Middleville Regional Health Care is One

Middleville Regional Health Care is one (1) of three (3) hospitals serving a community of 350,000 people. Summary statistics on Middleville and its competitors, from the AHA Guide, are shown below in Table 1. All three organizations are not-for-profit. Table 1: Middleville, Brierfield, and Greystone Health Care Systems Name

Beds

Admissions

Census

OP Visits

Births

Expenses (000)

Middleville

575

13,000

350

221,000

2,300

$125,000

Brierfield

380

17,000

260

175,000

1,200

$130,000

Greystone

350

10,000

180

40,000

900

$80,000

The governing board of Middleville hired a consulting company to evaluate its strategic performance, specifically in the areas of Human Resources, Information Technology, Financing, and Marketing. As part of the consultant’s evaluation, several leaders of Middleville’s units were asked their perspective of the organization’s performance. You are working for the consultant. Your job is to identify the issues from the response that should be considered further by the consultant team and possibly discussed with the governing board and the CEO. The firm has a rule, “Never offer a criticism or negative finding without suggesting how the client organization can correct it,” so you must indicate what sort of correction you would recommend as part of your list. Because you know there were about two (2) dozen other interviews, you decide you should rank your issues in importance, to make sure the most critical are discussed. Write a six to eight (6-8) page paper in which you: 1. Explain the governing board’s role in these strategic initiatives, determining its responsibility and involvement. 2. Evidence-based management means that operational and strategic decisions are made based upon the evidence that goals and objectives are actually being met. Quantitative measurements must be identified and measured. This data is then used to evaluate the HCO’s performance. Name three (3) performances Middleville can use to measure its success in providing quality healthcare to the community, and identify quantifiable, measureable indicators that can be used to do so. Explain the importance of each performance measurement. 3. Given the statistics of Middleville and its two (2) competitors provided in Table 1, recommend to the HCO what areas it should focus on to maintain its competitive market share as well as continue to provide healthcare to the community in the 21st century. 4. Some of Middleville’s Board members are very interested in pursuing advanced technology systems over the next five (5) years, while others are concerned about the enormous expense and need assurance that the investment in technology will be worthwhile. In both monetary and process terms, describe the costs and benefits associated with implementing EMR and associated health data systems. Lay out a plan for how various systems can be implemented. 5. Middleville has faced many challenges in recruiting and retaining nurses and other clinical employees. The economy has hit the area very hard and budgetary limitations have reduced the amount of money available for salary increases. The Board knows it needs to provide other benefits to their valued employees. Provide at least two (2) suggestions to Human Resources to promote employee satisfaction and, therefore, retain experienced personnel. 6. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources. 7. Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements: 

a. Typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.

b. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length. c. Include a reference page. Citations and references must follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length. The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

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Examine how healthcare management concepts and theories are applied to critical issues in healthcare organizations. Analyze the critical management issues, purpose, functions, and performance measures of different departments within healthcare organizations.

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Explain how public policy has shaped the development of the U.S. healthcare system.

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Use technology and information resources to research issues in health services organization management.

