title: Development of a culture of sustainability in health care organizations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This paper aims to examine the concept of sustainability in health care organizations and the key managerial competencies and change management strategies needed to implant a culture of sustainability. Competencies and management development strategies needed to engrain this corporate culture of sustainability are analyzed in this document.
  
  
  METHODS
  This paper draws on the experience of the authors as health care executives and educators developing managerial competencies with interdisciplinary and international groups of executives in the last 25 years, using direct observation, interviews, discussions and bibliographic evidence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With a holistic framework for sustainability, health care managers can implement strategies for multidisciplinary teams to respond to the constant change, fine-tune operations and successfully manage quality of care. Managers can mentor students and provide in-service learning experiences that integrate knowledge, skills, and abilities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further empirical research needs to be conducted on these interrelated innovative topics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health care organizations around the world are under stakeholders' pressure to provide high quality, cost-effective, accessible and sustainable services. Professional organizations and health care providers can collaborate with university graduate health management education programs to prepare competent managers in all the dimensions of sustainability.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The newly designated accountable care organizations represent an opportunity for managers to address the need for sustainability.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sustainability of health care organizations with the holistic approach discussed in this paper is an innovative and practical approach to quality improvement that merits further development.
authors: Department of Health Management and Informatics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA. bernardo.ramirez@ucf.edu
authors: Bernardo
authors: B
authors: Ramirez
authors: Department of Health Administration and Human Resources, The University of Scranton, Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors: Daniel J
authors: DJ
authors: West
authors: Department of Health Administration and Human Resources, The University of Scranton, Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors: Michael M
authors: MM
authors: Costell
mesh_terms: D060866:Accountable Care Organizations / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D003363:Cost Control; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000639:trends; D014943:Global Health; D006270:Health Facility Administrators / Q000592:standards*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D015279:Organizational Culture; D009936:Organizational Innovation / Q000191:economics; D011361:Professional Competence; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D014481:United States