Strategic issues affecting Healthscope
Introduction
Medical institutions bear the responsibility of ensuring that everyone has access to the highest quality of medical care. Patients on the other hand expect the caregivers to maintain professionalism and offer the best care possible. Positive relationships between patients and caregivers are therefore important as they make it easier for caregivers to help patients because of the trust established between them. While the aim is to always have a positive impact on society, there are occurrences where health institutions encounter disputes with their patients and this makes it difficult to offer medical care. Various challenges exist in the medical field that create both challenges and opportunities for any medical institution. Healthscope, being in charge of various small hospitals in Sydney, often encounters various challenges that have significant impact on the way the hospital operates.
Strategic issues analysis
- Medical reimbursements
One of the strategic issues that is likely to have an impact on Healthscope in the near future is the issue on medical reimbursements resulting from errors made by its caregivers. The institution is governed by laws and policies that place emphasis on preserving life and offering the best quality of medical care (Gawande, 2003). The health institution also has a moral obligation to preserve the well-being of all its patients. Other than a morally influenced code of ethics, the institution practices a great deal of professionalism when attending to patients to ensure that the best quality of medical care is provided. There are however occurrences where mistakes occur and the patients incur some form of harm or loss while under the hospital’s care.
Medical reimbursements occur when the hospital engages in acts that cause harm to the patient either through the patient’s interaction with the hospital or with the caregivers that attend to patients. A good example of an incident that could result to patients seeking medical reimbursement is in relation to accidents made during surgery (Gawande, 2003). The emergency rooms at Healthscope are busy and doctors have to work around the clock attending to patients with different needs. Even with the careful considerations taken by the institution to hire qualified personnel, mistakes tend to occur especially during surgery. The mistakes result from various factors such as human error caused by fatigue, misdiagnosis or unavoidable circumstances that negatively impact the quality of care provided.
Similar to other institutions, Healthscope is expected to notify all patients of any mistakes made during treatment while the patient was under their care. Notifying the patient is not only a legal requirement but also a moral obligation and fulfilling it is the responsibility of all employees working for the medical institution. When such accidents do occur the actions taken by the institution greatly determine the repercussions that will follow (Spath, 2011). In some cases, the accidents do not have major impact on the patient and the negative repercussions are not always serious. In such cases, the health institution has an easier time explaining to the patient what happened and what it intends to do in order to rectify the mistake made. There are however instances where the mistakes result to serious ailments, harmful side effects and even death (Spath, 2011). Healthscope faces major strains when resolving such issues especially in cases where the patients decide to take legal action.
Healthscope incurs significant losses through medical reimbursement regardless of whether patients seek legal action or not. Since the institution is guided by a moral code, it takes on the responsibility of covering all costs incurred by the patient in rectifying the harm caused by mistakes made by its medical practitioners (Jenicek, 2010). Other than settling lawsuits, the institution also pays for treatment and compensation to patients to ensure that the mistakes made do not alter the relationship that the institution has with its patients (Spath, 2011). Since the goal is always to offer the best quality of medical care, settling the dispute also means maintaining a positive image and good relations with its patients.
The cost that Healthscope incurs is not just as a result of the mistakes that its members of staff make but also errors on the side of its patients. When patients visit any health institution seeking medical help, the have some level of expectancy and want the best care possible. With such expectations, any treatment is expected to offer some form of relief provided that the patient follows the guidelines provided for by the caregiver (Olsen et al, 2010). Caregivers on the other hand have to provide all relevant information to patients regarding treatments, their condition and any side effects that may come about from the type of treatment the patient received. The complex nature of the human body however makes it difficult for caregivers to anticipate all possible outcomes that could result from a specific treatment regimen or from the medication patients take. While the caregivers try to ensure that all the information they have is shared with the patient, patients believe that as caregivers, all information, regarding negative side effects is something that health institutions should know (Patel & Rushefsky, 2014). As such, some mistakes may result from the patients lack of knowledge and despite the institution’s attempt to keep the patient informed, an unexpected outcome arising from the services offered by the institution are often treated as mistakes made by the organization and not its patients.
With the various advancements in technology and treatment methods, the care givers have a hard time keeping up with the changes introduced. New treatment methods are being introduced along with different forms of medicine whose effects on the body have not been fully understood. However, since these developments are intended to improve the quality of health, doctors have to learn as much as they can to reduce errors and misdiagnosing patients (IOM, 20003). Despite their efforts however, patients still expect the high standard of quality offered by most medical institutions and any mistakes often create challenges that the institution has to overcome.