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Write clearly and concisely about health services organization management using proper writing mechanics. Click here to view the grading rubric for this assignment. Middleville Regional Health Care Analysis Name: Instructor: Institution: Introduction QUESTION 1 Overall Review of the Role of Governing Board of an Organization As the governing body of an organization, a board of directors offers oversight to guarantee that the organization achieves its duty and is functioned efficiently and in the best interests of the shareholders: consumers, affiliates, funders, workforces, and the society at large. The board has general duty for tactical planning, organizational operations, finances, human resources and community affairs. As the oversight body of a body, the board of directors is eventually accountable for an establishment's HR controlling undertakings. Nevertheless, the degree of participation in HR management undertakings will be contingent in part on how long the business has been in survival and the governance model used. In most recognized establishments, the board is charged with acquisition and handling the performance of an executive director to which the duties for functioning HR management are normally allocated. A body with decent governance observance obviously creates the separation of command and responsibility among the board, executive leader and line managers. When defining the role of the board of directors in subjects concerning to human resources, it is essential to distinguish and respect the difference between management and governance. This apparently innocuous variance is frequently sticky for nonprofit organizations both small and large (Whiteley & Hessan, 1997). Information technology is a key driver of tactical revolutions as well as organizational performance. Information technology affords the linking to the clients. The information about the client, the conducts, the knowledge and the product customs are tactical assets and input to strategic guidelines that have long feat insinuations. Governance much guarantee self-restraint is applied in governing IT just as in governing business risk, financials, business risk and, commercial strategy. Information technology is second only to leadership in the prospective for influence on the enterprise. For this purpose alone, the conversations concerning IT in the boardroom requires to be forward looking and premeditated with the schedule and objectivity boards have come to expect. A lack of board oversight for IT activities is risky; it places the firm at risk in the same way that deteriorating to review its books would. The correct IT method relies on a number of factors, comprising an establishment’s history, competitive situation, industry financial position, and superiority of IT management (Carroll, 2002). The financial sustainability of the hospital and the worth of care are the two crucial responsibilities of the board of trustees. The many deviations that will outcome from health care improvement will deliver challenges to all of the hospital’s participants. The final duty for their effective execution and financial health of the body remains with the board of trustees. Most of the hospice’s income originated from the state, federal, and private insurance schemes. Health care modification will lead to noteworthy modifications in reimbursement with much more stress put on home care, primary care and other types of non-acute care. The variations in reimbursement will force substantial changes in administrative operations and structure. It is important board

members keep up-to-date in their familiarity of health care finance so they can implement their duties for the financial health of the organization. The panel must guarantee that the budget is united with the establishment's financial goals and control the financial performance. It is vital the chief nursing officer (CNO) supports the boards indulgent of the financial health of the organization (Carroll, 2002). Alliance in the healthcare industry is a style counting back several decades. The key drivers for alliance have been a wish for access to capital, financial strength, and the scale to control operating competences across a greater organization as a mean of marketing. The implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and related market forces have added fresh necessities for providers to unite and use scale to drive out expenses. An alliance policy goes to the fundamental of a governing body’s fiduciary obligation to preserve the establishment’s long-term feasibility to sustain its charge. QUESTION 2 Performances Middleville Can Use To Measure Its Success. Health-care suppliers share a common objective: to offer high quality care to their patients. Assessing performance can benefit management comprehend how well the business is realizing this objective? It permits for a scrutiny of what and where modifications need to be made in order to increase performance and the excellence of care delivered. Measuring performance also lets providers to recognize what is working well; material that can be distributed to other providers who can learn from their achievement. The emphasis of performance assessment is less on the distinct provider and more on the body as a whole to assess whether a satisfactory system and accurate procedures are in place to realize the organizational objectives (Whiteley & Hessan, 1997). 

OP Visits Figures. Middleville health care system record of 221000 OP visits, compared to its competitors of 175000 and 40000 for Brierfield and Greystone respectively, this can be used as a performance indicator for Middleville in determining the reasons behind such a great OP patients turnovers over their competitive firms in the industry. It could be attributed to their large bed capacity as well as other resources not captured in the statistics represented.

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Expenses Variations. Among the three health care providers, Brierfield leads in expenses incurred of $ 130000 followed by Middleville incurring a cost of $ 125000 and finally Greystone recording an expense of $ 80000. Literally, it’s expected that Middleville having a high patients base of 350000 to service and a higher personnel of 2000 than the two other health providers should incur a higher cost than the leading Brierfield. This is an indication of cost effectiveness by the management of Middleville over its competitor. Both quality and cost is primer in their undertaking as portrayed by high patient base and low expenses statistics provided.

