The mission of the well-managed community hospital

The well-managed community hospital as an organization is in dynamic equilibrium with its geographic community and with other communities providing finance, physicians, nurses, other professionals and resources necessary to meet local health care needs. The hospital is "well-managed" when it develops an equilibrium that permits all of its various constituencies to be satisfied. Growth in market share results from good management. The hospital's ability to attract and satisfy the needs of health care professionals while simultaneously meeting the needs of patients and their families at competitive prices allows it to flourish. Its financial success allows it to reward its medical staff and employees in ways that attract the best of each work group. A central problem in achieving good management is communication. Hospitals must communicate their goals convincingly to a large number of doctors and employees. "The Well-Managed Community Hospital," winner of the James A. Hamilton Hospital Administration Book Award, argues that a well-structured mission statement is the essential first step in the communications process. According to the book, final responsibility for the mission statement lies with the governing board and is one of five non-delegable functions of the board. The nature of the mission setting function as described in the book follows.