Transferable Skills Reflection Assignment

Transferable Skills Reflection

Jorge Belman

Rasmussen College

Author’s Note: This paper is being submitted on August 11, 2017, for Kim Sanders’ H490 Section 01 Healthcare Management Capstone, Online Plus, 2017 Summer Quarter.

Planning

DuPage Medical Group (DMG) is a healthcare organization that helps in improving the quality of healthcare service given to patients around Western Suburbs of Chicagoland are. The organization devotes to planning for the following reasons: planning helps the entire team to operate under a vision and not circumstances, advancing and sharing a vision through an involvement procedure can have a powerful impact on all levels of healthcare organization (Cumming & Worley, 2014). The staff is inspired by a clear vision that expounds a compelling future state, and it can only be achieved through planning. Strategic management is specific to each organization and is influenced by the unique culture of staff members, organizational needs, and the external environment. Strategic management should be flexible and evident at all levels of the organization.(Mennella, H. A. ,2016). Strategic Management in Healthcare. CINAHL Nursing Guide Besides, the components of organizational behavior have been given more attention today. Planning can help in employee motivation and engagement. DuPage Medical Group needs planning to achieve employee engagement through planning as it is among the key factors that enhance a company’s performance (Cumming & Worley, 2014).

Achieving goals and targets

Many health organizations have something they need to complete. It may be simple to state goals and objectives but making the needs something more than a mere piece of writing. Besides the existence of the targets do not take organizations to where they want to be. Taking time to plan whether is starting at the employee or management level helps in identifying what should be worked on and what is going to move the organization closer to their goals (Bryson, 2011)

Organizational collaborations activities

Team unity, corporation and cooperation are paramount for delivery of high-quality patient care, excellent service and organizational performance (Bryson, 2011). However, for a healthcare organization to achieve effective collaboration, corporation and team cohesion, planning is needed.

Accountability and transformational leadership

Bryson (2011) indicates that transformational leadership is the kind of leadership that transforms the culture of an organization and inspires the workforce to perform better. What can better way this can be achieved rather than planning? Planning takes organization, accountability as well as teamwork. Therefore, healthcare firms cannot afford to ignore planning.

Analysis

The financial condition for UCCO is not completely stable. The organization faces challenges due to limited funds to finance its operations. The need to incorporate technology in the organization with limited resources is a big problem for UCCO. There is also a shortage of personnel due to competition for the staff from other agencies offering the same services. Financial problems have led to poor working conditions for the team’s staff. It is also harder to train the employees in the organizations on how to improve service delivery. To address the financial issues in the organization, Barbara’s suggestions may include a switch to a relative economic EHR. The organization can reduce supply costs by working closely with vendors and physicians. Outsourcing some of the services can also contribute to reducing overheads costs. The organization may also consider focusing more on the continuum of care rather than quality-based measures which increase costs. (JACKSON-CHERRY, 2017).

Researching for EHR systems that would store data accurately and capture the patient visits. It would cut cost on storage and up keeping of the patient's paper medical records and assists in providing an accurate patient record. Population-based studies of medical records may also be facilitated by the widespread adoption of EHR's and EMR's. There multiple EHR

The electronic record system that Barbara should recommend for UCCO is the eClinicalWorks (EHR Suite). The best EHR option for UCCO because it has a low cost of implementation. Given the financial problems that the organization is facing, an economical EHR would be perfect for reducing the organization’s cost. This software is also easy to use. Hence, the organization would spend limited funds in training of personnel. It has a combined practice management which makes it suitable for small organizations as well as financially unstable organizations. The implications of implementing this EHR software include the secure management of data as well as reducing the costs of maintaining extensive records. It also improves accuracy in data management. Combining the EHR and medical practice management helps in the movement of data to billing. The organization can, therefore, easily track claims for appropriate payments timing. (Raths, 2015).

EClinicalWorks - SWOT AnalysisEPIC-SWOT Analysis.

Strategy

Based on the results of the SWOT analysis of UCCO, Barbara should recommend the phasing of the EHR as the overall strategy by the company’s financial ability at the time. Using the eClinicalWorks assures of a centralized form of control of all the operations as well as improving the services and possible patient care delivery in the long run, since the finances of the company are at a low, the phasing strategy will be useful to see its fruition (Fascia and Brodie, 2017). The organization will see to it that various departments will be aligned according to the needs of the EHR under performance review to prioritize them over time. Similarly, the department will then cater to the personnel on training them and equipping them with necessary skills to use the registry (McNichol, 2012). In due time, the whole organization would have stabilized under the improved capability as well as having the capacity to deliver higher standards of medical practice management.

