The timing of medical technology acquisition: strategic decision making in turbulent environments.

Healthcare decision makers and researchers have long been interested in the factors behind medical technology acquisition. The rate of environmental change in recent years has dramatically affected technology acquisition decision making in acute care hospitals. This study examines the relative role of decision-maker influence and environmental factors on the timing of MRI acquisition in hospitals operating in three western states with different levels of environmental uncertainty. The results suggest that the relative influence of decision makers and environmental factors on innovation acquisition timing varies depending on environmental turbulence, and that hospitals acquire new technology as one way of controlling the turbulence in their environments.