THE PHYSICAL THERAPIST AS

ADMINISTRATOR Chapter 8
DEFINITION
Administration is the skilled process of planning, directing, organizing, and
managing human, technical, environmental, and financial resources effectively and
efficiently.
Administration includes the management, by individual physical therapists, of
resources for patient/client management and for organizational operations.
(The Interactive Guide to Physical Therapist Practice with Catalog of Tests and Measures (2002)
MANAGEMENT AND
MANAGERS
Management is the process by which an organization meets its goals.
Managers are responsible for selecting the procedures to be used and for evaluating
the effectiveness and efficiency of these procedures in meeting the stated goals.
The arrangement of the management system depends on the size and
complexity of the organization and the number of management levels.
 MANAGEMENT THEORIES
1. 1900: Classical management style; bureaucratic, based on the belief that workers
only have physical and economic needs. It does not take into account social needs
or job satisfaction, but instead advocates a specialization of labor, centralized
leadership and decision-making, and profit maximization (Weber, Taylor, Fayol,
Follett).
2. 1920-30: Human relations theory; worker attitudes affect productivity. It is a
researched belief that people desire to be part of a supportive team that facilitates
development and growth (Hawthorne, Barnard).
3. 1940-50: Systems theory; organization is system of interrelated and interdependent parts
functioning as a whole to accomplish a goal that one part alone cannot (Katz and Kahn).
4. 1950-60: Human resources theory; focus on motivation and leadership (Blake and
Mouton).
5. 1960-70: Contingency theory; fit of organization processes to the characteristics of each
situation. claims that there is no best way to organize a corporation, to lead a company, or
to make decisions. Instead, the optimal course of action is contingent upon the internal and
external situation.(Fiedler)
6. Early to late 1980s: Quality management theory; Structured system for satisfying
customers through the integration of continuous improvement processes (Deming).
7. Late 1980s through 1990s: Mixed management style; participative but management exerts
more control. Transformational (Burns; Bennis and Nanus).
8. 2000 and beyond: Flexible management; customized employment with focus on lifetime
employability rather than marked lifetime employment. Fewer levels of management,
workers
CONTEMPORARY PHYSICAL
THERAPY ADMINISTRATION
Physical therapy management may be categorized into
areas:
Finances
Human resources
Operations
Information
CONTEMPORARY PHYSICAL
THERAPY ADMINISTRATION
Different levels of management.
Patient client management
First line management
Mid-level management
Top level management
PATIENT/CLIENT MANAGEMENT

The management of patients is the common level of management or administration

for all PTs.
In day-to-day patient/client management, PTs take charge of resources, plan the care
of patients, direct support personnel, and organize time and work.
Through these duties, the PT becomes a manager of the assigned work,
responsible for ensuring that the outcomes of the care provided contribute to the
organization’s overall goals.

Professional issues at this level of management include billing,

documentation, and delegation and supervision of support personnel.