Examining the Role of Decision-Making Process in Patient Care

The attending physician and the operating physician are typically the key decision-makers in a patient’s treatment plan. In this study, we examine whether a single decision-making approach or a dual decision-making approach is better for patient outcomes. While research outside healthcare operations management has argued for benefits from both single and dual approaches to decision-making, very little knowledge exists in healthcare settings. In this study, we address this gap by investigating the impact of single and dual decision-making on multiple patient care outcomes We draw insights from several physician leaders to guide our study and to account for both the patient and physician selection issues for choosing a particular decision-making strategy. Results from our analyses improved outcomes on efficiency measures from a single decision-making approach Our results also suggest that patient complexity contributes to this effect. Our results are robust to alternate explanations and demonstrate the role that physicians can play in effective care treatment during a hospital stay.