Tracking the Pattern of Strategic Management in Health Care Management Literature Evidence from Academic Journals Mehmet Ali Koseoglu 1,2 , Erdal Akdeve 2 , İklim Gedik 2 , Andy Bertsch 1 1 College of Business, Minot State University, Minot, ND 58707 trmaliktr@yahoo.com, mehmet.koseoglu@minotstateu.edu 2 School of Management, Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Ankara, Turkey Abstract This study aims to research the pattern of strategic management literature in health care management research using articles published in academic health management journals. To that end, 97 articles were retrieved based on a search undertaken using the keywords, 'strategy' and 'strategic' in health management journals available in ProQuest, Emerald, Sciencedirect /Elsevier, Ebscohost, Jstore, Medline/Pubmed, Taylor&Francis Online, Sagepub, and Wiley databases. The findings were reached by evaluating these articles based on their journal years, authors, authors' institutions, research methodology, and strategic management topics. Finally, future potential study areas were identified while also presenting this study’s constraints. Keywords: hospital, health, strategy, strategic management, bibliometrics, literature. Introduction This study attempts to investigate the attention and progress that the topic of strategic management has had in the healthcare management literature. It is getting increasingly harder to manage the intrinsic uncertainties of the healthcare services industry due to constant change (Branson et al. 2006). Such uncertainties and difficulties naturally bring about both opportunities and threats; therefore, healthcare services professionals utilize strategic management tools to differentiate their organization’s performance within the industry and within their respective market (Voelker, Rakich and French, 2001). Healthcare management enhances its presence in the environment by turning attention to contributions to the literature. (Silvestro and Silvestro, 2008; Madarran-Garcia and Val-Pardo, 2006; Longest, 2004; Perryman and Rivers, 2011; Swinehart, Zimmerer and Oswald, 1995). Topping and Hernandez (1991) researched the content of this contribution between 1985 and 1990 with their articles in general management and health management journals. However, the pattern and growth of the strategic management topic in the healthcare services management literature has yet to be discussed. As evaluation of trends in the literature for a specific scientific discipline helps define the advancements and gaps in that discipline, a more effective and 1