Validity and Reliability of American College of Healthcare Executive Competencies Assessment Tool for the Managers of Healthcare Networks in Zanjan Province

Introduction: The importance of using the competent managers in the healthcare system, shows the need to recognize their competencies and having standards to measure competencies. In this regard, the purpose of this article is to determine the validity and reliability of the competency assessment tool of the American College of Health Care Executives for the managers of healthcare networks in Zanjan province. Methods: This study is a descriptive-analytical study in which data collection was performed using the American College of Health Care Executives Competencies Assessment tool. This tool was provided to 30 healthcare management professors and experts, in Zanjan province. To investigate the validity, internal consistency and repeatability Content Validation methods, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient and Retesting were used respectively. Data were analyzed using Excel 2010 and SPSS 18 software. Results: The results showed that 235 out of 302 questions related to the American College of Health Care Executives Competencies Assessment tool had low content validity and should be rejected. The content validity index of the final questionnaire was calculated to be 0.84, which is acceptable. The results also showed that the final questionnaire was reliable with α=0.98 and repeatable. Conclusion: Utilizing a framework to assess the competencies of healthcare network managers can be of benefit in choosing qualified managers. According to the results of this study, the provided tool shows a desirable reliability and a fairly convenient validity to be used in healthcare networks of Zanjan province.

Leadership and Management Perspectives from Athletic Health Care Executives

Context In today's health care environment, the need to engage personnel in quality improvement to demonstrate value to patient care is vital. Health care executives are responsible for leading within their organizations, and athletic trainers (ATs), similar to other health care executives, have typically risen to positions of authority without leadership training. Objective To explore the lived experiences of ATs as health care executives, specific to their path to leadership and their role in leading continuous quality improvement. Design Consensual qualitative research. Setting Web-based phone interviews. Patients or Other Participants A total of 20 participants (age = 41 ± 10 years; experience = 18 ± 10 years) indicated they held a position of authority, had personnel management responsibilities, and had influence over organizational change within their health care systems; however, after completing the interviews, we determined that only 17 participants met the inclusion criteria. Data Collection and Analysis The primary investigator completed interviews. We analyzed the data with a 3-person data-analysis team and an internal auditor. Trustworthiness was established through member-checking and multiple-researcher triangulation. Results Participants described various forms of preparation including mentors and both self-directed and required resources that assisted in preparing for their management and leadership roles. Participants described how they influenced personnel, including identifying individualized motivators, establishing goals, and building relationships. Participants explained the culture they hoped to establish, characterized by a growth mindset, transparency, and both self-reflective and systems-level improvement practices. Many of the participants depicted characteristics of strong leaders through an individual growth mindset, embodiment of the behaviors they wanted to see in their personnel, and transformational leadership strategies. Conclusions Athletic health care executive have the responsibility to lead and transform their organizations. However, few in these positions have had formal training to prepare them for the role. ATs seeking health care executive positions should seek formal training to acquire the skills necessary to create organizational change and serve as transformational leaders.

Perceptions of Health Care Executives on Leadership Development Skills for Residents After Participating in a Longitudinal Mentorship Program

Despite the fact that physicians are being asked to lead and enact change to improve a myriad of quality of care measures, there is little focus on leadership skills development during their training. One strategy to address this gap is to focus on trainees during graduate medical education, specifically those residents aspiring to careers as physician leaders in quality. The authors designed a leadership curriculum for self-selected residents who are pursuing a certificate in health care leadership in quality. Residents were surveyed and focus groups were conducted with health system executives who participated in the curriculum as part of an evaluation designed to inform improvements in the program and to provide guidance to others who direct physician leadership training programs. The findings support the need to invest in young physician leaders who are focused on quality with the ultimate goal of improving population health in the ever-changing health care environment.

Recent Developments in Health Law

In the past several years, the Office of Inspector General (OIG), the branch of the Department of Health and Human Services that combats fraud and abuse, has begun enforcing a little-used provision that allows the government to exclude owners and managers of sanctioned entities based on their position in the company. The OIG's exclusion authority under 42 USC § 1320a-7(b)(15) is not unique in applying strict liability to individual executives as a tool to halt corporate misconduct, but it represents a startling change for health care executives who could now face exclusion for their company's misdeeds. While the OIG has expanded its use of this statute, it has indicated some hesitancy in exercising the full scope of its statutory power.Pursuant to §1128 and §1156 of the Social Security Act, the OIG can exclude individuals and entities from participating in federal healthcare programs. The OIG has both mandatory and permissive exclusion power, based on the circumstances of the offense.

Evolving E-Health Systems

The 21st century continues to witness the transformation of organizational systems globally through the deployment of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The emerging future is witnessing the convergence of artificial intelligence, biotechnology, nomadic information systems, and nanotechnology. This promises to further transform the nature of inter-organizational systems between the corporate and public sectors. The evolution of e-health systems is a case in point. In the light of the Wuli-Shili-Renli (WSR) approach, this key informant study explores the strategic perceptions of corporate ICT and health care executives in Canada and Sweden. Public governance values play critical roles in evolving and sustaining symbiotic e-health networks in Canada and Sweden. The chapter exposes the unique transgenic dimensions of evolving e-health systems. The findings and implications of the study underscore the need for further international e-business research on the socio-cultural domains in which inter-organizational systems evolve.