Date of Award

1996

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Health Management

First Advisor

Betty LeMasters

Second Advisor

Carolyn Scott

Third Advisor

Kathy Sharkey

Abstract

This thesis will focus on the evolution of the health care system in the United States and how changes from multiple sources have impacted upon it. The manner in which some health care institutions have responded to those changes will also be explored.

The current health care system under which we operate has undergone some tremendous changes that have affected its development. In general, those changes include: scientific breakthroughs, implementation of governmentally-imposed policies, changes in the economy and transformations in personal lifestyles. The manner in which health care providers are reimbursed for their services has also undergone some dramatic changes over the last fifteen years.

Persons employed in various capacities in the health care industry are living with these changes are being virtually forced to implement some type of plan to ensure their viability in the future.

While the need for health care will always exist, the manner in which one seeks it and pays for it is changing. Consumers of health care are virtually caught in the middle.

The purpose of this project is to develop a business plan for a learning resource center in a hospital positioned in a large city of a major metropolitan area. It is anticipated that this center will address and respond to several issues facing health care today. While there are no "quick fix" solutions for the problems facing this industry, the learning resource center will attempt to provide a means for educating the community it serves. It is hoped that the education will benefit those persons who use it in the following ways: lean1ing about their own health and/or disease processes, developing lifestyles that promote health and wellness, as well as using health care institutions in the most appropriate manner.

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