loosu
Introduction
Healthcare management is one of the fastest growing occupations, due to the expansion and diversification of the healthcare industry (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010). The BLS projects that employment of medical and health services managers is expected to grow 16% from 2008 to 2018, faster than the average for all occupations. Healthcare management is a growing profession with increasing opportunities in both direct care and non–direct care settings. As defined by Buchbinder and Thompson (2010), direct care settings are “those organizations that provide care directly to a patient, resident or client who seeks services from the organization.” Non direct care settings are not directly involved in providing care to persons needing health services, but rather support the care of individuals through products and services made available to direct care settings. Healthcare management is the profession that provides leadership and direction to organizations that deliver personal health services, and to divisions, departments, units, or services within those organizations. The hospital managers are expected to be needed in inpatient and outpatient care facilities, with the greatest growth in managerial positions occurring in outpatient centers, clinics, and physician practices. Hospitals, too, will experience a large number of managerial jobs because of the hospital sector’s large size. Moreover, these estimates do not reflect the significant growth in managerial positions in non–direct care settings, such as consulting firms, pharmaceutical companies, associations, and medical equipment companies. These non–direct care settings provide significant assistance to direct care organizations, and since the number of direct care managerial positions is expected to increase significantly, it is expected that growth will also occur in managerial positions in non–direct care settings.
THE NATURE AND VALUE OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
Strategic management
Healthcare management is one of the fastest growing occupations, due to the expansion and diversification of the healthcare industry (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010). The BLS projects that employment of medical and health services managers is expected to grow 16% from 2008 to 2018, faster than the average for all occupations. Healthcare management is a growing profession with increasing opportunities in both direct care and non–direct care settings. As defined by Buchbinder and Thompson (2010), direct care settings are “those organizations that provide care directly to a patient, resident or client who seeks services from the organization.” Non direct care settings are not directly involved in providing care to persons needing health services, but rather support the care of individuals through products and services made available to direct care settings. Healthcare management is the profession that provides leadership and direction to organizations that deliver personal health services, and to divisions, departments, units, or services within those organizations. The hospital managers are expected to be needed in inpatient and outpatient care facilities, with the greatest growth in managerial positions occurring in outpatient centers, clinics, and physician practices. Hospitals, too, will experience a large number of managerial jobs because of the hospital sector’s large size. Moreover, these estimates do not reflect the significant growth in managerial positions in non–direct care settings, such as consulting firms, pharmaceutical companies, associations, and medical equipment companies. These non–direct care settings provide significant assistance to direct care organizations, and since the number of direct care managerial positions is expected to increase significantly, it is expected that growth will also occur in managerial positions in non–direct care settings.
THE NATURE AND VALUE OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
Strategic management