What defines a process in healthcare management?

A process in healthcare management is best defined as a series of steps that transforms inputs into outputs. This definition emphasizes the importance of structured methodologies within healthcare systems, where various resources—such as personnel, equipment, and information—are utilized to produce desired outcomes, such as patient care, treatment, and operational efficiency.

Within this context, understanding processes is crucial for improving efficiency and ensuring quality in healthcare delivery. By examining each step involved, healthcare managers can identify areas for improvement, eliminate redundancies, and optimize workflow, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes and organizational performance.

The other options, while relevant to different aspects of healthcare management, do not capture the essence of a process. Reducing costs, for example, may be a goal achieved through optimizing a process, but it does not define the process itself. Similarly, marketing strategies and evaluation methods pertain to specific functions within healthcare management but do not encompass the broader definition of a process that involves a sequence of actions and transformations.