Corporate culture: does it play a role in health care management?

Market conditions are forcing health care organizations into new and difficult processes of self examination and change. Many of the traditional and time honored methods of health care delivery are being replaced due to demands of cost-conscious consumers. For the first time, health care providers are being forced to consider cost when making recommendations about patient care, and providers are finding themselves in competition or conflict with the philosophies of hospitals and other institutions. These differences are causing dramatic changes in the relationships within and among all of the factions in our health care system.