Study On The Post Responsibility And Compentency Standard Of Public Hospital Director In China

1. INTRODUCTION1.1PurposesThe public hospital presidents, who assume the responsibilities of health policy implementation and hospital management, are the key factor to efficiently ensure those hospitals to reach their function of social welfare and effectively improve operational performance of the hospitals. This study aims to clearly define the rights and responsibilities between government as an owner and hospital president as an administrator so as to explain those presidents’responsibilities in further detail. On such basis, the standard of competency evaluating (CE) of those presidents would be proposed. It’s a fundamental work for efficient selection and appointment of public hospital presidents, implementation on vocational and professional training in addition to the establishment of effective mechanism for incentive and restraint.1.2Objectives and ContentsTo define the rights and responsibilities between government as an owner and hospital president as an administrator so as to make clear the functions of those hospitals and explain the responsibilities of presidents in detail. Based on above two studies, the CE standard of the presidents is proposed.Study on the functions of public hospitalsStudy on the responsibilities of public hospital presidentsStudy on the CE standard of public hospital presidents1.3MethodologyLiterature review and data collection Field visits in typical areas, including special investigations on related institutions in Shenzhen, Wuxi and Shanghai for presidents’ responsibilities and their performance evaluationQuestionnaires to358public hospital presidents and health bureau administrators nationwide to find out their opinions regarding responsibilities and CE standard of public hospital presidentsIn-depth Interviews with experts from Shanghai Shenkang Group, several hospital presidents in Beijing and some professionals in health management2. FINDINGS2.1Theoretical analysis on functional orientation of public hospital This study defines the public hospital as a public health facility, under socialist market economy, is built by governmental funds with clear ownership and modern governance structure to provide basic non-profit medical service for the society. After summarized and proved, China’s public hospitals are characterized as political, public, economic and professional, which have oriented the functions of the hospitals as governmental primary governance units, social public services suppliers, and staff’s operating entity and professional organization.2.2Study on the responsibilities of public hospital presidentThrough the integrated use of induction and deduction method, this study analyzes the requirements of mission for public hospital reform at this stage to build a theoretical framework for defining the responsibilities of hospital presidents, namely, the capacity in terms of implementation of government directives, fulfillment of social responsibilities, management of hospital operation and capacity building of the hospital. The former two functions are external duties while the latter two are internal concerns. Under this framework, the responsibilities of public hospital presidents are concluded as9parts:response to public health emergencies, management of counterpart support and aid, management of healthcare quality and safety, management of medical expenses, management of service quality, management of hospital strategy, management of medical efficiency, management of capital operation and capacity building on sustainable development. 2.3CE Standard of public hospital presidentThis study, on basis of summarization and drawing lessons on previous researches, takes the methods combined induction and deduction to build and demonstrate the CE standard of public hospital presidents, including7competent capacities:the ability of planning, decision-making, innovation, comprehensive analysis, communication and coordination, motivating subordinates, decentralizing of power and empowering and7characteristcs in terms of attitudes as well as values:integrity, social responsibility, fairness and impartiality, professionalism, team spirit, sense of service and competitive.In theory, the responsibilities and CE standard of public hospital presidents vary depends on the level and type of the hospitals, respectively. This study summarized the general responsibilities and CE standard of public hospital presidents after combination of suggestions and advices from hospital presidents and health bureaus administrators at different levels with different types. Meanwhile, the argument process for research intent also took advantages of opinions from various hospitals administrators. However, with the research going in depth, further study on defining responsibilities and CE standard of public hospital presidents in compliance with respective level and type will be done in next step.