Integral Healthcare Management

Integral Healthcare Management, an application of Integral Theory to the management of healthcare organizations, is a comprehensive and inclusive way of providing healthcare. In this article I explain the “all-quadrant” aspect of Integral Theory in the context of two common healthcare management challenges: operating a hospital in accord with national accreditation standards and complying with modern notions of “patient safety.” The application of Integral Theory to healthcare management will help organizations maintain their focus on exterior forces and influences while acknowledging the oft-overlooked interiors. I conclude that Integral Theory can strike a balance between an individual and collective focus, offer a more humane approach in that it forces a deep examination of quality and performance, and be more cost effective.

In Part 2 I outline three core aspects of Integral Theory: “all-quadrants,” “all-levels,” and “all-lines.” Citing examples from common healthcare management activities such as compliance, patient safety, executive recruitment and selection, organizational development, team-building, mergers and acquisitions, and quality management, I suggest the broad applicability of Integral Healthcare Management as a means of improving quality of care, cost-effectiveness, employee and provider satisfaction, regulatory compliance, and patient safety. I then outline some historic obstacles to the application of Integral Theory to healthcare management and suggest strategies to overcome such obstacles.

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THOMAS G. GODDARD, J.D., Ph.D., is Senior Associate on the Organizational Change Team at Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., one of the world’s largest and most prestigious management technology consulting firms. He is a founding member of Integral Institute and Director of the Integral Healthcare Center.

He has served as President and CEO of Integral Healthcare Solutions; as the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of URAC (one of the “big 3” healthcare organization accrediting bodies in the United States); Vice President and General Counsel of NYL Care Health Plans of the Mid-Atlantic; Counsel for Government and Media Relations for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners; President and CEO of the Goddard Public Affairs Corporation; and Adjunct professor in the School of Management of George Mason University. His current consulting focuses on providing integral management consulting and research services to public and private organizations, with an emphasis on quality improvement in government agencies and healthcare organizations.