North Mississippi Health Services Won Baldrige Reward within the Last Decade - Research Paper Example

North Mississippi Health Services Won Baldrige Reward within the Last Decade Introduction North Mississippi Health Services (NMHS) is regarded as a community-owned, non-profit and incorporated healthcare delivery organization serving in different rural areas especially in northwest Alabama and northeast Mississippi. The organization has been viewed to offer various significant services to the patients that generally encompass wellness as well as preventive services, services relating to hospital-based emergencies and acute care along with post-acute care services by a greater extent. The organization possesses extensive number of healthcare professionals and medical staffs in order to provide effective healthcare services to the patients (NIST, 2012). Due to its superior performance in terms of delivering quality healthcare services to the patients, NMHS was awarded with 2012 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award which is regarded as the greatest Presidential honor concerning performance excellence (North Mississippi Health Services, 2012). The mission of NMHS has been viewed to be incessantly enhancing the health of the individuals or people belong to the rural nations of northwest Alabama and northeast Mississippi especially. Moreover, the other missions of the organization are to be the best provider of effectual healthcare services in the region of America, expanding superior access towards health services and enhancing heath outcomes. Apart from the missions, the vision of NMHS is to preserve superior quality workforce and enhance customer service. The values of NMHS have been noted to be taking responsibilities towards delivering effective healthcare services to the patients and treating as well as respecting every individual with equal dignity. Moreover, the other values of the organization are always interacting in a friendly manner, attaining excellence through building effectual teamwork and presenting sincere care as well as kind-heartedness to the patients (North Mississippi Health Services, 2013). In this paper, a detailed analysis of one of the healthcare companies who has been rewarded with Baldrige reward within the last decade i.e. of NMHS will be taken into concern. 1. Evaluate How The Baldrige Winner Implemented The HSA Principles And Practices And Their Impact On The Patients, Employees, Organizations, And Society The different principles as well as the practices relating to Health Services Administration (HSA) signifies the combination of businesses, politics and most importantly science in organizing as well as managing financial and human resources that is quite indispensable for offering effective healthcare services to the patients (American Dental Education Association, 2012). It has been apparently observed in this similar context that NMHS implemented the HSA principles as well as practices depicting the rights and responsibilities of the patients in order to provide better and sincere care to the patients. In this regard, according to the organization, the patients must possess the right of informing about every patient right when admitted and treated with respect along with individual dignity. Apart from the rights, the patients should have the responsibility of delivering precise and proper information to the concerned authority regarding their previous illnesses and hospitalizations among others. Furthermore, the other way through which NMHS implemented the HSA principles as well as practices is engaging qualified medical practitioners, efficient nursing staffs and enthusiastic social workers. These individuals eventually support in delivering different healthcare services in an effective manner (North Mississippi Health Services, 2013). The aforementioned ways through which NMHS implemented the HSA principles as well as practices eventually impose significant impact upon the patients, employees, organizations and society. In this similar context, the implementation of the HSA principles as well as practices by NMHS supports the patients in raising their security as well as satisfaction by a greater degree. In relation to the employees, the implementation of the HSA principles as well as practices motivates the employees to serve their best efforts towards curing the patients. With regard to organizations, implementation of the HSA principles as well as practices assists them to enhance and customer service and thus expand their access to health services at large. Finally, relating to society, the implementation of the HSA principles as well as practices aids in making the communities to promote health and wellness by a considerable level (North Mississippi Health Services, 2013). 2. Evaluate The Skills Needed To Administer Financial Planning And Measure Financial Performance Within A Health Service Organization One of the vital skills, which is required to administer financial planning and measure financial performance within a health service organization like NMHS is acquiring the idea of performance measurement system. This particular system is fundamentally described as the procedure of gathering, scrutinizing and reporting any sort of valuable information about the performance of a specific organization, group, system or an individual. The facets of performance measurement system include relevancy, timely, precise, strategic and reliability. This system emphasizes upon different important aspects that embrace designing appropriate organizational strategy, making effective planning and assessing reporting procedure among others. It has been apparently observed in this circumstance that the system delivers valuable feedback particularly to the decision makers that ultimately aid them to enhance as well as to measure their performance (Barbuio, n.d.). Another skill that is needed to administer financial planning and measure financial performance within a health service organization like NMHS is acquiring