Research Proposal on "Leadership in Healthcare Management"

Research Proposal 4 pages (1189 words) Sources: 10 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Innovations in technology and telecommunications in recent years have provided the healthcare industry with the ability to deliver high quality services that have improved the quality of life for Americans of all ages. Despite these advances in technology, though, the nation's healthcare organizations are faced with a critical shortage of nursing staff and everyone is feeling the effects of a recessionary economic period. Compounding the problem for healthcare organizations of all types and sizes is the increasing use of managed care which is focused on profitability rather than the quality of healthcare services being provided. Moreover, the United States is becoming increasingly multicultural in composition in ways that demand culture-sensitive healthcare services. In addition, the elderly segment of the nation's demographic is growing larger and age-related healthcare issues will consume an inordinately large share of the nation's healthcare services for the foreseeable future. In this dynamic environment, identifying opportunities to improve healthcare management through informed and effective leadership represents a timely and relevant enterprise, which is the focus of the study proposed herein. The proposed study will seek to determine what leadership styles and development programs have been shown to be most effective in improving the performance of healthcare organizations in terms of the level of patient and staff satisfaction experienced as well as their profitability. To achieve this goal, the proposed study will use a critical review of the relevant peer-reviewed and scholarly literature concerning organizational leadership in general and what types of leadership are deemed most effective in healthcare settings in particular. A summary of the research, salient findings and recommendations will be presented in the concluding chapter of the proposed study.

Identifying Opportunities for Improving Healthcare Management

Problem/Issue/Improvement Project

The healthcare industry stands at a crossroads today and the direction it takes will depend on what type of leadership is available to model the way. In this regard, Froeschle and Donahue (1999) emphasize that, "Health care today is between paradigms. This state of fluctuation places extraordinary challenges on leaders of health care facilities. New leadership skills are needed to overcome this dilemma" (p. 60). Indeed, an increasing emphasis on market-driven cost-containment strategies in recent years has resulted in some fundamental changes in the provision of health care services as well as the management techniques required in this dynamic environment. For instance, according to Mizrahi and Berger (2005), "Most hospitals have restructured to achieve flatter organizational frameworks by eliminating professionally defined departments such as social work, nursing, and physical therapy. Many have moved to a more service line approach or to more integrative structures" (p. 155). As a result, healthcare management today is focused on fiscal accountability rather than on potentially more important clinical indicators of care or on quality improvement initiatives (Mizrahi & Berger, 2005). Not surprisingly, the professional cadre of healthcare providers who have been affected by these changes has become alarmed at the changes. In response, a growing number of practitioners in healthcare organizations that have experienced fundamental organizational and managerial changes in recent years have started to demand empirical evidence concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of the different organizational models being introduced (Mcgoldrick, Stewart & Watson, 2002).

Analysis of Problem/Issue/Improvement Data

Given its potential impact on a company's bottom line, the relationship between organizational performance and leadership has been the focus of a growing amount of research in recent years and the connection has been well documented. According to Michalisin, Karau and Tangpong (2007), "Organizational researchers have revealed that the relationship between leadership behavior and specific performance outcomes is complex, and that the specific behaviors that are effective… READ MORE

How to Reference "Leadership in Healthcare Management" Research Proposal in a Bibliography

Related Research Proposals:

Healthcare - The Truth About Fraud Term Paper

Healthcare - the Truth About Fraud

In a quest to deeply understand the various management theories in healthcare today, this report uses an approach of first trying to understand some… read more

Term Paper 12 pages (3685 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Healthcare / Health / Obamacare

---

Healthcare Management Like All Other Areas Term Paper

Healthcare Management

Like all other areas of human life, the health care system is continuing to evolve. The National Center for Health Care Leadership identifies several important factors in this… read more

Term Paper 6 pages (1975 words) Sources: 4 Style: APA Topic: Healthcare / Health / Obamacare

---

Healthcare Leadership and Prejudices Article

HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP & PREJUDICES

Healthcare Leadership Prejudices

Healthcare leadership has become a more and more important topic over the recent years and decades, and for a number of major reasons.… read more

Article 5 pages (1543 words) Sources: 5 Topic: Healthcare / Health / Obamacare

---

Leadership and Health Care Administration Term Paper

Leadership and Healthcare Administration

Like all businesses, the financial, administrative, and operational successes of healthcare organizations depend to great extent on the effectiveness of the leadership skills employed by managers.… read more

Term Paper 3 pages (886 words) Sources: 3 Style: APA Topic: Management / Organizations

---

Insurance Healthcare Research Paper

Health Care System

United States Health Care System

An increase in the concentration of the health care costs and quality assurances within the context of the health reforms continue to… read more

Research Paper 8 pages (2587 words) Sources: 8 Topic: Healthcare / Health / Obamacare

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>