| Physician administrators are hospital employees responsible for promoting clinical practice that is consistent with recommended standards (Kurtz, 1994; Merry & Crago, 2001). Published research indicates that physician administrators are central to promoting clinical practices that improve patient care outcomes (Ellerbeck, Bhimaraj, & Perpich, 2004; McLaughlin & Kaluzny, 1990; Merry & Crago, 2001; Weiner, Shortell, Alexander, 1997). Less is known regarding how physician administrators, who have a strong identification with the profession of medicine and no formal authority over the medical staff, influence physician decisions to adopt new medical treatments. This qualitative research provides insight into how physician administrators understand their role, manage challenges, and negotiate with physicians and hospital employees to promote innovation in medical practice.;Interviews were conducted with three physician administrators and 12 referred participants who worked at three hospitals within one healthcare organization. Observations were performed on enactments used to influence physician decisions to adopt clinical innovations. Data was coded and analyzed to develop categories describing how physician administrators promoted innovation in medical treatments.;The results showed the physician administrator and referred participants had remarkably similar perceptions regarding the role of physician administrator. The participants stated that physician administrators encouraged the adoption of new medical treatments by: (1) Aligning perspectives through finding areas of shared concern and making commonalities evident to physicians and hospital administrators, (2) cultivating willingness through clarifying exemplars of best practice and comparing physician performance to these exemplars, (3) developing physician influentials and enlisting them to promote best practices, (4) eliciting support from a variety of hospital staff members, and (5) leading physicians in the absence of a physician influential.;Wiener's (2000) conceptualization of accountability, the managerial effort to regulate quality through the analysis of patient care data and comparison to standards, was central to the role of the physician administrator in promoting new medical treatments. The participants worked in a healthcare organization that had developed policies to increase accountability for clinical practices endorsed by accreditation and regulatory agencies. These management practices may explain the similarity in the participant's perceptions, suggesting that accountability for clinical performance had become a core organizational value. |
