Management techniques at primary care health centers: the impact of management innovation

Long-term financial viability was a goal of The Program to Strengthen Primary Care Health Centers. To accomplish this, it was expected that participant centers would increase their management capabilities. We evaluated 32 management techniques in five principal areas: budgeting, strategic planning, general financial management, collections, and general health services management. Eight of the techniques showed change over the course of the demonstration (six increases and two decreases). It appears that there was somewhat more improvement among study centers than in a comparison group. Management sophistication has been expanding among health centers in general; Program participation appears to have accelerated this growth.