Scope and Contents
The papers consist of correspondence, writings, and itineraries which document the professional activities of Robert B. Fetter, especially throughout the 1980s. Many of the materials relate to Fetter's expertise in the field of health care management, and particularly to his innovations and work concerning Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs). The papers include some files pertaining to Fetter's responsibilities within the Yale University School of Organization and Management. Forms part of the Contemporary Medical Care and Health Policy Collection.
Dates
- 1978-1989
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
This materials are mainly open for research, with some exceptions. Series I, boxes 1-2, is closed until 2009. Series III, box 8, is closed until 2007. Materials contained in Series V, box 10 is restricted until January 1, 2063 as established by Yale Corporation regulations.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright status for collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Robert B. Fetter, 1989.
Arrangement
Arranged in four series: I. Correspondence, 1982-1989. II. Conferences and Workshops, 1978-1989. III. Yale University School of Organization and Management (SOM) Files, 1983-1986. IV. General Files, 1981-1989.
Extent
3.75 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Abstract
The papers consist of correspondence, writings, and itineraries which document the professional activities of Robert B. Fetter, especially throughout the 1980s. Many of the materials relate to Fetter's expertise in the field of health care management, and particularly to his innovations and work concerning Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs). The papers include some files pertaining to Fetter's responsibilities within the Yale University School of Organization and Management.
Biographical / Historical
Robert Barclay Fetter was born in Berwyn, Illinois, in 1924. In 1947, he was awarded a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Afterward, he went on to receive both an M.B.A. and a D.B.A. from Indiana University, in 1949 and 1952, respectively. From 1953 to 1958 Fetter worked as an assistant professor of industrial management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1958, Fetter arrived at Yale University as an associate professor of industrial management, the first of a series of faculty and administrative posts he would assume at the university, including the Harold J. Hines, Jr. professorship in health care management and the chairmanship of the Yale University School of Organization and Management.
The professional accomplishment for which Fetter is most widely known is the development of Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs), a conceptual framework which helps to define the "products" of a hospital. The DRG system identifies these products based on the characteristics of patients receiving comparable services. For Fetter, DRGs held the possibility of improving cost accounting, budgeting, and quality controls in hospitals. The application of DRGs in the United States, including their use as the basis of Medicare claims, led to international demand for more knowledge about their possibilities for hospitals in other parts of the world. Fetter's expertise in the development of DRGs regularly took him to meetings and conferences in different countries.
Fetter retired from the faculty at Yale in 1989.
- Title
- Guide to the Robert B. Fetter Papers
- Status
- Under Revision
- Author
- compiled by Jay Garcia
- Date
- July 1998
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Created In Accordance With Manuscripts And Archives Processing Manual
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
Yale University Library
P.O. Box 208240
New Haven CT 06520-8240 US
(203) 432-1735
(203) 432-7441 (Fax)
beinecke.library@yale.edu
Location
Sterling Memorial Library
Room 147
120 High Street
New Haven, CT 06511