Managing Health Services: Cases in Organization Design and Decision Making

AORN Journal, Nov, 2004 by Nancy J. Shatto

Managing Health Services: Cases in Organization Design and Decision Making Deborah E. Bender with Julie Curkendall and Heather Manning 2000, 214 pp $55 softcover

This book was written to help "hone the skills of managers and leaders who walk and breathe in the ever increasingly challenging world of health sciences management." It is intended to be used in conjunction with the textbooks Health Care Management: Organization Design and Behavior, (1) and The Well Managed Healthcare Organization, (2) but it also can be used on its own. Although the book was written for new nurse managers, it contains valuable information that can be used by managers in any stage of their careers.

The authors use a series of 16 case studies to illustrate real life situations and challenges faced by managers. Each case is divided into the same five-part system:

* a focused topic description,

* learning/teaching objectives,

* background and case overview,

* organizational problems, and

* questions for discussion.

This organizational system helps guide readers in their analysis and provides a focus for discussions in a classroom setting. The book can be used to help students handle situations that will occur during their careers or by managers as a reference book to help them manage situations that occur daily. The authors take a subject that could be dry and make it interesting by presenting relevant case studies, thought-provoking questions, and discussions that promote problem-solving of tough scenarios with results that can be applied to everyday situations.

This book is available from Health Administration Press, One N Franklin St, Suite 1700, Chicago, IL 61616-3491.

NANCY J. SHATTO

RN, MSN, CNOR

NURSE MANAGER

VA EASTERN COLORADO HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

DENVER

NOTES

(1.) S M Shortell, A D Kaluzny, Health Care Management: Organization Design and Behavior, fourth ed (Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers, 2000).

(2.) J R Griffith, K R White, The Well-Managed Healthcare Organization, fifth ed (Chicago: Health Administration Press, 2002).