Among the many changes over the last decade in the American health care system, hospital mergers have come under scrutiny for offering an attractive solution to closing hospitals yet yielding disappointing results. Properly managed and supported, mergers yield tremendous benefits that can contribute to a hospital’s continued existence. To succeed, new organizations need evaluative tools—feedback mechanisms-to help steer their future, financial and otherwise. This paper discusses program evaluation, which considers merger activity from classical and contemporary systemic perspectives. By designing a program evaluation from a “whole is greater that the sum of its parts” construct, a greater understanding of the entire system will be achieved. Additionally, since evaluations of mergers are not routinely performed, societal and organizational change, growth, and development may be facilitated via a systemic approach.
Learning Objectives: N/A
Keywords: Evaluation,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.