How does the external environment (stakeholders, regulations, accrediting agencies, etc.) affect the policymaking process in health care?

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Let’s consider a few different external influences and their effects on policy:

1) Stakeholders

These are arguably one of the biggest influences on policymaking at the local organization level. Due to their capacity to fund and defund initiatives and particular areas of health care for the organization, it is easy to imagine the influence of stakeholders on policy. It is likely the stakeholders will be more easily convinced to adopt policies which have stable, true and tested methods of ensuring productivity, with the end goal of ensuring the organization turns up as much revenue as possible. This could mean adopting policies of traditional marketing techniques or employing only well tested and highly used surgical techniques or equipment, with little room for innovation. Alternatively, some organizations strive to fill in the niche that is to be experimental and innovative. Policy makers in this regard appeal to stakeholders’ need for new ideas and initiatives that might generate a new patent, for example. Ultimately, stakeholders tend to influence policy makers to adopt policies which are most likely to generate revenue.

2) Regulatory agencies (typically government)

Regulatory agencies often ensure that whatever policies are adopted, that they do not jeopardize the safety of the consumers of health care, as well as those who actually work in it. This includes putting on various protocols that ensure risks are well analyzed and …