LEADERSHIP IN HEALTH CARE

Traditionally, doctors were always selected and trained to be the lone Ranger, practicing in splendid isolation, accountable only to their patients and conscience. The picture has changed dramatically in the past few years with the widespread introduction of health insurance, corporate hospitals and managed care. Leadership in medical care has never been more important that it is today. Notwithstanding the expansion of corporate medicine, almost daily we hear of the disastrous breakdown of many of these health care systems. Even a cursory analysis shows that poor leadership in addition to poor leadership, in addition to poor management, is the cause. The medical community still does not understand the essential role of the medical leadership is not particularly inclined to get involved and is certainly not willing to surrender authority to any level of organization.