Innovation of Health Services: A Comparative Study of Hospitals and Health Departments

Abstract

This paper investigates the differential contribution of various organizational variables affecting the innovation of high-risk versus low-risk health service programs in two types of health care organizations: hospitals and health departments. It was found that variables are differentially related to both the type of program and the type of organization. Organizational size was a critical factor in program innovation as it relates to high-risk services in hospitals and low-risk services in health departments. Excluding size, characteristics of the staff, such as cosmopolitan orientation and training, were prime predictors for both highand low-risk programs in health departments and low-risk programs in hospitals. The degree of formalization was the primary predictor of innovation of high-risk programs in hospitals. Cosmpolitan orientation of the administrator was a critical factor in the innovation of high-risk programs in both hospitals and health departments.