Healthcare Administration and Leadership Health care in the United States has progressed and improved to the point at which providers in all health care settings have defined and developed at least 4 major areas of importance for effective health care. Knowledgeable health care leaders have identified Quality and Safety; Community Health; Health Care Access and Coverage; and Leadership and Governance as key areas that must be constantly addressed and improved to provide optimal health care. The Human Research and Educational Trust has provided significant leadership in those 4 areas since its establishment approximately 60 years ago. By developing studies and assessments, as well as uniting health care leadership across the nation, HRET has exerted a great impact on health care in America.

Analysis

Two of the HRET's Major Areas and Why Each Area is Important to Health Care Administrators

The four major areas addressed by the Health Research and Educational Trust are: Quality and Safety; Community Health; Health Care Access and Coverage; and Leadership and Governance (Health Research and Educational Trust, 2007, p. 2). "Quality and Safety" is focused on the delivery of high-quality and safe health care for patients, benefiting patients and their families (Health Research and Educational Trust, 2007, p. 3). "Community Health" deals with population health, including promotion of health, prevention of disease and the important connection between health care...

9). "Health Care Access and Coverage" concerns the same availability of care for every society member, regardless of his/her location, race, social status, economic status, age or gender (Health Research and Educational Trust, 2007, p. 14). Finally, "Leadership and Governance" stresses the continual improvement of governance in health care by tracking issues, trends and practices, studying links between governance and clinical/financial results and finding ways in which hospital/health system governance can rethink and increasingly add value to their organizations (Health Research and Educational Trust, 2007, p. 16). While all four areas are vital to effective health care, "Quality and Safety" and "Leadership and Governance" were chosen for this assignment.
"Quality and Safety" is important to health care administrators because each patient and his/her family are entitled to the safe, highly-effective health care. Consequently, the entire health care industry strives to constantly improve patient safety and the effectiveness of treatment and it is the health care administrator's privilege and duty to continually examine and improve his/her institution's systems in the areas of safety and quality of care. "Leadership and Governance" is also important to health care administrators because a health care institution's policy and practice are often established and improved "from the top down." Administration…