Health policy and management

Health policy and management is the field relating to leadership, management, and administration of public health systems, health care systems, hospitals, and hospital networks. Health care administrators are considered health care professionals.

Health policy and management or health systems management or health care systems management describes the leadership and general management of hospitals, hospital networks, and/or health care systems. In international use, the term refers to management at all levels. In the United States, management of a single institution (e.g. a hospital) is also referred to as "Medical and health services management" "Healthcare management" or Health Administration.

Health systems management ensures that specific outcomes are attained, that departments within a health facility are running smoothly, that the right people are in the right jobs, that people know what is expected of them, that resources are used efficiently and that all departments are working towards a common goal.

Social determinants (i.e. location, housing, education, employment, income, crime, social cohesion) have been shown to significantly influence health. However, at present, population health receives only five percent of national health budgets. By comparison, 95 percent is spent on direct medical care services, yet medical care only accounts for only 10-15 percent of preventable mortality in the United States. Genetics, social circumstances, environmental exposures, and behavioral patterns comprise the bulk of health determinants of health outcomes, which is increasingly considered when creating health policy.

At the federal level, policymakers are addressing social determinants through provisions in the Affordable Care Act, in which non-profit hospitals must conduct community health needs assessments and participate in community improvement projects. The creation of public-private partnerships by hospitals has occurred in many states, and has specifically addressed social determinants of health like education and housing.

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