Leadership and Financing in Nursing Homes - Essay Example

Reflective Paper 3b Effective Organizer with Skills in Interpreting Laws, Regulations and Policies Regulations and laws are important to every industry, especially when you are dealing with human beings. Whether it is education, a restaurant or a healthcare facility if humans are present, there are regulations and laws to govern how those human beings can and will be treated. In a healthcare facility, there are not only regulations and always about how to treat people but if the facility works with young children, the elderly or the very frail, there are other regulations that are imposed by a variety of other agencies (e.g. Medicaid and Medicare) that the facility must adhere to if they are going to be eligible to work with the individuals receiving these benefits. In nursing home administration, there are guidelines at the local, state and federal levels. This means that an administrator who manages facilities in three states, must also be familiar with regulations in all three states in order to be licensed in those states; they must also keep the licenses current. The Nursing Home in the Eyes of the Public The majority of elderly people, if asked where they want to spend their late years, would answer that they want to stay at home. Today, most elderly are able to do that unless something drastic happens like a loss of health and well being. A challenge for many nursing homes is that they have a reputation for not taking good care of someone unless the family is very involved. The nursing home manager must be central to marketing the nursing home to the community so they understand the process if their loved one needed to be put into a nursing home for a short-term stay. Consumers make decisions daily as to what facility they will bring their loved one to if their health becomes compromised. Preview and Profile of the Nursing Home Environment Nursing homes reflect the current demands of the culture and usually are home to the elderly, the chronically ill and the disabled. Anyone can fall into one or several categories. In many situations, the individual who becomes old and frail may need to live in a long-term care facility because they need nursing care that they cannot receive in their homes. The need for nursing homes and long-term care facilities have been the subject of often heated debates. These debates can stem from a discussion of which facility takes care of the needs of individuals better (Allen, 2008). Because of the increased life expectancy of the elderly population and the fact that it is predicted that 18% of the elderly will be living in nursing homes by 2030 (Allen, 2008) it stands to reason that these facilities must be safe and secure for families. Another group that will be important are the aging Baby Boomers. It is predicted that they are the fastest growing population (ages 55-64) in the years 2005-2015. As this fact becomes a reality, new services will be required especially in the areas of "Chronic and acute health conditions" (Allen, 2008, p. 362). Most nursing homes are primarily funded by Medicaid and private insurance. Medicaid has changed and is less apt to fund institutions today. They are moving towards more personal care. As healthcare changes at the federal level, there are major changes to Medicare and Medicaid that are already happening. These changes will most likely mean that there will also be changes in nursing homes and in the services they offer. Central to a knowledge of these changes is the fact that nursing home administrators must be able to spot these trends and help their facilities deal with and move through the change. Leadership and Financing in Nursing Homes As with most organizations, the CEO of the nursing home or the various managers will determine how the nursing home environment will be seen. Because the organization is governed by local, state and federal governments, each time these governments change their regulations, the managers must be informed of these new regulations. Central to these changes in regulations are the fiscal responsibilities that come with them. The Obama Administration also will impact the financial aspects of healthcare as they change the way healthcare looks; rumors are already surfacing that say that Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare will see many changes. A manager and leader must understand how to interpret these changes and how they will impact their facilities. The administrator is the one who is responsible for the financial operations and financial performance of the organization. This means that the administrator must have advanced skills in financial management which include being able to find needed funds and making optimal use of them. The administrator must understand and manage the expense, revenue, assets, liabilities and owners equity of the facility. Financial management skills are very important to nursing homes because they typically have low liquidity, high debt and narrow profit margins. Since the introduction of the Medicare Perspective Pay System, many nursing homes have gone bankrupt because of the pressure to make a profit and to have profit margins. When the manager is able to be careful in their financial management, they are able to maintain a small to large profit margin. The nursing home administrator must understand the financial