The selection of the EHR system will contribute to the strategy as the best choice under various mechanisms of the organization’s performance and service delivery. The system will deliver all outsourcing and billing needs of the organization at a central point, making it easy to manage the operations and functionalities in one go. It will reduce the number of required personnel as it is automated and efficient round the clock as opposed to having an employee in its capacity to work on the same (Eckert, 2016). Thus, it will help reduce operational costs at an overall stage while increasing reliability since the technical support is prompt and accurate. Records, diagnosis, support, as well as informative practices will be made operational with the HER use, thereby increasing the quality of health care to all involved in the process.

Barbara should develop the actions items by priority as stated in the implementation of the EHR. As the situation is in UCCO, the descriptive foundation of the actions items should be divided on finance and operations mandate. In finance, the costs needed to implement the HER give a positive start to what is of importance as compared to what can be included in the latter stages. Similarly, mandate helps state, which operations of the company require immediate change and thus using the EHR provides an amicable solution to the needed items (Mosadeghrad, 2012). Within the strategy of implementing the HER actions, items will require centralizing of all the system’s functioning under the guidance of the reliable system. The downsizing of personnel will also follow as the action item about operational costs and mandate of the services being delivered.

Different recommended outcomes, as well as long term goals, can be derived if the strategy to implement the EHR is actualized. For example, one goal will be to equip the different departments of records, support, services with the right portals for each operation needed. In that, if it is a matter of availing the profile and update of the patient’s records, the portal responsible for files and support will provide the sufficient information without the input of any personnel. Instead, an automation process can be achieved and later transform into paper form for confirmation and actualization (Reithmeier, 2010). On the other hand, a recommendation can be made to equip the various structural personnel with the technical knowledge of handling the portals and EHR reliability as means of increasing capacity to deal with the demand and growth of the services over time.

Ethical Considerations

Most of the decisions which are made when dealing with healthcare have an ethical implementation, and they are common in healthcare. It is, therefore, the work of the managers to protect the patient's information and make sure that it is not accessed by third parties. Patient information is protected by law, and the patients have the right to Protected Health Information (PHI).

Legal risks and codes of ethics which the managers may commit when dealing with information of the patients may include the HIPAA among other ethical codes. The HIPAA deals with the patient rights and some of the rights which are protected by this law include:

• Inspect and copy- this grants the patient the right to the information concerning his or her health and the physicians are not allowed by the legislation to prevent the patient from accessing his or her medical records.

• Amendment- the obligation of the manager, is to agree to the request of the patients and if there is any change which the patient needs to be made on the information be made. The changes should only be made only when they are incomplete, or they are not accurate.

• Accounting of Disclosures- it is the right of the manager to know who has the right to know who has the right to access the information of the patients. For instance, the information of the patient can be accessed when the patient is seeking treatment, when making payments or when under taking the Healthcare Operations (TPO).

• Restrictions- the managers have the right to restrict the information of the patient which will be accessed by PTO. They also have the right to limit under the request of the patient the information which will be disclosed to family members and friends.

• Confidential Communications- the managers have the right with the application for the patient to request medical information in a specific format or location. In some cases, this information may be declined due to some logical obstacles which may prevent that.

Age and condition of the patients can allow the information to be accessed by other people and mainly a relative. For instance, husband brings his wife to the emergency department, and the physician considers the patient to be pale then the husband can be requested to access medical information. The same case will happen if a family member or a friend brings an elderly patient to the hospital. Since the patients cannot make sound decisions about the next course of action, the law will not be obeyed in such a scenario, and the information can be accessed by people who are not allowed by the law.

If the patient is not able to make sound decisions, then ethical and medical laws will not be applicable, and managers can allow the medical information of the patient to be accessed by other parties who could otherwise not have accessed it. Even if the patient comes to senses cannot take legal action against the physician since in some cases like operations need the consent of the patient, a close friend or family member.

Communication is important among UCCO facilities helps to make sure members of the facilities are conversant with the medical and ethical laws. It also makes sure that they comply with the laws and keep the ethical standards as stipulated. Communication helps in providing the correct and complete information to the patients and that the information is given to the right person. If there is new information which needs to reach physicians and other staffs in the facilities they use the platforms which are available to communicate such information and make sure that everyone is well informed.

Social media has in the past few years been used in healthcare either to disclose some information between the physicians or to communicate to the patients. It is important that the information which they share does not cause negative implication of the facility and that it should be professional. In healthcare facilities, there should be guidelines which control physicians on the use of social media. Since some of the social media such as Facebook, the information can be accessed by anybody; physicians should not share private information concerning the condition of the patient.

The reaction of the patient's case was unethical, and nurse should not have shared the information using the clinic-owned computer. Through sharing with fellow staff is not unethical, when such information is shared on Facebook some patients may lose trust with the facility since they might think their information is being shared to the public. The act was against the UCCO mission and values which aim at protecting the information of the patient and only given by the patient and those he or she wishes.

