Healthcare Systems Analysis

The U.S. healthcare delivery system is a complex network consisting of many different agencies, facilities, and professionals providing the services. You may be familiar with hospitals, clinics, and doctors' offices, but there is more!

Let's look at the types of facilities that are available to provide healthcare. Please view the following presentation.

Healthcare-related businesses are managed through an Organizational Structure.

The organizational structure refers to the levels of management present in the hospital.
Different levels of management for differing services and departments allow for efficient management of hospital departments.
The structure helps one understand the hospital's chain of command.

Large hospitals have more complex structures than smaller hospitals.

Hospital departments are grouped in order to promote the efficiency of the facility. Grouping is generally done according to the similarity of duties.

Some common categories of departments include:

Administrative Services
Informational Services
Therapeutic Services
Diagnostic Services
Support Services

Administrative Services include:

Hospital Administrators - CEO, Vice President(s), Executive Assistants, Department Heads. These are the business people who "run the hospital". They oversee budgeting and finance and establish hospital policies and procedures along with the medical directors.

Some administrators perform public relations duties as well.

Informational Services include:

The employees who document and process information such as the people who work in the following departments:

Admissions
Billing & Collection
Medical Records
Computer Information Systems
Health Education
Human Resources

Therapeutic Services include:

This group includes the employees who provide treatment to patients such as:

Physical Therapy - treatment to improve large muscle mobility
Occupational Therapy - treatment goal is to help the patient regain fine motor skills
Speech/Language Pathology - identify, evaluate, and treat speech/language disorders
Respiratory Therapy - treatment for patients with breathing problems or lung diseases
Medical Psychology - concerned with the mental well-being of patients
Social Services - connect patients with community resources (financial aid, etc.)
Pharmacy - dispense medications
Dietary - the Registered dietitian is responsible for providing nutritionally appropriate meals for patients.
Sports Medicine - provide rehabilitative services to athletes
Nursing - provide care for patients

Diagnostic Services include:

The employees in the departments that perform tests or procedures that help determine the cause(s) of illness or injury including those who work in the following areas:

Medical Laboratory - studies body tissues
Medical Imaging - radiology, MRI, CT, Ultra Sound
Emergency Medicine -provides emergency diagnoses & treatment

Support Services include:

Employees who work in areas that provide support for the entire hospital such as:

Central Supply - orders, receives, stocks & distributes equipment & supplies
Biomedical Technology - design, build, and repair medical equipment
Housekeeping & Maintenance - maintain a safe, clean environment

Now that you understand a little about healthcare facilities, let's take a moment to explore the careers that support the delivery of quality healthcare.

Example of Hospital Organizational Structure with expanded Radiology section.

Hospital organizational chart depicting departmental hierarchy under the hospital administrator, focusing on radiology.

[CC BY 4.0] UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED | IMAGES: LICENSED AND USED ACCORDING TO TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION