The Relationship between Leadership, Organizational and Market Characteristics and Services Provided among IHS Urban Indian Health Programs

Abstract The Urban Indian Health Program (UIHP) was created by the Indian Health Service to establish a culturally appropriate health care delivery model for Native Americans who relocate into urban areas. For each of the 31 UIHP facilities, the geography, socioeconomic characteristics, and culture of the patient mix is varied, and the leaders of each facility affect the strategic direction and planning of the health care services offered and the adaptation of the health care services offerings to each of its populations. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine if, within the UIHP, there is a relationship among the characteristics of the leaders and the leader’s strategic decisions relating to services provided. We found that the planning and execution of the UIHP’s strategy depends upon a variety of factors including the leaders’ individual characteristics, the organizational characteristics of each program, and the market factors of each service area.