Case study #2 raised a very interesting and ambiguous question for many of us to answer with certainty that the directions of rapid occurring change in the healthcare industry is predictable or can be beneficial to owners, staffs and patients. Considering what the U.S. Congress’s Office of technology has warned that the rate of development is too fast for proper monitoring of the effects and threats that the foundations of the most secure American businesses might be in danger. In this case, Nursing Home facilities are the backbone of the American healthcare businesses and its foundation is facing uncertainty as technology is expanding yearly. For example, according to Allen, J. E. (2008) reveled that in the 1980s nursing home nurses were well thought-out to be working at lower technology intensity compare to hospital nurses. That is somehow still the truth today. Nurses in the nursing home are still struggling to catch up with toys changing hi-technology something that is increasingly challenging the nursing home and healthcare industry in general. (Allen, 2008 p.14)
As newly administrator I have plan and strategies on how to deal with uncertainties that the current occurring accelerated changes in the healthcare industry, my facility in particular. It is obvious that in the past nursing home administrator were not equipped to adapt sweeping or yearly prolongation of change in the healthcare industry. Lack of such forecast and training has shortsighted the healthcare industry including nursing home facilities or administrations. My biggest plan to overcome the uncertainty in my facility due to drastic changes is to apply forecasting as one of the main management tool and have quarter, yearly and long-term plans that are adaptive to new technology. Plan will empower my management and establish inclusive decision system that will be propelled by changes that I will be forecasting by formulating framework of all facility’s activities. I will make these plans based on facility’s goals and objectives. (Allen, 2008 p.15)
This will help me to review and evaluate my plan yearly for analysis of where we are going and how we will get there parallel with advancing technology. My plan will have long-term forecasting plan, yet will be actively engineered with short term forecasting that are reviewed as trend analysis quarterly and annually. The aim here is keep up with daily reforms and new technological means launched every day because these changes are drastic and impacts the very existence of nursing home/healthcare industry. As administrator I will have to be adaptive with these changes in order for the facility to use them as forecasting tools that will engineer innovation and success of the facility/industry. (Allen, 2008 p.12-14)
The swift improvement in the healthcare industry ability to exchange information and knowledge through the use of new technologies force us to be continuously reevaluating the way we carry out healthcare duties. For example, the recent economic stimulus bill, $20 billions were directed to implement new healthcare technologies, such as electronic medical records, aimed at improving care and cutting costs (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0130/p03s03-ussc.html). This bill became a law and it will change the way healthcare industry does business forever. Healthcare professionals and administrators are to adapt this change and implement the law. In this forecasting as main tool of adapting changing of technology and the ways of doing business in the healthcare industry, in my plan I will use staff training, innovative staff meetings and seminars as strategy to induce that change as it comes. This is to avoid sudden shock in my facility. I will also use professional consultants who are expertise in the subject matter that will require our attestations as threat cause by change. In the case of the above mentioned new laws, my focus will be to train my employee to adapt to digital technology documentations, such as electronic medical records as suggested. It will be easier for some because we have such technology among staff members when we use our facility’s ID cards as ways of keeping employees records (attendance, call-ins, entrance/exit the facility or restricted rooms, sometimes other personal records). I believe that this will become helpful because some vital information about patients (allergies, treatment/care plan, DNR, meal plan, prescription drugs, family member information, medical records, e.t.c.) will be know and avoid unnecessary mistakes.
I completely admit what Allen, J. E. (2008) page 13 said about nursing home administrator needs to know, that in order to act professionally and effectively, administrators need to adopt changes as they come. I also believe what he said that “surviving in the nursing home industry will depend on ability to forecast the future and learn entirely new ways of thinking, behaving, motivating and communicating in the nursing facility”. In this case ability to adapt change faster will have good results in the plans and strategies forecasted by the administrator or management. As ambitious administrator, I believe that there is change that comes within, internal change, and change that comes from outside, external change. To understand the sources of the change, will make management aware of such change, its source, nature and possible solutions. For example, an effective administrator will need to consider governmental permissions and regulations, nature of competition, nature of nursing home leadership and economic considerations based on numerous factors. (Allen, 2008, p.16-17)
Furthermore, as administrator I will use forecasting by develop and manage changes that impact finances of my facility because it is important to oversee spending, keep and search for new funders and maintaining the current funders/donors without hurting the organization’s goals and objectives. In doing so, I do understand that in the administrator’s position cut back programs that needs professional supervision and qualification can implicate the facility/organization’s mission by not attaining main goals and objectives. For example at my facility I will need enough RNs, physical therapists, and CAN’s and dietitian. Because these are the core professions for existence of the nursing home and implementation of many required ethical and laws counts on these professions because they are licensed. For example, my strategic plan is to develop a plan on how to formulate process and analyze facility’s goals, objectives, technological advancement, competitions and resources. Goals and objectives can be based on both short and long range, decisions on means to achieve them, and organized methods that ensure them (Allen, 2008, p.18-21).
In this context, as administrator, I will use forecasting as management tool to analyze the trends in the facility. I will also use line staff relationships to initiate and anticipate the swift change that is occurring. Doing so will facilitate facility management to change as the current systems look forward to the change because technology is changing the healthcare business daily. Hence effective administrators must change. I do admit your mini-lecture input that “in order to survive in this dramatic, laser fast change environment, the administrator will need to look at issues in innovative ways, understanding that yesterday's or today's solutions may not work in tomorrow's world.” (Tony Joseph, Fall 2009 Mini-Lecture) For example, planning in healthcare industry involves forecasting, planning, and organization. As administrator I will put emphasis on input, process, and output, this is to control quality by maximizing efficiency and professionalism. I will be using inclusive mechanism while formulating policies as a way to put forward facility’s action plan. (Allen, 2008, p. 21-26)
By Desdery J. Masao: Fall of 2009
Bibliography:
Allen, J. E. (2008). Nursing home administration. New York, Springer Pub.
Tony Joseph, Fall 2009, Nursing Home Administrator Course, Module 2 Mini-Lecture, https://sunyit.sln.suny.edu/default.asp
The Fatherhood Life Reader(s) Signature and Disclaimer. Content of this Blog (The Fatherhood Life) is intended for the use of reader(s) only and may contain privileged, confidential, or proprietary information that is exempt from disclosure under law. Reader(s) discretion is required. If you have received this link in error, please inform us promptly by profile e-mail, and then exit the link immediately. Content of this blog are protected under the privacy, 1st amendment and private property laws. Do not distribute, print, download and or copy content of this Blog without Blog administrator’s permission. Thank you and may God bless you and The United States Of America. "In God we Trust"
No comments:
Post a Comment