Some unique aspects of healthcare management

Management as practiced in healthcare institutions is uniquely different from management in other American business endeavors. It is riddled with paradoxes that serve to restrain executive performance, create questions as to whom is in charge, divide employee and trustee loyalty, and traditionally results in difficult cost controls. This article examines some of the unique aspects of the healthcare environment that influence its governance and direction and that currently cause institutional and individual stress. Management is changing quickly and traditions die slowly--many of these unique and unusual aspects of hospital administration will continue to influence our profession for decades.