Godwin O. Eni

Rx For Hospitals: New Hope for Medicare in the Nineties

t last, here is a ”how to” book that is written by a practising chief executive who has lived A through the usual contradictions of “do with less resources while maintaining or improving the quality of health services.” Much of the literature on total quality management have been prescriptive. Very little is often said about how to accomplish results in the practical sense which is key to the thinking of the many senior health service executives. Philip Hassen has tried to fill the ”knowledge to practice” gap via his own experience. For example, how many chief executive officers will scoff at the idea that the simple act of ”changing the way intravenous food bags were filled alone saved

The point is...

50,000 in the first year?”

Issues for Consideration in the Establishment of a Program Management Structure

There are 21 chapters of collaborative writing between the editor and 70 of her former students. Each case study contributes a particular perspective to health and public policy issues. The central theme appears to revolve around the linkage between theory and practice in the hope that ”people learn best by doing their own analysis, (and) applying theoretical concepts to actual situations.” (p.v) For example, the case studies integrate some important policy areas such as strategic planning, disputes of jurisdiction and organizational design with the delivery of rural health care and screening policy. Other areas include matters relating to professional conduct and nationalism.

Biomedical and Health Services Research in Canada: A Review:

In a product management structure, the management of separate products is moved down in the organization to achieve greater participatory management as well as greater effectiveness in the identification of factors most relevant to the survival of the product. For the business industry, managing products as separate entitites enables more effective competition in the marketplace. This approach has been used in U.S. hospitals in managing programs and services. Described here are the initial attempts at program management undertaken at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg, a highly specialized, provincial 1, 100-bed teaching and referral hospital. Some issues important in developing and implementing the program management approach are discussed.

The Concept of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) as a Planning Tool for Healthcare Managers

Using published evidence of research grants, the historical development of funding sources for biomedical and health services research in Canada is discussed. The imbalance between health services research, which includes health services administration and biomedical research, is examined. It is argued that the current funding arrangement should be restructured to accommodate field-based, application research through an independent agency. Needs-focused and integrated research activities that are policy relevant and which involve practitioners are required if current limitations in the system are to be addressed. Thus, health administration as a discipline will receive the necessary technological assistance needed to improve management practices.

Going north on a north-bound trail: a model for achieving health management goals and objectives.

A well-used concept in business, the Critical Success Factor (CSF) is just beginning to be applied to healthcare organizations. This article discusses the utility of the CSF approach to the management of health services, explains how senior healthcare executives can use it to consider, define and direct the planning needs of healthcare organizations, and demonstrates how it can be applied in hospital management. Managers can use the CSF planning approach to achieve the organizations goals in accordance with its mission, be competitive, and evaluate and restructure existing programs to satisfy needs to meet specific objectives.

Book Review: Patient Centered Hospital Care: Reform from withinPatient Centered Hospital Care: Reform from within. Editor: McDonaghKathryn J. Foreword by KaiserLeland, PhD Ann Arbor, Michigan: Management Series: American College of Health Care Executives

A basic managerial problem in decision making is to synthesise and priorise information relating to the achievement of organisational goals and objectives. This paper discusses the role of critical success factors in health services planning as a means for sorting out and specifying relevant information necessary for achieving organisational goals and managerial objectives. The proposed approach enhances existing planning procedures for health care organisations. Within a conceptual framework of the health care system, managerial insights are provided for the realisation of organisational goals via measurable managerial objectives using critical success factors as pointers to success. More importantly, this paper introduces a planning model which incorporates the CSF concept for developing new health care programmes and for evaluating or restructuring existing programmes.

Book Review: Measuring Patient Satisfaction for Improved Patient Services

This is a book in the mainstream of current thought in hospital management. In his introduction, the health care futurist Leland Kaiser states that ”the time is right for this book (as) health care providers are fighting for survival in a competitive market place; the change comes in this decade; it is a change of epoch, a change of paradigm, a change of mind. The 1990’s are an era of restructuring and re-structuring.” At the same time, Kaiser confesses to dreaming about “the perfect health care organization” which liberates the talent and creativity of everyone in the organization, an organization that says, if you want to do it, and you can do it, you may do it. ”More importantly, this freedom to innovate should occur in an organization without ”artificial constraints that say we do not look for the degree after your name, we look for what you can do.” (p.7)

Book Review: Healing Medicare Managing Health System Change the Canadian WayHealing Medicare Managing Health System Change The Canadian WayDecterMichael B. Copyright DecterMichael B.1994Toronto, Ontario: McGilligan Books. 260 pp.

his book is largely based on the authors’ three years’ experience with a ”Patient Satisfaction T Measurement Project” in Ohio that was sup ported by Ohio State University Hospitals and several health care facilities. In general, the authors strive to bridge the gap between theory and practice in the measurement of patient satisfaction by integrating research methodologies, case studies and frameworks in ways that simplify complex procedures. Whether or not they are successful in the attempt is up to the individual reader. More importantly, the authors focus on the utilization of their approach for the achievement of effective management. They challenge skeptics who are doubtful of the efficacy of patient satisfaction measurement to look at how the information generated in the book ”can make you a better health care manager” (p. xii).

Canada's Health Care System: Its Funding and Organization [Revised Edition]

prevention and treatment. Perhaps these observations may be reflected in later editions of the book as the new health care system of Canada is yet to be fully defined. I highly recommend this book to college and university programs in health care and health administration, as well as other interested individuals who wish to acquire historical knowledge about the Canadian health care system. The authors ought to be commended for their detailed work.