title: Physicians in leadership: the association between medical director involvement and staff-to-patient ratios.
abstract: In a hospital environment that demands a careful balance between commercial and clinical interests, the extent to which physicians are involved in hospital leadership varies greatly. This paper assesses the influence of the extent of this involvement on staff-to-patient ratios. Using data gathered from 604 hospitals across Germany, this study evidences the positive relationship between a full-time medical director (MD) or heavily involved part-time MD and a higher staff-to-patient ratio. The data allows us to control for a range of confounding variables, such as size, rural/urban location, ownership structure, and case-mix. The results contribute to the sparse body of empirical research on the effect of clinical leadership on organizational outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Business Administration and Health Care Management, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany. kuntz@wiso.uni-koeln.de
authors.forename: Ludwig
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kuntz
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scholtes
mesh_terms: D005858:Germany; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006739:Hospital Administration; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000600:supply & distribution; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000600:supply & distribution; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D008486:Physician Executives; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012044:Regression Analysis