opportunities that are present so they can take advantage of them. The administrator of a nursing home must also have strong decision making skills because they must be able to delegate to others. They must be able to actively decide who has the responsibility for making each set of decisions at various levels (Allen, 2008). The administrator must be able to engage their employees in the processes necessary to move the business forward. The Changing Face of Rest Homes in the Obama Era President Obama is changing the way that healthcare looks in America. This means many things to many people and it has become a very political climate. As an example, it is difficult to understand the various changes that have happened and are happing because they are happening so quickly. Individuals have more healthcare choices and clients who live in nursing homes or who will live in them in the future will need to know their options. One area that has already been impacted is long-term care. According to Kimball (2010) there will be new provisions from the Community Living Assistance Services and Support (CLASS) Act that will make long-term care insurance available to everyone. Also, there will be better prescription coverage for Medicare part D. However, this legislation will also mean that nursing homes will be affected because of the "ownership transparency of nursing home chains" (Kimball, 2010, p. 1). Because of the changes in both Medicare and Medicaid, nursing homes stand to lose money and patients. As Owcharenko and Moffit (2010) suggest, there will be payment cuts to hospitals, home health agencies and nursing homes which "will make 15 percent of these providers unprofitable and possibly jeopardize seniors access to care" (p. 1). The information discussed here is part of what an administrator is required to know so they can interpret this information to their staff without the political hype behind it, to the employees so they understand how their jobs will be affected by the changes. My Teaching Style and Personality I believe that it is important for a manger to have a good sense of humor when working on administrative issues. This is important because financial issues can be very stressful and when policies are in a constant place of change, employees can feel overwhelmed and frustrated. A strong leaders task is to help educate employees about any changes that come from local, state or federal governments. As Ive said before, I am a Constructivist in terms of my leadership style and in my educational styles. When I am working with students or employees, I see myself using the following principles: 1. I use a whole person approach that incorporates the mind, body and spirit of the individual. 2. I connect their social environment with who they are and what they know. 3. I connect their social environment with who they are and what they know. 4. I use an individual focused approach so I can understand their unique experiences, capacities, and insights, and how they impact their jobs. 5. I understand that education must be adaptable to the needs of the individual. These principles are important to me because I want my employees to trust that I know what I am doing and can help them understand the various changes that are made. My teaching style fits my personality. To explore the idea of personality, I have chosen the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) as a means of understanding my personality. According to this personality scale, I am an ISTJ which stands for Intuitive Sensor Thinker Judger. According to Kroeger and Thuesen (1992) this personality type so a natural organizer. They are responsible and dependable and they see the world in terms of facts and tangible options. As an ISTJ I am very organized and some peel think I am not outgoing until they get to know me. I am also very cost conscious which makes some of my managers crazy because they are always called to task about the financial issues. Generally speaking, the ISTJ has the ability to act quickly in situations of crisis. They also begin projects and stay with them until they are finished. This is one of the reasons why I do so well in my leadership because I can have several projects going at once without mixing them up. I have had to make sue that I am not so driven that I forget to take time for myself or to help my employees excel. ISTJs have a tendency not to delegate duties and this has stopped me from getting the most out of my employees in the past. Hence, I had to learn how to delegate appropriately. These personality traits have helped me in my management style and they have created a way for me to better relate to my managers. We have done training using the MBTI that has helped each department understand how to work more effectively together. References Allen, J.A. (2000). Nursing home federal requirements and guidelines to surveyors. NY: Springer Publishing. Kimball, M. (23 March 2010). Healthcare reform will impact long-term care. Health Leaders Media.http://www.healthleadersmedial.com/print/ LED-248406/Healthcare-Reform-Will-Impact-LongTerm-Care Kroeger, O. and Thuesen, J.M. (1992). Type talk at work. NY: Delacorte Owcharenko, N. and Moffit, (1 October 2010). Obamacares ill effects leave few untouched" Nobodys immune. Boston Herald. Retrieved October 11, 2010 from http://news.bostonherald.com/news/opinions/ op_ed/view.bg?articleid=1285603 Read More