Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2013 - (Page 1)

Editorial Performance improvement has been a mantra in healthcare for Margaret F. Schulte, DBA, FACHE, is adjunct instructor in the master of science in medical informatics program at Northwestern University in Chicago and instructor in the health policy and administration program at The Pennsylvania State University in University Park. Ma rg a r e t F. Sc hult e , FAC H E • 1 e D i t o r i A l several decades. Under various guises, it has been a strategic, but often elusive, goal. Many earlier initiatives were doomed by a lack of data and by a barrage of pressures that diverted leaders’ attention from operational priorities and commitments. now, in 2013, performance improvement is the pressure point that is center stage for everyone in a healthcare leadership role—it is a survival imperative. those who succeed in meeting the challenge, and who can provide the hard data supporting that success, stand to be rewarded financially; those who do not succeed may find themselves on an alternate path. in June 2012, the institute of Medicine (ioM) released a discussion paper entitled A CEO Checklist for High-Value Health Care. the paper was written by more than a dozen prominent healthcare leaders who urgently call on their hospital and health system executive colleagues to develop and implement strategies related to each item on the checklist. their purpose, and that of the paper, is to help leaders accomplish transformational change in their organizations. the expected outcome of this transformation is a high-value healthcare system that delivers improved quality and saves more lives at reduced cost. to achieve that transformation—and only complete transformation will make this purpose and outcome reality—executives, clinicians, and all others involved in care delivery will need to undergo changes in attitudes, behaviors, and relationships. this human element is where the role of leadership meets its greatest sustained challenge in transformation. feature author John toussaint puts this challenge in succinct terms when he says, “transforming a complex organization is hard work.” toussaint and gary S. Kaplan, the second feature author, bring valuable insight and practical approaches to this challenge. they are among the authors of the ioM discussion paper mentioned earlier, and in this issue of Frontiers of Health Services Management, they share more of their individual experience and knowledge of the “how to” and the challenges of the transformational process that is taking root in their organizations.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2013

Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2013
Contents
Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2013
A Management, Leadership, and Board Road Map to Transforming Care for Patients
Pursuing the Perfect Patient Experience
Adapting to the New Healthcare Market
High Reliability: Truly Achieving Healthcare Quality and Safety
Making Lean Progress Last: Why Sustaining Excellence Requires the Right Leadership Framework

Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2013