State Of Integrated Health Delivery System - Case Study Example

State Of Integrated Health Delivery System Needed changes at HMA for survival Currently, HMA will be identified to have two major challenges or problems, which reflect the kind of changes that must take place for the outfit to survive. In the first place, there is the need for a functional processing systems change at the facility. By functional processing systems, reference is being made to the way and manner in which the facility delivers set of coordinated duties to service users or clients. At it is now, it would be noted that the efficiency of service delivery for the facility is highly affected and suspected of not being the best because core duties are delivered in isolation and one apart from the other (Halvorson, 2007). Some of these services are on delivery of consultation services, pharmacy services, counseling services, and other health services. Even though there is an attempt for an networking or coordinated service plan to take place in the form of the integrated delivery systems (IDS), it would be noted that this plan does not necessarily solve the internal problems of absence of coordinated service delivery that HMA has but that it only tries to establish an organized, coordinated and collaborative network with other health care providers. The houses of HMA must therefore be put in place and in order before any external solutions can be solved. There is also a problem of personnel acquaintance to administrative task delivery. By this, reference is being made to what is seemingly an absence of committed understanding of the core needs and strategic focus of the facility by the human resource base of HMA. It will therefore be very necessary for there to be a human resource based change that identities the needs of staff and readily solve them. The essence of this change is that is it only when the service provider who in this case are the staff are well motivated to deliver work and understand the reasons to display committed service that the service provider can receive such guaranteed excellence in service delivery (Wennberg, 2010). In effect, changes in the human resource capacity building of the organization will ensure that there is improved productivity, which could also ensure that there is improvement in financial situation of HMA. Impact of current financial crisis on physician groups in the delivery of health care From every indication, the financial strength of a health care organization like HMA can greatly affect the plans and focuses of the organization in instituting and implementing for a new strategy (Halvorson, 2007). Once this inhabitation of strategy happens, the delivery of excellent health care in general can become greatly limited. This is because in most cases, health organizations depend on the use of such strategic changes to bring about excellent service delivery to clients as has been exhibited by HMA which is currently seeking to put in place the integrated delivery system as a strategy. Having said this, there have been other studies and works of literature that have argued that financial crisis at organizations such as HMA does not out rightly mean a flaw in the quest to deliver quality health care (Shi and Singh, 2004). From the perspective of these reviewers, even though financial incentives for organizations like HMA and its physicians form a pivotal part in the assurance of motivation, financial motivation and extrinsic forms of motivations of that kind are not the only means to motivate physicians to give in their best in their service delivery. It has even been said in other quarters that intrinsic motivation, which emanate from the self will of physicians to perform is even a more powerful form of motivation to ensure the delivery of health care to clients. In effect, even though financial revival for HMA could guarantee a fast pace of delivery of health care, the absence of it does not mean a fatal flaw for the organization. Capitation risks and potentials In the current situation of capitation arrangement, it is generally noted that the community is a focus in the capitation determinant variables. This is done to ensure that funding for health care does not become a reason why people will be demoralized from seeking health care attention. The benefit that this era of capitation brought is that it ensured that HMA became a people-centered health facility that put the interest of clients first. There was however a major risk with this provision because it hindered the facility from meeting its core financial needs and in some cases, becoming close to being bankrupt. With its need to pursing any of PCMH or ACO, it is expected that the risks that existed before will now become potential returns, and the benefits would become risk. For example, with a fixed capitation, it is possible that the facility will have a clearer and well forecasted expenditure base, around which the budget of the organization can be drawn and monitored (Eastaugh, 2004). Once this happens, the financial situation of the company will be better improved or enhanced, whiles ensuring that there is sufficiency in the source of funding. But as Wennberg (2010) notes, people centeredness remains a pivotal part of any excellent health care facility. Once the clients of the facility begin to have a feeling that the facility is becoming more focused on profits than customer care, attitude of clients towards the facility may change to be negative. State of integrated health delivery system The current situation gives a clear indication that the concept of integrated health delivery system is greatly challenged. At this level, it can be said that the plan for an integrated health delivery system has been flawed among the parties involved. This position held does not however mean that the entire concept of integrated health delivery system is a flaw as a strategy for bringing about desired health based service delivery for various health facilities. What might have technically gone wrong with the players involved in the current attempt for an integrated health delivery system is that the parties failed to identify what is needed to be orderliness in their individual houses before coming together to attempt the integrated system. Commonly, parties that are interested in an integrated health delivery system have been advised not to seek this integrated system as a means for shadowing their weaknesses and flaws. Rather, it is important that all such forms of weaknesses that are identified are given pragmatic solutions and treatment of solution so that the integration will be an integration of enhanced solution for change (Eastaugh, 2004). Since this position was ensured by the identified parties in the current integrated health delivery system, it can be concluded that the integrated system has been flawed and can only become an avenue for change if there is a holistic revitalization of the process. Reference List Eastaugh, S. (2004). Health Care Finance and Economics. Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Halvorson, G. (2007). Health Care Reform Now! A Prescription for Change. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Shi, L. & Singh, D. (2004). Delivering Health Care in America. Aspen Publication. Wennberg, J.E. (2010). Tracking Medicine. Oxford University Press. Read More