At the AcademyHealth 2025 Annual Research Meeting (ARM) in Minneapolis, the Organizational Behavior and Management theme will offer a critical look at how organizational dynamics and ownership structures influence health care delivery, workforce well-being, as well as patient and business outcomes. As health systems face unprecedented pressures from workforce shortages to industry consolidation, research presented in this theme will shed light on the strategies, structures, and environments that support high-performing and equitable organizations.
Through a series of engaging sessions, researchers will share new evidence on the experiences of health care workers, the influence of hospital affiliations and ownership models, and the ways in which organizational cultures and infrastructures impact multi-level outcomes. This year's theme offers a unique opportunity to reflect on how organizational factors can be leveraged to create more sustainable, effective, and equitable health care systems.
Exploring Emerging Research on Organizational Behavior and Management
The “Poster Session: Organizational Behavior and Management” on Sunday, June 8, 2025 at 8 AM CT will showcase a diverse array of cutting-edge studies examining how organizational factors shape health care delivery and outcomes. Spanning topics such as leadership, workforce well-being, quality improvement, and organizational change, these posters offer fresh insights into how health systems can be better designed and managed to meet evolving challenges.
Highlighted posters include examinations of how perceptions of autonomy support among primary care professionals influence care delivery, as well as investigations into how organizational culture impacts clinician well-being. Other presentations will explore hospital strategies for managing sepsis performance measures, insights into successful organizational change processes at health care institutions, and evaluations of innovative models aimed at addressing patient experience and operational efficiency.
Together, these posters paint a comprehensive picture of the dynamic interplay between organizational environments, workforce experiences, as well as patient and business outcomes. They also provide practical implications for leaders and researchers committed to strengthening organizational performance, supporting health care workers, and enhancing patient-centered care.
Examining How Workforce Experiences and Hospital Contexts Influence Outcomes
Another highlight of the Organizational Behavior and Management theme is the session on “Impact of Workforce Experiences, Care Infrastructures, and Hospital Contexts on Multi-level Outcomes” on Sunday, June 8, 2025 at 3:45 PM CT. This session will explore how organizational environments shape both staff and patient experiences, offering a multi-level view of how health care delivery contexts affect critical outcomes.
Presentations will feature research on the relationships between workforce well-being, staffing models, organizational supports, and hospital characteristics. Studies will examine how factors like burnout, care infrastructure, and hospital ownership status influence not just individual employee experiences, but also broader system-level outcomes such as patient satisfaction, care quality, and organizational performance.
Importantly, this session highlights the interconnectedness of patient, employee, organizational, and other business outcomes, reinforcing the idea that strengthening the workforce and care environments is essential for achieving high-quality, equitable care. Attendees will gain evidence-based insights into how improving organizational supports for health care workers can yield benefits across multiple dimensions of health system performance.
Understanding the Impact of Private Equity and System Affiliations on Hospitals
Another important session in the Organizational Behavior and Management theme, “Clinical, Financial, and Other Operational Implications of Hospitals’ Private Equity and System Affiliations” on Monday, June 9, 2025 at 3:30 PM CT, will examine the growing influence of private equity investments and health system consolidations on hospital operations. As ownership structures continue to evolve, researchers are raising critical questions about how these changes affect both patient and business outcomes, including hospital performance, financial sustainability, and community access to care.
Presentations in this session will delve into how private equity ownership and system affiliations may reshape clinical decision-making, service provision, and financial priorities. Attendees will hear findings from empirical studies assessing whether these ownership changes lead to measurable shifts in operational efficiency, quality of care, patient satisfaction, and cost structures.
The session will also tackle broader implications for health equity, rural access, and market competition, particularly as consolidation accelerates across regions. By illuminating the complex clinical and financial trade-offs associated with hospital ownership changes, this session will offer vital insights for policymakers, researchers, and health care leaders seeking to understand and navigate an increasingly consolidated health care landscape.
Advancing Organizational Research to Inform Practice
Across these sessions, the 2025 ARM Organizational Behavior and Management theme will highlight how organizational structures, workforce supports, and ownership dynamics shape the future of health care delivery. Whether investigating how care infrastructures affect staff and patient experiences, or how private equity influences operational decision-making, the research presented will offer actionable insights to inform better management practices and policy responses.
For researchers, policymakers, health system leaders, frontline providers, and health care clients alike, this theme offers critical opportunities to engage with emerging evidence and to collaboratively envision organizational strategies that promote equity, resilience, and excellence.
We look forward to seeing you in Minneapolis for these important conversations at #ARM25!