The Implementation of Value Added Services and Care in a Hospital Setting

The Implementation of Value Added Services and Care in a Hospital Setting

HSA-501: Health Management in Healthcare

Strayer University

The Implementation of Value Added Services and Care in a Hospital Setting

Abstract

Quality of care is essential within the healthcare industry as it helps to reduce the number of mortalities by staying focused on each patient’s individual needs and desired outcomes. To be successful at achieving good quality of care, one must incorporate safety, efficiency, effectiveness, time, equality and hospitality. The delivery of health care should be geared towards minimizing any risks to patients by avoiding injuries that are preventable and reducing medical errors. All services should be provided based on sufficient scientific based evidence and guidelines. Another primary focus should be equitability; each person who enters the hospital should feel that they are receiving the same level of excellent service as their peers. Race, gender, ethnicity, geographical location, and socioeconomic statuses should not be considered by any staff member as it relates to a person’s quality of care. All staff members should be trained to be more culturally sensitive and unbiased as providing good care means taking into consideration one’s preferences, aspirations of the patient and the culture within their community (www.whot.int). Lastly, the overall health of each staff member within the organization plays a major role in the level of care that each patient receives. It is crucial for hospital administrators also to make sure that each member of the hospital’s staff is treated with respect and is given the support needed to provide great service to their patients. To do that, administrators must focus on ways to boost employee’s morale.

Keywords: quality of care, staff members, value added services, delivery of health care, patients

Setting Goals to Achieve Excellence

Setting goals and sticking to them is the first plan of action needed to make Caring Angel Hospital the value based organization of everyone’s choice. To reach this goal staff members must be careful by avoiding injuries to patients from the care that is intended to help heal them. The care given must be effective by matching science and avoiding the overuse of care that is ineffective along with the underuse of effective care. Providing care that is patient centered is also important as it gives each individual the honor and respect that they deserve. Being timely and efficient is critical when trying to improve quality of care because it reduces the amount of time that patients have to wait to receive care and reduces waste. Equitability is an important factor within the hospital to close all racial and ethnic gaps in healthcare statuses and outcomes (www.hsph.harvard.edu). Becoming a sensitive cultural hospital will also help to add value to the organization as patients will feel more comfortable placing their care in the hands of a hospital that is culturally sensitive and well informed. Each culture has different beliefs and health statuses, and all caretakers must be well informed before providing care.

Employee morale is necessary for any organization but especially in healthcare and having the right people in the right positions is one of the most valuable resources that a hospital can have. Therefore the hospital must make smart choices when hiring new members to the organization by making sure that there is a positive workforce in place so that there is an even greater return on investments. In other words, it is no secret that happier employees are equivalent to success, great productivity, and lower turnovers in healthcare that means improved patient care and satisfaction. To improve employee morale, hospital administrators need to measure the metrics surrounding employee morale. This is extremely vital when providing quality care to patients. As healthcare continues to grow many organizations begin to face new challenges such as a shortage in nurses, along with other unknown future issues that may arise. There is a competition to recruit the best providers in the industry, leaving healthcare organizations to find different ways to keep current staff as well as sustaining the number of staff members needed to keep up with the patient demand (www.beckershospitalreview.com).

To further assist with employee morale, a strong team environment must be created. Building an effective team should consist of people from all different types of backgrounds, with a variety of different skills and levels of experience. Per the Institute for Healthcare Improvement creating a balanced team is one of the primary steps in improving any process. This team should consist of an experienced senior leader who can advise, oversee, and advocate for the team. Another necessity while building a strong team is incorporating a clinical expert who has an extensive background and knowledge necessary to make informed clinical decisions; along with a project manager to manage day to day tasks and help keep team in line (www.hsph.harvard.edu).

After spending two months at Caring Angel Hospital it has been brought to my attention the need for an efficient organizational chart. The purpose of the chart is to depict a skeletal structure of the hospital to include the functional relationships between specific areas. An organizational chart will provide a point of reference and improve the hospital’s direction and flow of communications. It will provide people with a bigger picture by increasing efficiency and maintaining balance within the organization (www.thedoctorweighsin.com).

To keep up with other hospitals, Caring Angel must create a competitive edge. This can be done by staying up to date with the latest trends and data by researching other hospitals and collaborating. Research can be done on websites such as the Patient Care Link, as it allows consumers to research and review the different trends and data at other facilities. Researching the data will allow Caring Angel Hospital the opportunity to excel in different areas. Collaborating with other hospitals may also be necessary to provide an excellent level of care desired for our patients. Most hospitals are very open to sharing information for the greater good of the patients within the community (www.hsph.harvard.edu).

Proposed Method to Build a Larger Market Share

A proposed method for a larger market share is the traditional method of monitoring the number of patients within the hospital or on the property. This will include the hospital’s discharge volume, emergency room visits per year, newborn deliveries and the number of beds occupied. Making sure that the facility is providing healthcare instead of sick care is the best way to approach a hospital looking for a larger market share. Effective market share strategies are “retail delivery systems” that require lower cost for the delivery of care and to make receiving care more convenient (www.beckershospitalreview.com).

The Benefits of Value Added Services at Caring Angel Hospital

Two value added services that Caring Angel Hospital could offer to strengthen its value proposition is patient education and support and reimbursement assistance. The advantages of providing patients with education and support are the reduction of patient re-entries and the avoidance of more long-term chronic conditions as a result of not properly taking care of one’s self after treatment. It is important to remember that patients rely on hospital staff to provide them with the information necessary to heal from their illnesses. Providing patients with pamphlets and information to keep them well informed can help reduce the overall population of sick people within the community by preventing the spread of infection.

Reimbursement assistance has its advantages as well when it relates to the overall success of a facility. Understanding reimbursement assistance has its advantages because it describes the payment that the facility will receive by the insurance company after services were rendered. The advantage of reimbursement assistance is that it will help the hospital gain profit. When a hospital treats a patient and spends less than the DRG payment, it then makes a profit. Also, hospitals that participate with an array of insurance companies can pull in more patients who will also benefit from low-cost healthcare due to the Affordable Care Act. More patients equal the potential for more revenue. With Caring Angel Hospital being in a financial bind it is important to maximize ways to increase profit for a larger market share.

References

(2017, February 2). 8 Healthcare Quality Improvement Tips. Retrieved from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/ecpe/8-healthcare-quality-improvement-tips/

Gamble, M. (n.d.). 5 Retail Principles for a More Effective Hospital Market Share Strategy: Here are five principles from the retail industry that can help hospitals build an effective market share strategy. Retrieved from https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-physician-relationships/5-retail-principles-for-a-more-effective-hospital-market-share-strategy.html

Hernandez, N., & Fache. (2019, February 4). The Importance of Organizational Structure in Medical Practices. Retrieved from https://thedoctorweighsin.com/the-importance-of-organizational-structure-in-medical-practices/

Kober, S. (2008, September). The value of value-added services. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2706180/

Larson, J., & Avantas. (n.d.). The link between staff morale and patient care, and how predictive analytics can help: Healthcare leaders have emphasized having the right workplace ‘culture’ in recent years, as organizations have made the connection that having the right people in the right places is their most valuable resource. Retrieved from https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/human-capital-and-risk/the-link-between-staff-morale-and-patient-care-and-how-predictive-analytics-can-help.html