Healthcare Management Impact Community

In a study of 137 Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs), the Lancet Global Health Commission on High Quality Health Systems estimated that 5 million deaths were due to poor quality healthcare, compared to 3.6 million deaths from inadequate access. In many countries, “a person has a greater chance of dying from receiving poor quality care than from going without care entirely,” (Goldschmitdt & Pate 2019).

Any strategy for improving the quality of health care in these countries will require effective leadership and management knowledge and skills across all levels in the healthcare system. Quality in healthcare is defined by the Institute of Medicine as the “degree to which health services increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge” and are measured in terms of safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, timeliness, efficiency, and equity. Improvements in each of these areas can depend on management, both organizational processes and skills, as well as clinical development.

While the literature is not yet conclusive, there is mounting evidence that improvements in healthcare management can have a positive impact on healthcare quality. (Lega, Prenestini, & Spurgeon 2013). For example, research in high-income countries by LSE and McKinsey & Company shows that better practices in managing operations and people, are correlated with better clinical outcomes, as well as productivity and financial outcomes. Their work suggests that clinical training combined with managerial development can be particularly important.

That is why the Healthcare Management Impact Community is forming within the Global Business School Network. The aim is for members of the community work together to improve healthcare quality in the developing world through management education and development activities. This might entail efforts to generate, disseminate, and adapt knowledge to context, expand capacity for healthcare management education, generating interest in healthcare management by scholars working in related areas (e.g., process improvement, leadership development, etc,), and more.

Working together to raise the level of healthcare quality in the developing world can also improve healthcare in the higher income countries. For example, management innovations that generate better outcomes at lower cost or strengthen access in the last mile of care can be helpful in higher income countries.

Participants in the impact community are from business schools and universities in both developed and developing countries. They share a common objective to improve healthcare quality by building management education and development capacity in and for the developing world.

The development of a learning community takes time and there is no expectation that it move from exchanging ideas to collective action in a short period of time. In addition, while the actions of the group are motivated by the needs of LMICs, the belief is that programs and leaders in richer countries gain new insights and innovations from the experiences. This impact community also envisions collaborations with other organizations, such as Business School Alliance for Health Management, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, civil society organizations (e.g., Amref), and business organizations to achieve objectives.