The Impact of Clinical Expertise on Leadership Success for Rehab Facilities

Long-term care leadership extends far beyond managing daily operations. In this era of patient-centric care at rehab facilities, healthcare administrators must understand patient needs, not merely acknowledge them. They need to balance patient outcomes with staff well-being and financial sustainability – all while navigating the ever-evolving healthcare landscape. 

While a full clinical background isn’t strictly necessary for healthcare administrators, having a certain level of understanding of clinical practices and patient care is extremely beneficial. This is especially true for roles where decision-making directly affects patient outcomes. 

Although healthcare administrators do not normally have direct personal contact, their decisions and actions significantly impact patients’ experiences. They help to shape policy, make changes, and consider external factors to manage healthcare organizations. 

Clinical expertise for administrators at rehab facilities is beneficial because it enables them to make informed decisions based on extensive experience and knowledge. This leads to better patient outcomes supported by accurate diagnoses, appropriate treatment plans, as well as the ability to effectively adapt to individual patient needs. 

In a recent conversation with Robert Gerken, Administrator at Generations Healthcare, and Laszlo Bayer, co-owner of Therapeutic Industries, we looked at the ever-increasing need that exists for healthcare administrators at rehab facilities to bring clinical expertise to this important leadership role. 

Why the Patient Perspective is Important to a Healthcare Administrator

In recent years – especially brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic – the healthcare industry has gradually shifted toward a more patient-centered model of care. It is considered by the vast majority of medical practitioners to be a best practice in today’s healthcare industry. This translates into a patient’s needs, preferences, and values now, more than ever, guiding care and treatment decisions.

Access to the internet has made consumers more savvy about their healthcare choices and options. They have the online tools to check and verify a healthcare organization’s performance and examine customer satisfaction reviews. Consumers have a very public voice by utilizing various online tools that provide ultimate transparency. 

This means that patient care is under a microscope. With this level of public scrutiny, it is incumbent upon rehab administrators to come to the job with some knowledge of patient care. Patients are consumers too and they expect competence at the highest levels of healthcare. 

As the administrator at your rehab facility, your job influences every aspect of the operation that the patient comes into contact with. From how they are treated at the reception area, to how the physician speaks to them, to how the physical therapist interacts with them – all of these interactions leave an indelible mark on the patient. How they receive their care will affect their outcomes. They will also tell their friends and family about how they were treated. 

It is in your best interest as the healthcare administrator to always have the patient’s perspective at heart when doing all aspects of your job. 

3 Ways Clinical Experience Could be Valuable for a Healthcare Administrator

Business Sense:  A background in clinical practice can assist administrators in seeing the bottom line, enforcing policies, and representing staff effectively. 

Direct Patient Experience:  Administrators with direct patient experience are able to better understand how to manage patient care and serve as a liaison for medical staff. 

Understanding Challenges:  Clinical experience gives rehab administrators a sense of what doctors and nurses face on a daily basis. 

Benefits for Administrators of Having Clinical Expertise

Here are some tangible and every-day ways having clinical expertise will make your administrator job more effective and even easier. You’ll find that having patient care knowledge will put you in a more favorable light with both your staff and your patients. 

Operational Insights

When you’ve worked in a clinical setting, it provides you knowledge about workflow, resource allocation, and potential bottlenecks within the healthcare system.

Communication Effectiveness

Administrators who have clinical experience are able to improve communication with healthcare providers. They can speak their language and better understand clinical jargon. 

Understanding Patient Needs

Direct patient interaction enables administrators to more effectively grasp the challenges and priorities confronted by clinicians and patients. This leads to more informed decision-making. 

Credibility with Staff 

Clinicians tend to perceive administrators with clinical expertise as more relatable and trustworthy because of their shared understanding of patient care.

Informed Decision-making

Healthcare administrators enjoy a better understanding of the clinical implications of administrative decisions. 

Key Aspects of the Impact of Clinical Expertise for Healthcare Administrators 

The clinical knowledge that an administrator brings to their job will have significant ramifications for the rehab facility that they operate. By being equipped with clinical expertise, administrators can better adapt to complex situations and effectively deliver patient-centered treatment plans. This leads to improved patient outcomes and satisfaction through sound clinical judgment.

Here are just some examples of ways that an administrator’s clinical expertise will impact the healthcare facility:

Enhanced Diagnosis and Treatment – Administrators with even some clinical expertise can ensure that their staff successfully identifies subtle signs and symptoms, leading to more accurate diagnoses and appropriate treatment plans that are customized to individual patients. 

Adaptability to Change – Administrators who possess clinical knowledge are more apt to be able to adjust successfully to shifts in the medical marketplace and meet the ever-changing needs of patients.

Patient-Centered Care – Having clinical expertise allows administrators at rehab facilities to more thoroughly understand and address a patient’s individual needs, concerns, and preferences. This leads to more personalized care. 

Risk Management – Administrators who have clinical expertise are in a better position to identify potential risks and complications at their rehab facilities early on, allowing for preventative measures and timely interventions to be implemented. 

Clinical Expertise is a Valuable Asset for Administrators at Rehab Facilities 

Clinical expertise can be very beneficial as it enables healthcare administrators to make more informed decisions based on their extensive experience and knowledge, which can lead to better patient outcomes by enabling accurate diagnoses, optimal treatment plans, and the ability to adapt to individual patient needs, especially in complex medical situations. 

“Most of our administrators are not clinicians…I came from the clinical side, so when I’m explaining to a family about patient care or outcomes, I can speak from direct experience, which makes a difference,” said Robert Gerken, Administrator at Generations Healthcare

The job responsibilities of rehab administrators intersect with patient care on a regular basis. That is why it is essential that they possess some form of clinical expertise so that they can benefit the journey of patients toward their full and complete rehabilitation. 

What’s more, when an administrator possesses clinical expertise they will be in a better position to choose the optimal rehab equipment for their rehab facility that will most benefit their patients. Their specialized knowledge will ensure that the equipment they select will be safe and effective so their patients enjoy a rewarding rehabilitative process.