- Diversity
Another strategic issue that is likely to have a significant on Healthscope is the issue of diversity. With the workforce in all fields becoming more and more diverse, health institutions have to adapt to these changes not only in the way they handle their employees but also how they treat patients (KAbene, 2010). On the side of employees, Helthscope bears the responsibility of creating a conducive working environment for all members of staff. Medical practitioners in different departments require an ideal environment to treat and attend to employees. The nature of the environment and the working conditions determine the quality of service offered to patients. When the environment meets the standards expected by caregivers and the patients, the treatment process runs smoothly and better results are achieved.
In order to create the ideal working environment, Healthscope has to factor in the needs of the employees while taking into consideration the different requirements that people have depending on their culture. A good example is the case of mercy killings where care givers have to make the decision between preserving a patient’s life for as long as possible or ending it in order to protect he patient from the pain and suffering caused by the disease (Kabene, 2010). In some cultures, the act of taking one’s life is looked down upon as it is considered immoral not just in society but in the eyes of God. Since God is the creator, some believe that only he is responsible for determining when people die. In such cases, mercy killings, regardless of their benefit to the patient, are not condoned and care givers that belong to those cultures against them cannot execute such treatments. It is therefore important to consider diversity and its implications before assigning duties to caregivers (Kelley & Fitzsimons, 2000). Doing so will ensure that practitioners are capable and comfortable executing their responsibilities and that the care offered to patients is based on principles that agree with the customs and traditions of both the care giver and the patient.
Another major issue that Healthscope has to address in relation to diversity is the precaution that care givers have to exercise when treating patients. Most, if not all, patients live their lives in accordance with their culture. Their culture dictates the customs and traditions that different individuals practice (Szinovacz & Davey, 2008). Due to the varying beliefs held by people from different cultures, people have different opinions regarding what is acceptable and what is not. The differences extend to different aspects of life including health-care and some may consider certain treatments acceptable while others may turn them down if they are not in line with one's cultural practices. In a world that strives to embrace diversity, most institutions, including hospitals, have to adjust their business culture in such a way that their practices respect the customs and traditions of the people they interact with.
When suggesting possible treatments with patients, for example, care givers must factor in the cultural group the patient belongs to so as to identify treatment methods or medication the person’s culture may object. Culture has a string influence on the opinions ns and attitudes that people have about things they interact with on a daily basis (Good, 2011). The customs and traditions have a huge impact on the personal identities that people have. It is therefore a huge determinant if the things that people consider acceptable. When offering treatment methods, care givers are required to discuss the procedures with the patient and explain what the treatment seeks to achieve. Since the caregiver is required to share all relevant information, it is important to consider how the patient will react to treatment methods or medicine that may not be acceptable to the patient's culture (Good, 2011). Helthscope must therefore educate it's caregivers on the importance of culture and why they need to gain knowledge about the diverse cultures that the patients belong to. Since each culture has its set of acceptable norms, learning the different practices will make it easier to identify what an individual prefers and what will be considered unacceptable.
The same approach should be observed when offering methods to prevent diseases. In some cultures for instance, the act of vaccinating children is looked down upon and some mothers may choose to prevent their children from being vaccinated. The decision is made despite having full information regarding the harm that the disease could cause if one gets infected (Good, 2011). Despite people's desire to maintain good health. Some customs and traditions may go against medical caregiver’s attempts to offer the highest quality of medical care. Some parents decide to prevent their children from being vaccinated because their culture does not allow it. Caregivers must therefore find alternatives to the disallowed medical care or find a way to convince the patient to go against their culture for the sake of their well-being or that of a loved one.
- Technology
Like most organizations, Healthscope has to adapt to the various technological advancements occurring in the environment it operates in. The incorporation of technology into most aspects of human life has made it a major necessity for businesses that seek to remain competitive (Audrain et al, 2017). Healthscope, being a business is pushed by both the desire to remain competitive and also offer the best medical care to its patients. In order to achieve this it, has to incorporate the use of different forms of technology so as to improve the quality of service offered. While adopting different forms of technology is intended to improve the quality of care for patients, its implementation may prove challenging for organizations in various ways.
