Essential Techniques for Healthcare Managers

Citation

Farnsworth, T.J. (2010), "Essential Techniques for Healthcare Managers", International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 301-302. https://doi.org/10.1108/17506121011076200

Fueled by the introduction of Blue Cross and Blue Shield in the 1940s, Medicare and Medicaid in the 1960s, and the increasing corporatization of healthcare over the past two to three decades, the US healthcare system has become the largest industry in America representing roughly one sixth of the nation's economy. In their new book Essential Techniques for Healthcare Managers, Cellucci and Wiggins describe the roots and evolution of the US healthcare industry, trends in health, industry structure, and the ever‐changing mechanisms for monitoring quality and paying for healthcare services. The authors also write about healthcare in the twenty‐first century and beyond – observing the enormous impact of new medical technology and the federal and state governments' increasing yet fragmented roles as both providers and regulators of high‐quality, cost‐effective healthcare.

At the 2004 Undergraduate Workshop Meetings of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration, health administration professors discussed the need for courses and texts that meet the needs of current and evolving students. According to the authors, “the conversations at that meeting motivated us to write this book” (p. 17). As reflected in its title, the book is directed toward beginning healthcare care managers, including undergraduate healthcare students. The book reflects a blend of healthcare management theory and practical application in a manner that holds the reader's interest and piques curiosity. The authors – each of whom has been teaching undergraduate students for over two decades – carefully designed the book so that each chapter includes pedagogically sound, tried‐and‐true teaching techniques, including case studies, a running glossary, questions for discussion, and applied learning experiences to illustrate the application of theories and practices discussed.

From this well‐researched and thoughtfully prepared text, beginning healthcare managers and students will be introduced to management responsibilities common to healthcare, including strategic planning, preparing and defending budgets, monitoring and improving organizational performance, team building, and resolving conflicts. Perhaps the most compelling nature of this book is the authors' adoption of Katz's (1974) view that the essential techniques or skills of any good manger can be neatly framed within three grand constructs: conceptual skills, interpersonal skills, and technical skills. Conceptual skills refer to a manager's “comprehension of the overall organization and understanding of where it fits within the larger environment” (p. 19). Interpersonal skills relate to a manager's ability to effectively work with people, including communication, leadership, and motivational abilities. The third dimension, technical skills, involves “the specialized knowledge needed to get the work done” (p. 19). As a former hospital administrator and healthcare system executive and now professor in the field of healthcare administration, I have long embraced Katz's view and am delighted to see Essential Techniques for Healthcare Managers embrace this compelling construct.

Following its introductory chapter, “Healthcare management”, the text is organized around four main parts. Part I: foundations for effective healthcare management, comprises four chapters including the rise of scientific healthcare management, skills for effective management, ethics, and cultural diversity. Part II: conceptual techniques for managers, comprises three chapters including the art and practice of decision making, change management, and teamwork. Part III: interpersonal techniques for managers, includes five chapters addressing the subjects of communication; delegation; hiring, motivating, evaluating, and terminating staff; managing conflict; and leadership. Part IV: technical skills for managers, addresses the age‐old yet ever relevant subjects of time management, budgeting, program assessment, and a chapter directed to the increasingly complex legal environment within which healthcare managers must successfully navigate.

“Essential techniques for healthcare managers” is organized around 16 chapters and includes a 147‐item glossary, references, and a comprehensive index. Written with encouragement by editors at Chicago‐based Health Administration Press, the book appears to be nicely pitched to beginning healthcare managers and undergraduate healthcare students. Thus, far, I have successfully employed this text as required reading in two courses:

1. 1.

   intermediate level health administration leadership; and

2. 2.

   intermediate level course on human resource management in healthcare organizations.

Having actively studied and used this text, I am satisfied that managers of provider or retail‐based pharmaceutical operations (hospital, medical clinic, long‐term care, retail/chain stores, etc.) will also find this book useful in enhancing their perspective on the linkages between important clinical/ancillary matters and their administrative components (planning, budgeting, marketing, supply/demand, and administrative decision making).

In conclusion, Cellucci and Wiggin's “Essential techniques for healthcare managers” is well researched and documented, thoughtfully organized and nicely written. Moreover, the material is organized in a manner that allows easy reading from beginning to end or skipping from one section to another. Like any good text on fundamental management skills, the book's timeless teachings will serve as an important resource for occasional if not frequent access by students, teachers, and managers alike.