The values and beliefs of that patient information should not be shared in the social media. The only information which the physicians should share in social media such as Facebook should be educative information but not personal information. Protecting the privacy of the patient from the public is important.

Action Plan

Change management is an important exercise in an organization. Mostly, executives are the ones that are held responsible for the formulation as well as the implementation of change. Statistics indicate that in the past decade 80% of projects did not succeed. Also, most objectives have not been met. An article by John Kotter, “Why Transformation Efforts Fail,” points out crucial factors which affect the success of projects in an organization. He introduced a model on how the leaders can successfully introduce and manage changes in their organization (Pride, 2017). In the UCCO facilities, diversity and culture play a role in how well the organization can since many issues must be handled. Thus, leaders need to consider the aspects of culture and diversity when implementing changes and in their strategic planning.

Role of Executives in The Process of Change Management and Strategic Planning

Managers play a major role in the process of change management. They play the following five roles: First, they communicate the needed change in the organization. The employees need to know the how the intended message will affect them individually and as a team. In the UCCO facilities, information that is disseminated to the employees will be critical in their daily duties and how well they will accomplish their tasks. Secondly, the executives are the ones that advocate for the change. Employees look to their managers not only for their communication but also for support in effecting the intended change. Thus, there I need to engage the management team effectively for them to advocate the change. Thirdly, it is the executives who coach the employees. They support the employees during the entire change process as the change will affect how they will perform their duties. The other duty is to liaison the employees with the project team. If there is something that the employees need to be included in the project, it is the manager who communicates that to the change group. Lastly, the executives identify the areas of resistance during the change process. Using the ADKAR model will assist in determining the element that is causing the resistance (Bateman, Snell, and Konopaske, 2017). 

During Strategic planning, the leaders will conceptualize what needs to be done and provide the necessary leadership. The analytical leaders will strive to come up with the required solution. They provide the organization’s vision and confront the strategic issues while demonstrating expertise by their knowledge of the customer needs and business insights (Bateman, Snell, and Konopaske, 2017). The human leaders will be the coach guides to the employees, guiding, responding to, and building commitment as well as empowering the ones building the strategy.

Diversity Inclusion Importance

Diverse organizations are more innovative since having employees who come from diverse backgrounds presents various ideas to the table thus preventing a scenario where only a few individuals make decisions for the whole team. Diversity in gender and race will generate diversity in thought ensuring that workers are analytical. Diversity in the management of UCCO will bring new leadership insights to the facility thus enhancing efficiency and attracting very competitive prospective employees.

Secondly, more diverse organizations are dynamic. Employees who come from different backgrounds function better in teams than members who originate from the same background. There is also a high level of satisfaction in culturally diverse organizations. UCCO needs to employ diversity inclusion so that the employees can work well together and for the employees to be satisfied. Issues to deal with insubordination will not be rising if this happened (Miller, Don, Amelung, Stein, Goodwin, Balicer, Suter, (January 01, 2017). Lastly, diversity inclusion attracts more talents. More talented employees will be attracted to the UCCO facilities as they will perceive that they will be easily accepted. Moreover, this will boost the performance of the organization.

Importance of Respect in Diverse Workplaces

Working with employees will enable one to respect diversity in the place of work. It is easier to recognize the contribution of other employees from different cultures, and this will help to honor their cultures. Employees from various cultures will be demonstrating the same expertise and accomplish the assignments. Also, every person has a certain perspective towards a certain issue. Discussing together why they hold the views they have and what needs to be done will help appreciate their different perspectives (Miller, Don, Amelung, Stein, Goodwin, Balicer, Suter, (January 01, 2017). However, working with workers from the same background will blindfold about the culture and perspectives of other people.

Challenges and Benefits of Employing a Diverse Workforce

The benefits of working in a diverse workplace include: There will be a pool of different talents, skills, as well as experiences in the workplace; increased innovation, the language barrier will be broken down opening new opportunities for the organization; improved performance as every employee will strive to employ his skills;

The challenges include: Employees from other cultures may not be heard, professional communication can be easily misunderstood, negative stereotypes will make integration very difficult, conflicting working styles across cultures and a misunderstanding of professional etiquette (Johns, and Saks, 2017)

Strategies for Promoting Diversity in the Workplace

The first strategy is one to commit in boosting the cultural competency. Entails interacting with individuals from different cultural backgrounds such as the manager to understand their perspectives better. Also, can contribute to the cultural diversity of the workplace such as sharing a traditional treat which sparks conversation thus inspiring others to share (Johns, and Saks, 2017). There is a need to observe the diverse traditions, holidays and celebrations from other cultures. Finally, there is need to seek new ideas from the colleagues just like Barbara did.

References

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