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Executive
Summary: A Life Cycle Model of Continuous Clinical Process Innovation
The changing healthcare
environment has created a sense of urgency for continuous innovation in
clinical care processes. Managers and clinicians are investing unprecedented
funds and energy in the development of various clinical process innovations
(CPI) such as clinical pathways, electronic workstations, and various
forms of information technology. While increasing attention has been paid
to the development of such initiatives, our understanding of how best
to disseminate and ensure their use is limited.
In the first two articles dealing with the dissemination and use of CPI
in integrated delivery systems, we present a "life cycle" model of the
dissemination process and suggest opportunities for managing CPI. The
management of CPI requires more than just an understanding of the factors
that may facilitate or impede its implementation and use. Managers require
an understanding of the actual process so that they can assess the specific
implementation and use. Managers require an understanding of the actual
process so that they can assess the specific implementation stage at which
the organization is presently operating, and design appropriate interventions
that can affect the process. A future article will identify the factors
that facilitate and inhibit the process and suggest some intervention
strategies.
For more information on this article, please contact Dr. Savitz at lucy_savitz@unc.edu.
Executive
Summary: Creating a Vision for the Twenty-First Century Healthcare Organization
Management
approaches used by healthcare organizations have often lagged behind other
businesses in more competitive industries. Companies operating in such
dynamic environments have found that to cope with the rapid pace of change
they must have an articulated understanding of their organization's capabilities
and consensus on where the organization is headed based on predictions
about the future operating environment. This statement of identity and
strategic direction takes the form of a vision statement that serves as
the compass for the organization's decisions for a five-to ten -year period.
This article discusses the importance of vision statements in tomorrow's
healthcare organizations, presents an overview of future scenarios that
may provide context for organizational visions, and suggests a process
for developing a vision statement. A case study is presented to illustrate
how a vision statement is created. Following the guidelines presented
in this article and reviewing the case study should assist healthcare
executives and their boards in crafting better visions of their organizations
futures, developing more effective strategies to realize these visions,
and adapting to more frequent and more significant change.
For more information on this article, please contact Mr. Zuckerman at
: (215)636-3500 x106.
Executive
Summary: The Timing of Medical Technology Acquisition:
Strategic Decision Making in Turbulent Environments
Healthcare
decision makers and researchers have long been interested in the factors
behind medical technology acquisition. The rate of environmental change
in recent years has dramatically affected technology acquisition decision
making in acute care hospitals. This study examines the relative role
of decision-maker influence and environmental factors on the timing of
MRI acquisition in hospitals operating in three western states with different
levels of environmental uncertainty. The results suggest that the relative
influence of decision makers and environmental factors on innovation acquisition
timing varies depending on environmental turbulence, and that hospitals
acquire new technology as one way of controlling the turbulence in their
environments.
For more information on this article, please contact Dr. Friedman at:
leonard.friedman@orst.edu.
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