An outpatient care supervisor plays a critical role in healthcare. He is the link between the healthcare team and patients. He works to ensure that the needs of the patients are being met by the healthcare facility he works in. Roles can range from formulating and organizing medical appointments to checking prescriptions and doing follow-ups.
Key Responsibilities
All outpatient care supervisors have the primary role of formulating, coordinating and supervising all activities in an outpatient facility. They manage the personnel responsible for customer service and clerical functions and oversee the scheduling and monitoring of medical records. They work with insurance companies to provide and verify patients’ coverage and benefits. Other duties include developing the facility’s objectives, ensuring employee compliance, hiring new staff, managing patient billing, overseeing budget formulation and reviewing staff performance.
Work Environment
Most outpatient care supervisors work in departments or clinical areas in large healthcare facilities. Others manage the entire healthcare facility. They are mainly found in community clinics, surgical centers, mental hospitals, imaging centers and physicians’ offices. Their work does not require an overnight stay.
How to Become an Outpatient Care Supervisor
Those who want to become outpatient care supervisors must have at least a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, nursing or public health. Majoring in business administration may also help. These degree programs take four years to complete and cover courses such as health law, accounting, finance, strategic planning, community health, medical terminology and health information systems. Earning a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration makes the most sense since outpatient care supervisors mainly do administrative work.
One may also choose to pursue a master’s degree in health administration to increase job prospects. A master’s degree offers an in-depth knowledge in healthcare administration and will definitely create more opportunities for career advancement. The coursework include finance, healthcare research, marketing and human resources. Students also learn about various laws, regulations and ethical standards in the healthcare industry.
Essential Skills
An outpatient care supervisor must have certain skills and abilities to perform his duties effectively. He must have strong interpersonal skills to enable him interact with patients and fellow healthcare professionals effectively. He must have good communication skills to clearly relay information about operational issues and discuss solutions with other staff members and the management. Good leadership skills to inspire, motivate and retain productive medical providers is also necessary. Other essential traits include good analytical skills to interpret budgets and allocate funds, integrity, confidence and compassion.
Getting Started
Many employers require a good amount of experience when recruiting outpatient care supervisors. While earning your bachelors’ or master’s degree, you can take advantage of internship programs and other opportunities to obtain hands-on training in outpatient care services. Many employers require at least three years of experience. You will start as an office manager, assistant administrator or financial clerk before being promoted to more advanced roles.
Job Outlook and Salary
The rapidly improving technology in the healthcare industry has made many people to switch from inpatient to outpatient care. This shift will lead to an increased demand for outpatient personnel, including outpatient care supervisors. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, outpatient supervisors earn an average salary of $109,370 per year. The beginning salary is $56,970, which is quite impressive for a starting position.
Related Resource: What is a Clinic Manager?
Working in an outpatient care facility provides you with an opportunity to gain more experience in healthcare. If you are interested in administrative work, then being an outpatient care supervisor may be a perfect choice.
