The impact of environmental turbulence on American hospital strategies

It is clear that dramatic changes are taking place in the way health care organizations are being managed. Health care executives are having to make the transition from managing with a "pass the cost along to the consumer" perspective to one of extreme competitive pressure to reduce costs while maintaining appropriate levels of quality. Reports the results of a survey of 135 American hospitals′ executives. Uses factor analysis to uncover four distinct strategies being operationalized. Classifies hospitals′ strategies as: strategic analysers, externally focused and offensively proactive; quality providers, internally-focused and defensive reactors; price negotiators, externally-focused and offensively reactive; or cost efficiency providers, internally focused and defensively proactive.