Product line management: can it work for plastic surgery?

Health care managers are looking to other industries for assistance in designing strategies to respond to changing environments. In the evolving environment of managed care, operational success depends on successful management of fiscal resources. Product line management can be a key component of organizational response to change. This article describes the successful implementation of a product line management program at a large Midwestern hospital, and presents advice to plastic surgical nurses to undertake in their own facilities.