Decision Making And Control For Health Administration

The first part of the book explains the various analytical tools that simplify and accelerate decision making. Learn about tools that help you determine causes, evaluate choices, and forecast future events. For occasions when a group, rather than an individual, has to make a decision, you will also learn what tools can help you create group consensus. The second half of the book shows you how to apply analytical tools to different healthcare situations, including comparing clinician performance, determining the causes for medical errors, analyzing the costs of programs, and determining the market for new services. Many practical examples walk you step-by-step through common decision-making scenarios.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges to those responsible for the management of healthcare activities. These challenges require decision makers at all levels to possess a broad and comprehensive understanding of healthcare management tools, and especially of the interaction between formal control systems and the informal power dynamics which operate within healthcare organisations. Managing in healthcare is not only difficult because of the sector’s high-stakes ethical contexts but also because the health care workforce is inherently complex and heterogeneous. It is the purpose of this book to survey the expanding literature on management control in healthcare with the aim of giving readers a better understanding of the options available to managers, decision-makers and also educated observers of this important sector. This book summarises key debates and findings in this rapidly developing and increasingly important field. It explores state-of-the-art models and approaches, highlights unexplored questions and gives an outlook on novel and developing trends. In so doing it provides a hands-on-guide for aspiring healthcare managers and practitioner and offers critical insights into the more advanced academic literature for those seeking a thorough grounding in the accounting and finance aspects of healthcare management.