Healthcare Organizations offer significant opportunities for change and improvement in their overall performance. Hospitals and clinics are generally large, complex, and inefficient, and need serious development in process workflow and management systems, which will ultimately lead to better patient and financial outcomes. The National Academy of Medicine has stated that hospital systems are broken, and that they must begin by "... improving hospital efficiency and patient flow, and using operational management methods and information technologies." In fact, costs and quality are two of the important aspects of the "triple aim" in healthcare.

One area that offers significant potential for improvement is through the application of performance improvement methods to patient and process flows. Performance improvement has a significant impact on a hospital's over financial and strategic performance. Performance improvement involves the deployment of quantitative and scientific methods to model and influence the functioning of organizations. Performance improvement professionals are tasked with managing a variety of activities, such as deploying new information technologies, serving as project managers for construction events, re-engineering departmental process workflow, eliminating bottlenecks, and improving the flow and movement of patients between resource-intensive clinical areas. All of these are high risk, and require use of advanced, sophisticated methods to improve efficiency and quality, while minimizing disruptions from change.

This updated edition is a comprehensive and concise guide to performance improvement in healthcare. It describes the management engineering principles focused on designing optimal management and information systems and processes. Case studies and examples are integrated throughout all chapters.

About the Author
James Langabeer II, MBA, PhD is a Professor of Healthcare Management and Informatics at the University of Texas Health Science Center. He has served in hospital senior leadership at several renowned academic medical centers, led technology startup organizations through commercialization, provided management consulting to dozens of non-proft healthcare organizations, and is a seasoned researcher and professor. Dr. Langabeer has previously served as the national chair of the HIMSS Management Engineering Performance Improvement Committee, and was on the editorial board of their HIMSS Journal of Healthcare Information Management. He has published in nearly 80 academic journals and is the author of six books. He earned his PhD in Management Science from the University of Lancaster in England. He is also a Fellow of HIMSS and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).

Reviews

"In today's health care environment, the goals of quality, safety and excellence in patient experience must be achieved in a cost-efficient manner. Deploying the right performance improvement tools and training is vital in this journey. This book by Dr. Langabeer will equip you with the theory and tools to be successful in healthcare quality and operations."

Shkelzen Hoxhaj, MD, MBA, MPH

Chief Medical Officer, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami Florida

"Dr. Langabeer has the benefit of being a successful business entrepreneur and healthcare administrator with deep roots in medical research. This rare combination has allowed him to write a book that is pragmatic and comprehends the complexities of not only healthcare processes, but the challenge of culture as well. This industry is in need of a common sense, pragmatic and realistic guide for health systems to achieve high quality at lower costs. This book is a big step in the right direction."

Ivo Nelson

CEO and Chairman, Next Wave Health

"Healthcare leaders and physicians alike recognize the vital need for outstanding quality management programs within their systems of care. This important work by Dr. Langabeer draws upon his vast experience to lay out - for both experienced and novice administrators and quality leaders - concepts and guidelines for the establishing of cutting edge quality management efforts that will assure the effectiveness and the safety of their appointed missions."

Raymond Fowler, MD

Professor of Emergency Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center

Book Information
ISBN 9781138296411
Author James Langabeer II
Format Hardback
Page Count 229
Imprint CRC Press
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 560g