Healthcare Management, Concepts and Functions

Basic concepts and functions in healthcare management

In general, management is an activity to organize others to achieve a goal or complete work. This is based on the following expert opinions:

1. Management is a process carried out by one person /more to coordinate the activities of others in order to achieve results (goals) that cannot be achieved by only one person. (Evancevich)
2. Management is the process by which the implementation of a goal is organized and supervised (Encyclopaedia of social sciences)
3. Management makes goals achieved through the activities of others and their functions can be solved at least 2 main responsibilities (planning and supervision)
4. Management is the achievement of predetermined goals using others (Robert D. Terry).

In the field of public health – Healthcare management is an activity or an art to organize health workers and non-health workers to improve public health through health programs. Public health management is the application of general management in the public health service system so that the object and target of management is the public health service system. (Notoatmodjo, 2003)

While the management function, according to some experts contains various components as follows:

1. According to L. Gullick, management contains several elements, including Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting, Budgeting
2. According to George Terry – Planning, Organizing, Actuating, Controlling
3. According to Koonzt O' Donnel – Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Controlling
4. According to H. Fayol – Planning, Organizing, Commanding, Coordinating, Controlling

The various components of the management function above can be explained as follows:

1. Planning (planning) is a process that begins with formulating organizational goals to establish alternative activities for their achievement.
2. Organizing is a series of management activities to collect all the resources (potential) owned by the organization and utilize them efficiently to achieve organizational goals.
3. Actuating (directing, commanding, motivating, staffing, coordinating) or the function of driving implementation is a process of guidance to staff so that they are able to work optimally to carry out their main tasks in accordance with the skills they already have, and the support of available resources.
4. Controlling (monitoring) or supervision and control (wasdal) is a process to continuously observe the implementation of activities in accordance with the work plan that has been prepared and hold corrections in case of deviations.

Health Sector Management Application

Many definitions of healthy are conveyed by experts, WHO, and according to the Law, including it is stated that healthy is an optimal state, both physical, mental and social, and not only limited to a state of being free from disease or weakness.

In accordance with the objectives of the health system, health administration (management) cannot be confused with commercial administration (business adminstration) which is more oriented towards efforts to seek financial benefits (profit oriented). Healthcare administration is more appropriately classified into general administration (public administration) because health organizations are more concerned with achieving the welfare of the general public. Health management must be developed in each health organization.

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