In a time of rapid change in the healthcare system, it’s no surprise that hospitals across the country are examining new patient care delivery approaches. In many cases, business professionals with management experience are driving innovation.

The skills and ideas that healthcare managers bring to the table provide a fresh approach with significant patient benefits.

The connection between patient care and management practice is the subject of a growing body of research.

Some of the most important innovations are not technologic — they are in the way we organize care delivery,” said Bohmer.

Though the focus of healthcare reform has largely been on policy, the way hospitals operate and manage services is an important part of facilitating changes that will lead to improved patient care. Hospital managers, unlike most policymakers, are directly involved in the healthcare system. They can manage “actual care rather than the context in which the care takes place,”

Historically, hospitals have concentrated on acquiring technology and skilled physicians instead of designing unique care processes for patient groups. They left healthcare delivery to physicians who focused on “the resources clinicians use as they provide care and on the hotel functions of inpatient institutions.” In short, there was a clear separation between healthcare management and clinical practice.

Now, managers are combining business expertise with an understanding of the healthcare