To begin with, the cost of purchasing equipment and training members of staff to use it is quite expensive. The quality of care that the organization strives to achieve requires state of the art technology which is often expensive (Hoyt et al, 2012). Purchasing the equipment adds on to the cost incurred to run Healthscope and this puts on a strain to the financial capability of the organization. In addition, technology keeps advancing and innovations lead to more advanced forms of technology being discovered. Healthscope therefore has to keep updating its technology and further train its employees to adapt to the changes introduced.
Another challenge that inclusion of technology in care giving creates has to do with training medical practitioners how to operate the technology. Often times, technology is intended to improve quality by reducing the mistakes that occur due to human error. Despite the effectiveness of machines however, their success is also based on the capability of the people tasked with operating the technology (Eaton & Kennedy, 2007). Once technology is introduced into the organization, caregivers are required to enroll in different training practices meant to teach the members of staff how to operate the new technology. On the positive side, the training helps to improve the quality of care offered as care givers become more efficient and make fewer mistakes when aided by technology. There is however a downside in that the training adds on to the caregivers’ workload as they have to attend training and still carry out their responsibilities. Given the busy schedule of medical caregivers at Healthscope, the added responsibilities make performing more strenuous and the period during which new technology is introduced could negatively impact the quality of production offered (Patel & Rushefsky, 2014). This combined with the fact that technology is constantly evolving means that caregivers have to constantly learn different ways to use the technology and adapt to whatever changes come about.
Technology also impacts on the quality of service offered especially when explaining to patients why a certain treatment method is better than the other. As is stipulated by the policies governing Healthscope and its own code of conduct, care givers have to explain treatments to patients before carrying them out in order to keep the patient informed. Since caregivers cannot carry out treatment without the patient’s consent, the inclusion of technology makes it harder for patients to convince patients to approve some treatments (IOM, 2003). The inclusion of technology makes the treatment process more complicated especially when dealing with a patient that does not understand how the technology will help. More time is spent explaining to the patient how the inclusion of technology is beneficial.
Even when the patient understands how technology stands to help, the treatment is often expensive and those without insurance covers have a hard time affording the high costs. While the quality of care is improved, patients have to incur the cost of care either directly or through their insurance agencies (Patel & Rushefsky, 2014). Some may opt out of treatments that are too expensive and this beats the purpose of incorporating technology in medical care in the first place. Care givers face a hard time convincing patients to choose the best level of care and in cases that require prompt treatment, delays in decision making result in more complications, or even death.
CEO leadership
As CEO of Healthscope, the plan to improve efficiency at the organization will place emphasis on using the opportunities created in the environment the health institution operates in. while the three strategic issues pose major challenges for the organization in the near future, the same strategic issues can be utilized to create more opportunities than challenges. To overcome the challenges identified, I will engage all employees and stakeholders because they input will help the institution adapt to the changes and overcome the challenges.
The first step in the plan will be to ready Healthscope for the various technological advancements that are likely to occur in its immediate environment. Rather than waiting for new technology to be introduced and then try to adapt, the organization will instead assess the environment it serves and identify technological trends likely to occur in the near future (Gawande, 2003). Collecting data on technological trends will give Healthscope enough time to identify which direction technology in the medical field will be take early in advance (Jenicek, 2010). Early identification will make it easier for the organization to adapt as those in charge of incorporating technology into practices carried out within Healthscope will have enough time to prepare for its implementation. Early identification will enable better training as care givers will be trained early in advance on how to use the technology introduced. It will also help reduce the strain caused to fund new purchases as the organization will have enough time to budget for the technology as well as find ways to source funds to facilitate acquisition, implementation and training.
In relation to training, knowing which technology to implement in advance as well as the innovations likely to occur will help the organization to better plan the training programs for care givers. Rather than rushing to adapt to new innovative technology, keeping up with trends will keep the organization informed enough to prepare training routines meant to equip care givers with the skills and knowledge needed to operate not only the technology currently in use but also any innovations likely to occur in future (Kabene, 2010). The training routines will also be properly managed and their timing will be allocated in such a way that they do not become a burden to care givers (Kabene, 2010). To enhance efficiency, training will occur while the caregivers carry out their duties. This will help prevent interruptions to the flow of work. It will also speed up learning as care givers will be more likely to outdo themselves when their actions impact on the quality of care offered.
