Ensuring management excellence in the healthcare system

We believe that if we improve healthcare management, we will improve quality, reduce cost, and open opportunities to expand access. The present support for healthcare management, however, needs improvement in every aspect. Beginning with attracting young people, progressing through entry education, continuing education, and the special preparation for senior management, what we need overall is a program of continuous improvement. We need specific goals, measures of how well we achieve those goals, and accountability for that achievement. We need programs that attract and reward excellence and that make mediocrity untenable. The purpose of this article is to identify and expand the elements of such a program.