Applied Problem-Solving in Healthcare Management

Applied Problem-Solving in Healthcare Management is a practical textbook devoted to developing and strengthening  problem-solving and decision-making leadership competencies of  healthcare administration students and healthcare management  professionals. Built upon the University of Minnesota Master of  Healthcare Administration Program’s Problem-Solving Method, the text  describes the “never assume” mindset and the structured method that  drive evidence-based, action-oriented problem-solving. The “never  assume” mindset requires healthcare leaders to understand themselves and  their stakeholders, and to engage in waves of divergent and convergent  thinking. This structured method guides the problem solver through the  phases of defining, studying, and acting on complex interrelated  organizational problems that involve multiple root causes. The book also  describes how the Problem-Solving Method is complementary to quality  improvement methods and can be used in healthcare organizations along  with Lean, Design Thinking, and Human Centered Design.

Providing  step-by-step instruction including useful tips, tools, activities, and  case studies, this effective resource demonstrates the utility of the  method for all types of health organization settings including health  systems, hospitals, clinics, population health, and long-term care. For  students taking health management, capstone, and experiential learning  courses, including internship and residency projects, this book allows  them to test and apply their problem-solving and decision-making skills  to real-world situations. Beyond the classroom, it is an indispensable  resource for organizations seeking to enhance the problem-solving skills  of their workforce.

The authors of the text have  nearly 75 years of combined experience in healthcare management,  leadership, and professional consulting, and teaching and advising  healthcare administration students in classrooms, on student capstone,  internship and residency projects, and case competitions. Synthesizing  their expertise, this text serves as a guide for those who wish to  strengthen their problem-solving abilities to systematically identify,  analyze, study, and solve pressing organizational challenges in  healthcare settings.

Key Features:

• Describes a mindset and a structured problem-solving method that builds leadership competencies
• Encourages a step-by-step problem-solving approach to define, study, and act on problems to drive action-oriented solutions
• Supports  experiential learning and coaching for students and professionals early  in their careers, applicable especially to healthcare management,  capstone, and student consulting courses, internship and residency  projects, case competitions, and professional development in  organizations
• Compares  the Problem-Solving Method to other complementary methods used in many  healthcare organizations, including Lean, Design Thinking, and Human  Centered Design