Goals and Approaches of health care operations management - Essay Example

Goals and approaches of health care operations management May 7, Goals and approaches of health care operations management Thehealthcare environment involves human resource and technologies that require designed systems for optimal operations. Operations management is significant to the corporate sector and with inferred significance on the healthcare sector, its goals and approaches can be identified, understood, and pursued for effective and efficient service delivery. Below is a discussion of functions and goals of operations management and possible role of quantitative analysis in promoting operational objectives in a care setting.

Scope and purpose of operations management within healthcare organizationsOperations management involves forecasting, modeling, and management of processes for effectiveness and efficiency. The scope, in healthcare, targets improved services and reduced costs. One of the purposes of operations management in health care is to improve services towards the core objective of promoting well being. The branch of management aims at coordinated processes and resources for optimal quality and quantity outputs.

Coordination of personnel from different departments and promoting personnel’s technological skills, and identification and use of necessary technologies are examples of targets for operations management in the healthcare environment. The management also aims at improving patients movements into and within a care facility to eliminate time wastage. In addition, change is a necessity in any environment and often faces resistance despite potential benefits. Operations management aims at identifying and implementing necessary changes for improved services while at the same time ensuring personnel utility during such changes.

Planning and coordination of internal and external activities to a healthcare setting are other objectives of operations management in the care sector (Langabeer, 2008). Mathematical models such as simulation and programming helps to determine targets for planning and actions (Denton, 2013). Insight gained regarding challenges or objectives of operations managementThis week’s media segments on objectives of operations management in the health care set up informed me of the need for effective leadership in the management role.

While operations management aims at analyzing the environment of a health care set up, developing frameworks for improvements and implementing proposed changes, challenges to adjusting to new technology and processes require leadership roles for ensuring that personnel support operations management decisions. Differentiated leadership potential for a contingency approach is the best because of diversity of personnel and dynamism of work environments. Such leadership styles as transformational leadership, charismatic leadership, and even authoritarian leadership can empower, influence, or force employees to support an organizational initiative.

Ways that quantitative analysis could contribute to aims of operations management in a nursing homeNursing homes offer care services to clients who need continuous care that they cannot receive in their homes. Quantitative research method, through its scope that analyses data for understanding trends and differences between data sets, could help in forecasting data and understanding differences between factors such as types of needs and effectiveness of personnel. The research method could be used to forecast demand for services and therefore inform quantities of resources for meeting future needs (Shi, 2008).

Alternative approaches to quality improvement such as types of technology or qualitative characteristics of personnel could also exist and quantitative methods could be used to investigate significance of possible differences among the alternatives. This could then inform selection of the best alternative for quality improvement. Conclusion Operations management has a diversified scope in the health care sector in which it aims at improving quality and quantity. Based on its objectives and challenges, effective leadership is necessary.

Quantitative research methods could contribute to the branch of management through aiding forecasting and analysis of variance between factors. ReferencesDenton, T. (2013). Handbook of healthcare operations management: Methods and applications. New York, NY: Springer. Langabeer, J. (2008). Health care operations management: A quantitative approach to business and logistics. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Shi, L. (2008). Health services research methods (2nd ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Thomson.