
How to hire for medical and health services manager jobs
The process of finding great candidates for a medical and health services manager job is primarily determined by the specific needs of the open position and the organization.
Determine which type of medical and health services manager your business needs
When trying to fill medical and health services manager roles, it’s essential to understand the type of medical and health services manager your organization needs. There are numerous categories of medical and health services managers, and each type has various work responsibilities and differing educational requirements.
Hospital administrators
Hospital administrators are in charge of overseeing a hospital’s daily operations. This includes managing and coordinating hospital personnel — such as nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals — to ensure the needs of patients are met in a safe, efficient and cost-effective manner.
Typical responsibilities also include budgeting, personnel management, strategic planning and quality control.
Clinical managers
Clinical managers oversee the operations of individual clinical departments within a larger healthcare facility. They coordinate and direct patient care services, ensure staff competency, manage budgets and work to ensure the clinic environment is safe and free of barriers to access to care.
They also facilitate communication between staff and physicians, develop and implement organizational policies, manage facility personnel and ensure compliance with all applicable healthcare regulations.
Health information managers
Health information managers oversee medical records, including the collection and secure storage of data related to patient diagnoses, subsequent care and outcomes.
They typically use health information systems to store and track patient data, generate reports and verify healthcare records for accuracy and timeliness. Ensuring compliance with laws and regulations protecting patient privacy has become an increasingly important part of this role.
They may also provide training and ongoing counseling to healthcare staff on best practices for managing patient information and are sometimes responsible for organizing, analyzing and disseminating healthcare information to the patients and staff of the facilities for which they work.
Nursing home administrators
Nursing home administrators are responsible for managing the daily operations of a long-term care facility. They oversee staff, coordinate patient care services, develop and implement policies, manage budgets and ensure compliance with regulations.
They also work to maintain quality of care and patient safety. Additionally, nursing home administrators may be involved in marketing and outreach efforts to promote the facility.
Medical records managers
While similar to the health information manager position, medical records managers are responsible for organizing and maintaining medical records in a healthcare facility and will typically report to health information managers or someone acting in a similar role.
Medical records managers handle electronic health records, collect and secure data and use health information systems to store and track information.
They also generate reports, coordinate information between departments and ensure that medical records are accurate and up to date. Medical records managers also advise healthcare staff on best practices for managing patient information.
Write a medical and health services manager job description
Once you’ve determined which type of medical and health services manager is right for your organization, you’ll next want to create a job description describing the candidate you’re looking for. You may want to consider using ZipRecruiter’s healthcare manager job description template to simplify the process and give you an idea of the language typically included in job descriptions for your industry.
A great job description is clear and concise while outlining a summary of the job’s details and daily responsibilities as well as any required educational qualifications, certifications or related professional experience. The job description should also include a list of specialized skills needed for the position and any special job requirements.
Job summary and responsibilities
No matter what type of medical and health services management career, they are demanding and fast-paced jobs. Summaries should include details specific to the position and a full list of responsibilities. Typical responsibilities for these kinds of roles include developing policies, managing daily operations, and planning the use of materials and human resources.
Medical and health services managers must also oversee the quality and efficiency of medical services and programs and ensure that they are compliant with federal, state and local regulations.
Required qualifications and experience
Be sure to include all relevant qualifications and experience requirements a specific job posting may have. For example, if you require applicants to have a degree in healthcare management, state this in your job description. Being as exact as possible ensures attracting a more appropriate pool of candidates and will help to minimize the time needed to successfully fill the position.
Skills needed
When detailing the skills needed for a specific position, it’s best to develop a list based on a thorough understanding of both the job description and the typical daily routine particular to the position and the organization. Ideally, someone currently or recently in the role should have a hand in developing this list.
Though there are broad similarities across the various job descriptions within the medical and health services manager set of roles, no two jobs or workplaces are alike, and being precise will help find potential candidates who are the best possible fit for your organization.
Promote the open position to attract applicants
After you’ve developed a detailed job description that includes a summary of responsibilities, skills and prerequisites specific to the open position, the next step is to publicize the job to maximize your chances of attracting qualified applicants.