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Births statistics. Providers of health as indicated before have an objective of providing high quality health care services to their clients. Births to expectant mothers are one of them and therefore being a component of health care services, it can form the basis of evaluation of performance of health care providers. From the statistics provided Middleville leads the table in the number of births recorded of 2300 births. This figure could be a basis of justifying that Middleville attains its objective of providing health care services better than the other players in the industry. Even with higher admissions by Brierfield (17000) it still records a lower births (1200 births) compared with Middleville (13000 admissions with 2300 births). QUESTION 3 Areas Middleville Need to Focus to Maintain Its Competitive Market Share Among the top area of concerns is need to increases patient admission for Middleville. It’s unrealistic that Brierfield with as lower as 380 bed capacity is able to admit more patients (17000) than Middleville. This portrays underutilization of Middleville capacity. With increased admission it is definitely that OP visits and Births will increase and this being their primary objective in the industry, definitely competitive edge will be attained. Another concern that Middleville should focus to maintain competitive market share is proper strategies should be put in place to counter check its expenses. Still, it is uneconomical for Middleville with a lower admission rate to Brierfield to incur expenses closer to Brierfield. The expense margin between Middleville and Brierfield is $5000 with an admission difference of 4000 yet the expenses difference between Middleville and Greystone is $45000 with an admission difference of 3000. This is a clear indication that Middleville expenditure approach is wanting and thus great effort should be directed there to regain competitive edge. Every organization whether profit making or nonprofit making aims at minimizing cost while increasing its welfare. Thus at all cost expenses must be kept under close checks for a business to remain relevant and thus I recommend Middleville to keep watch of its expenditure routines.

QUESTION 4 Electronic medical records (EMRs), as a foundation of a more adaptive, intelligent, and effective health care system, have the prospective to advance the general health of our society and begin to rein in the trillions of dollars consumed on health care each year. Nevertheless, execution and exploitation of such record systems conveys its own noteworthy costs and trials which must be sensibly considered and overawed in order to completely recognize the possible paybacks. Some of the preliminary paybacks of EMR use contain fewer medical errors, improved patient care synchronization and disease controlling, improved output, and the reduced expenses which could result if all of these purposes were realized. The long-term welfares comprise of more effective preventive health policies; more targeted public health ingenuities; predictive, personalized medicine; substantial decreases in national health outflows as we are able to regulate the most efficient treatment alternatives for the lowermost cost; and eventually a better society. Conversely, none of these welfares will be realized without the federal government, providers, and patients sustaining weighty upfront charges for both execution and information security. Main costs include those to do with implementation of software and hardware and workforce-related budgets. While the costs for many providers transitioning to an EMR scheme have been mostly counterbalance by the federal inducement payments, the suggestion thus far appears to suggest that most suppliers are not yet seeing the settlement. Besides the costs to the federal regime and the suppliers themselves to execute these fresh electronic schemes, enlarged security privacy and threats disquiets are adding even larger charges. QUESTION 5 Employee Satisfaction and Retention Refining employee job satisfaction comes along with extra benefits such as a direct effect on upsurge employees’ work performance and customers’ satisfaction. Content workforces tend to add further determination to job performance, and then work better. Hence the organizational success entirely relies on human abilities; extremely fulfilled work force is totally vital for an organization (McGovern & Shelly, 2008). 

One form of recognition will be involvement and support. Giving the worker the information they require doing their tasks, including personnel in resolutions (especially those that affect them) and asking employees for their ideas and opinions.

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Another motivator is giving workforce authority and autonomy, such as permitting them to choose how best to do their work, letting them to follow ideas they might have for refining stuffs in the workplace (McGovern & Shelly, 2008). Providing them the reward of elastic working hours, learning and progressing prospects and most prominently, the handiness and undivided courtesy of their bosses. This form of credit lets the worker know that the executive is a real person and not just their superior. This lets the worker know that the executive will be there for them when the personnel want them most (McGovern & Shelly, 2008). References Carroll, J. (2002). Health Care USA. Quality Management In Health Care, 10(2), 61-62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00019514200210020-00011 Child Health USA 2001 Report. (2002). International Journal Of Health Care Quality Assurance,15(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2002.06215bab.005 McGovern, J. & Shelly, S. (2008). The happy employee. Avon, Mass.: Adams Business. Whiteley, R. & Hessan, D. (1997). Customer centered growth . five proven strategies for building competititve advantage. Reading, Mass. [u.a.]: Addison-Wesley.