Other than training caregivers to use modern forms of technology when issuing treatments, the plan will also seek to educate them on the importance of culture. Often times, conflict resulting from differences in culture is caused by the belief that one culture is superior to another. When people develop the belief that their customs and traditions are more important than those practiced from people with different cultural backgrounds, they are less likely to respect the different opinions that their colleagues may have (Good, 2011). As CEO, the goal will be to educate all employees on how to respect other people’s culture not only in the workplace but also when interacting with employees. If successful, care givers will be in a better position to help the patients because the form of treatment they suggest will take into account what is acceptable for the patient and what is not. Medical practitioners will also have an easier time working together as the diverse environment they work in will be free from negative attitudes caused by lack of understanding each other’s culture (Good, 2011). Colleagues will not only be aware of the different practices observed by other cultures, they will also know how their culture differs from others and why respecting these differences is crucial to maintaining the ideal working environment established.
Cultural awareness combined with the training that members of staff receive will go a long way towards reducing the cost incurred by Healthscope due to medical reimbursements. The errors that result in medical lawsuits occur due to human error and fatigue. Despite the challenges it creates, the introduction of technology in the medical field will help reduce some of the mistakes that care givers make due to fatigue (Kelley & Fitzsimons, 2000). Since machines do not get tired like humans, the quality of care will remain constant and free of errors. Patients will also receive better care as the technology will improve on the treatment method offered at Healthscope.
The technology will also make it easier for caregivers to research about the treatment methods they suggest to their patients. Unlike in the past where research was tedious and t8ime consuming, caregivers can easily research information about a disease or treatment regimen on the internet. While there is a significant amount of false or misleading information regarding health on the internet, caregivers can use their knowledge and experience to only rely on sources that are credible and discuss relevant information (Patel & Rushefsky, 2014). Caregivers will be able to research on a possible treatment, the type of medication that is likely to have the most effect and also the possible side effects that could come about from following the treatment program. Better access to such information will reduce the chances of the institution being sued as all factors will be taken into consideration before giving the go ahead for treatment.
The different forms of technology will further be used to enhance efficiency at the institution. Caregivers will receive training on how to keep electronic records for all patients that receive treatment at Healthscope. Since different medication has been proven to react differently when taken together, the records kept by the health institution will make it easier to track down all the treatments that the patient is under at the simple click of a button (Patel & Rushefsky, 2014). On top of consulting all caregivers attending to a patient, practitioners will just be required to access the patients file as all the information regarding treatment will be made available to all significant caregivers to help reduce wrongful treatments.
The plan seeks to exploit the challenges it faces and turn them into opportunities. One way to achieve this is through the legal requirement for all practitioners to inform patients of any accidents, wrongful treatment or conduct that put the patients’ health at risk. Regardless of the negative repercussions that follow such as lawsuits and compensation sought by patients, reporting it can be used to an advantage by Healthscope. On the one hand, the health institution should strive to have the least number of medical accidents as proof of its quest to offer the best possible care to its patients (Audrain et al, 2017). Having the lowest number of lawsuits or cases where patients incurred some form of harm while under Healthscope’s care will maintain the positive image that the institution strives to achieve. The institution will therefore strive to maintain the highest quality of care so as to keep the medical mishaps as low as possible.
Consecutively, reporting all medical mishaps as soon as they occur can also be used to benefit the institution. Since errors are prone to occur, Healthscope should ensure that it acts quickly to inform those affected. The institution should also take immediate action to rectify the mistakes made and compensate those affected (Audrain et al, 2017). The quick reaction and honesty in informing those affected will be seen as the institution’s commitment to help even when it is at fault and taking accountability for the role it played. Healthscope should however ensure that such mistakes are not common.
Conclusion
The strategic issues that Healthscope has to overcome are as a result of the changes that occur in the environment it operates in. the change is caused by the various activities that human beings engage in trying to improve their way of living. The reliance on technology is meant to make things easier and also enhance safety and the quality of life. As such, people have in turn evolve to demand higher standards of quality in all aspects of life including health. Since technology is associated with improved quality, health institutions have adopted technology and incorporated it into its practice. Despite the challenges that come about, the same technology can be used to benefit Healthscope if used to overcome the challenges that exist in the environment it operates in. As Healthscope improves its quality of care it will continue to attract more people and lessons taught on embracing diversity will make it easier to handle employees and patients from all types of backgrounds. The plan will therefore make Healthscope better prepared to overcome the challenges it is likely to face in the near future and retain its policy of offering the best quality in medical care.
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