After taking advantage of the best job posting sites for employers, it’s a good idea to post an ad promoting the position on professional job forums, Facebook groups and other applicable social media platforms. If you’re posting the job on your social media profile or company website, knowing how to create a better career page will increase the chances of your posting being seen by suitable potential candidates looking for local full-time employment.
To find qualified candidates, you may also consider contacting industry networks such as professional associations and universities. This is especially useful for highly specialized or difficult-to-fill positions. Recruitment decision-makers should maintain relationships with professional organizations, as understanding the current job market can help retain employees and make open positions easier to fill.
Interview the best-qualified candidates
Using an applicant tracking system, or ATS, can help hiring managers better narrow their focus among a pool of candidates. Review the best practices for using an ATS if you're looking to significantly improve the effectiveness of your recruitment process.
Once you’ve identified potential candidates through your job posting, you’ll have to conduct interviews to assess their qualifications, skills and fit for the specific job and your organization’s corporate culture.
During the interview, ask questions about your candidate's educational and professional background, experience level and technical skills. You should also evaluate the candidate’s analytical and interpersonal skills, as well as their communication and leadership abilities.
It’s also a good idea to use behavioral interview questions to help you determine how a job candidate performed in situations similar to those they might encounter while working at your organization. Some typical questions include:
- “What strategies do you use to ensure quality of care?”
A candidate’s answer to this question will help the interviewer assess the candidate’s approach to proactive problem-solving in a realistic healthcare setting.
- “How do you prioritize tasks and manage competing demands?”
This question will help interviewers determine a candidate’s organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
- “Describe your experience in managing healthcare budgets.”
How a potential candidate answers this question can demonstrate a candidate’s budgeting and financial management skills.
- “How do you ensure compliance with healthcare regulations?”
This is a fundamental question and will help the interviewer assess the candidate’s knowledge of developing healthcare regulations and their ability to ensure compliance.
Hire and onboard your new medical and health services manager
After evaluating the candidates, determining the best fit for the job and conducting due diligence through one of the best background check sites, the recruitment process ends with hiring and onboarding. Regardless of the position they were hired for, your new medical and healthcare services manager will be better equipped for success with support and access to the resources necessary to fulfill their duties.
Medical and health services manager FAQ
What is the cost of hiring a medical and health services manager?
The cost of hiring a medical and health services manager is separate from salary and benefits consideration. The total cost of acquiring professional healthcare managers will vary considerably, depending on the type of manager you need, the medical and health services manager job description, the experience level of the candidate and job market conditions.
Using a professional recruitment agency may expedite the recruitment process, but it will add to the cost of the process and is generally more advisable when a position needs to be filled urgently. If deciding to keep recruitment efforts in-house, review the best recruiting software options for your needs.
How much do medical and health services managers make?
What skills should a medical and health services manager possess?
Medical and health services managers need to call on a variety of skills. They require strong administrative experience and analytical skills to understand and evaluate performance metrics.
They also require "soft" skills like superior communication and the ability to build rapport with personnel across every level of an organization. Of course, they'll also need a clear and robust understanding of health information management, healthcare regulations and healthcare trends.
Summary of Money’s how to hire medical and health services managers
Medical and health services managers are responsible for ensuring that healthcare organizations operate efficiently and effectively. When hiring for medical and health services manager jobs, it’s essential to determine which type of medical and health services manager your organization needs and create a job description outlining the job summary, responsibilities, required qualifications and experience.
You should also actively promote the open position to attract potential applicants and conduct interviews to assess the qualifications and skills of each candidate, as well as perform the necessary background checks before hiring and onboarding your new medical and health services manager.
The cost of hiring a medical and health services manager varies widely depending on different factors such as the desirability of the position, the offered range of salary and benefits package and even the location of the job. All of these elements factor into salary determination, and higher-paying positions will generally cost more to fill.
Because medical and health services managers need strong administrative experience, analytical skills, communication and interpersonal skills and leadership abilities, openings for health services managers can be challenging positions to fill. Knowing how best to approach the recruitment process will help minimize the time needed to identify suitable candidates and give you the best opportunity to find the right person for the job.