Standing in the Gap: The Academic and Professional Divide Between Health Administration and Health Policy

Authors

Steven W. Howard, University Of Alabama At Birmingham
Michael A. Counte, Saint Louis University
Leah J. Vriesman, University of California, Los Angeles
Harrison D. Brink, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Frontiers in Public Health

Abstract

There are diverse types of health care systems, policies and health care organizations existing in health care delivery arrangements across the world (1). Two distinct influential groups of professionals have emerged as a result. They are: 1. Macro-level, population-oriented heath policy planners and analysts (health policy professionals–HPP) and 2. More micro-level, institutionally-oriented managers and organizational leaders and executives (health management professionals–HMP). As the old idiom goes, “one can't see the forest for the trees.” Are HPP professionals at such “altitude” that they have a clear vision of the forest, but fail to understand how things are on the ground at the “tree” level? Are HMP professionals so close to daily operations that they see only their “tree” and fail to fully understand how they fit in the larger “forest” (or understand the externalities of their organization-level decisions on the overall community or nation)?

Given the influence of HPP professionals in health planning at every level, and the role of HMP professionals in leading health care organizations to successfully adapting to environmental policy changes, building a strong understanding of each other and greater coordination between these professions would be beneficial to health care organizations around the globe. This project contrasts educational structures and processes that influence HMP and HPP educational formation and perspectives on major health issues. The issues and discussion in this report can facilitate building bridges across these two vital groups and greater collaboration over the long-term.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1147646

Publication Date

3-16-2023

PubMed ID

37006566

College or School

School of Health Professions

Comments

2022/2023 APC Fund Awardee:
Dr. Steven Howard, Associate Professor
School of Health Professions

Award Amount: $490.00

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Supplemental Associated Link

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1147646/full

Recommended Citation

Howard SW, Counte MA, Vriesman LJ, Brink HD. Standing in the gap: The academic and professional divide between health administration and health policy. Front Public Health. 2023 Mar 16;11:1147646. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1147646. PMID: 37006566; PMCID: PMC10060522.