Human Resource Management in the Health Care Sector

This volume brings together the work of several outstanding scholars on the critical subject of human resource management in the health care sector. As the contributors note, the combined pressures of an aging population, higher costs, and reduced Medicare reimbursement formulas have made more efficient delivery of services a primary concern for health care facilities of all kinds. Because of the labor-intensive nature of health services, this goal cannot be achieved without more effective human resource management. Here, noted authorities in the field present the latest techniques and practical applications of human resource management specifically tailored to the needs of health care professionals. Broadly comprehensive in scope, this volume addresses each of the major concerns in human resources: planning, staffing, equal employment, performance appraisal, compensation, training, safety, employee rights, and industrial and labor relations. The book begins by presenting a conceptual framework for human resource management, the strategic choice model. Subsequent chapters build upon this model by presenting a systems approach to strategic human resource planning and demonstrating the importance of job design and job analysis in this context. The contributors then discuss recruitment strategies, performance-based pay systems, employee evaluations, and the design of compensation systems, focusing throughout on issues of particular relevance in the health care sector. Finally, a number of chapters explore topics of increasing concern to both health care workers and administrators, including quality of work life, the burgeoning home health care industry, collective bargaining and legislation, managing change in the health care environment, and the challenges posed by information technology. An indispensable reference source for health practitioners, researchers, and students, Human Resource Management in the Health Care Sector is also a valuable text for courses in health, business, nursing, and management.