Job Description of a Healthcare Consultant
Healthcare consultancy services cover a wide range of segments in the healthcare industry. However, some of the most popular services include financial budget planning as well as keeping the records of a healthcare institution’s financial information. Hence, a healthcare consultant may take charge of the hospital accounting services while at the same time prepare both external and financial statements.
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Education and Training
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Most healthcare institutions prefer the services of a consultant with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration or nursing. Other institutions take in consultants holding Master of Public Health (MPH) or Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees.
Compensation
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A healthcare consultant earns an annual salary estimated at $55,484 to $89,667 as of July 8, 2010, as indicated by PayScale. Still, she may also earn a bonus estimated at $2,517 to $10,140, profit sharing estimated at $1,650 to $7,150 and a commission estimated at $5,034 to $30,339 annually. Therefore, according to PayScale, she may take home a total of $55,946 to $99,574 annually. PayScale shows that a healthcare consultant may also receive such additional benefits as medical coverage.
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Job Outlook
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According to PayScale, females, who take up about 60 percent of the positions in the healthcare consulting industry, dominate the filed. Among the popular fields a healthcare consultant can work in include management consulting, health insurance, healthcare information technology services, and healthcare consulting. According to PayScale, the most popular employers include Booz, Allen and Hamilton; Deloitte Consulting LLP; UnitedHealth Group; Kaiser Permanente; and Thomson Reuters.
Responsibilities and Duties
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A healthcare consultant provides advice about conforming to such issues as patient confidentiality policies and biohazard removal. She also advises on forestalling malpractice suits plus the best methods to apply when handling managed care and health insurance companies. A healthcare consultant also handles financial issues, assesses the organization’s financial status and assists in the development of funding plans and payment strategies. She also prepares external and financial statements on behalf of the institution she works for. Some healthcare consultants formulate strategies for growth and assist the institution in drafting contracts.
Job Prospects
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A healthcare consultant should possess good communication skills. Previous experience is particularly important, especially for people looking to work as individual consultants. A healthcare consultant should have the ability to work under minimal supervision; therefore, she should be a disciplined and self motivated individual. Good written and oral communication skills serve an important role in this position as the consultant has to get in touch with the people she works for constantly. Other desirable qualities include tome management and good judgment.
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References
- Photo Credit hospital consultant image by Peter Baxter from Fotolia.com communication image by Pavel Vlasov from Fotolia.com
