Innovation theory and its applicability to our understanding of the diffusion of new management practices in health care organizations.

There has been a longstanding interest in understanding how new management practices and organizational structures are diffused through the health care system. This article reviews current literature on innovation and diffusion to provide insight into how new management practices and organizational structures are introduced into the system. Understanding the process may help in accommodating new developments and provide managerial opportunities to take a more active role in encouraging or discouraging their further evolution.