Organizing for Performance: What does the Empirical Literature Reveal about the Influence of Organizational Factors on Hospital Financial Performance?

Abstract

This chapter reviews and integrates the empirical literature on the influence of organizational factors on hospital financial performance. Five categories of organizational characteristics that research has addressed are identified and examined as part of the review: ownership, governance, integration, management strategy, and quality. With some exceptions, our review reveals a general lack of consistency and conclusiveness across studies in each area. Exceptions were found in the areas of governance (e.g., physician participation and board processes) and integration (e.g., horizontal system centralization). Despite the lack of conclusive findings across studies, our review suggests substantial opportunities for future work, including opportunities for qualitative and exploratory work. Additional implications for theory and management are discussed.

Citation

Holt, H.D., Clark, J., DelliFraine, J. and Brannon, D. (2011), "Organizing for Performance: What does the Empirical Literature Reveal about the Influence of Organizational Factors on Hospital Financial Performance?", Blair, J.D. and Fottler, M.D. (Ed.) Biennial Review of Health Care Management (Advances in Health Care Management, Vol. 11), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 21-62. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1474-8231(2011)0000011006