A manager cannot avoid the conflict and hope that it disappears, because that runs the risk of the conflict erupting or simply spreading like a cancer throughout the entire organization. Instead, the manager must address the issue. Furthermore, while the manager cannot dictate the approaches of the coworkers, the manager, because the manager has some power over the coworkers, can ensure that the conflict is resolved and that no person is expected to simply accommodate the wants of a person who enters into conflict from a competing perspective. Another power struggle in the health care setting that is amenable to negotiation and conflict management techniques is conflict with patients over payments. The payment environment for health care is incredibly complex and patients may genuinely misunderstand what payments are due, or be told conflicting information by their insurance companies and healthcare providers. As the primary point-of-contact with patients, healthcare providers have to be able to negotiate with clients about payment disputes. Understanding that a patient who cannot pay a bill will not be any more able to pay the bill if the doctor's office takes a heavy-handed approach can help a manager approach the person in a way that facilitates a fair payment for the office and a manageable payment for the patient.

In larger organizations, one of the power struggles that managers can anticipate is conflict between doctors and nurses. Doctor-nurse disputes are somewhat legendary in healthcare. Doctors have more medical training and, therefore, oftentimes feel as if they have more expertise than nurses. However, nurses have far more contact with the patients, so they are an invaluable source of insight into individual patient medical needs and concerns. In this scenario, some managers might be tempted to employ compromise, but compromise can actually be very dangerous to a patient. Therefore, the manager needs to focus on collaboration, and move past any power and...

To do this, the manager must have the ability to terminate problem employees. No matter how brilliant and well-respected the doctor, if he will not listen to the nurses and get input about the patients, he is going to negatively impact patient care. Likewise, no matter how wonderful a nurse is with patients, if she is not listening to doctor's treatment recommendations and orders, she cannot be an effective nurse.
Conclusion

Handling conflict is a critical part of managing a healthcare environment. This is because when conflict is mishandled, it can literally cripple a healthcare organization. "Mishandled conflicts can lead to resentment and hostility that can drive absenteeism and employee retention. In the healthcare setting, poorly managed conflict can even impact the quality and safety of care" (Kaufman, 2009). There is no magic bullet that managers can use to resolve all conflicts. However, if managers try to focus on the individual conflicts, determine underlying issues, and resolve the conflicts in a collaborative manner, they are more likely to help the stakeholders solve disputes.