the idea of benchmarking. It is principally described as the procedure of measuring the internal systems of a particular organization. It generally focuses upon recognizing the effectiveness as well as the efficiency of the organizations’ different aspects of internal procedures and assists them to enhance their performance. This particular skill i.e. the idea of benchmarking is required to administer financial planning and measure financial performance within a health service organization like NMHS owing to the reason that the idea would support health service organizations in making dynamic process enhancements like patient admittance systems, check-in times and emergency department evaluation procedure among others (Barbuio, n.d.). Thus, it can be stated that the application of performance measurement system and the notion of benchmarking in the form of effective skills are required to administer financial planning and measure financial performance within a health service organization like NMHS by a considerable level. 3. Discuss How The Expected Benefits Of The Financial Planning Skills Paired Against What The Company Realized. Discuss Any Gaps You Identified In relation to financial planning, it has been viewed that NMHS made certain effective financial planning in order to enhance its financial performance. In this similar concern, NMHS established a new as well as technologically advanced warehouse in the year 2007 where the healthcare organization is saving extensive operational costs through the implementation of advanced operational facets. These facets comprise laser ring readers, wire-guided forklifts and electronic ordering or e-ordering among others. Moreover, it has been apparently observed that the computerized staffing process that introduced by NMHS also assists the organization to enhance its financial performance in terms of minimizing higher-cost impermanent personnel. With regard to financial planning, it has been viewed that the organization is intending to construct an off-site Central Sterile Processing Center that would implement pioneering robotics as well as design in order to enhance and raise its operational efficiency and most vitally to develop financial performance. However, it can be stated that the expected benefits of the financial planning skills paired against what the organization realized. In relation to the skill of performance measurement system, no such valuable feedback has been identified to be provided to the decision makers of the organization. With regard to the skill of benchmarking, NMHS has not been viewed to assess its performance by contrasting with other healthcare organizations present within the locality (Carroll & Edwards, 2011). On the basis of the above discussion, certain gaps can be identified in relation to the expected benefits of the financial planning skills paired against what NMHS realized. In this regard, one of the gaps which can be identified is that no valuable feedback has been provided to the decision makers of the organization to assist in enhancing its performance relating to the skill of performance measurement system. Furthermore, the other gap that can be recognized is that NMHS does not assess its performance with other healthcare organizations present in the similar locality to identify better practice and implement within the organization. 4. Discuss The Ethical Considerations That Are Relevant To Health Care Service Establishments Different healthcare organizations desire to focus more upon ethical considerations for the purpose of serving better interests towards their several stakeholders. However, the recent transformations especially in healthcare settings has ultimately forced the healthcare organizations to consider every ethical issue that prevail within their organization by a significant level. There are certain ethical considerations that are quite relevant to healthcare service establishments like NMHS. In this similar concern, one of the vital ethical considerations of every healthcare service establishment including NMHS is quality improvement. It has been apparently observed in this particular context that the ethical issues particularly in healthcare service establishments generally arise due to the imperative factor of quality enhancement as it lead towards enhancing the health of the patients and most significantly increasing patients’ safety by a greater extent. Another chief ethical consideration that is quite relevant to healthcare service establishment is patients’ satisfaction. Various critical concerns like improper treatment, unfriendly behavior of the medical practitioners as well as other medical staffs and deficiency in providing sensitive care with kindness to the patients can ultimately lessen patient satisfaction and raise ethical issue (Zoubul, n.d.). Thus, the healthcare service establishments like NMHS must consider this particular ethical consideration i.e. patients’ satisfaction in order to develop their operational efficiency and financial performance at large. Several clinical issues can also be certain ethical considerations that are quite relevant to different healthcare service establishments. The clinical issues comprise patient autonomy, confidentiality, advance directives and informed consent among others. It can broadly be affirmed that the speedy transformations not only in healthcare settings made different healthcare service establishments like NMHS to pay utmost attention towards the aforesaid ethical considerations, but dynamic changes in the arrangement of healthcare delivery method can also be regarded as chief contributory factor. For this particular reason, the healthcare service establishments have been noted to address the different ethical considerations in an effective manner (Zoubul, n.d.). 5. Discuss The Challenges Presented In Health Care Organizations Today In Regard To Collecting, Sharing, And Protecting Patient Information The different healthcare organizations have been viewed to be struggling concerning the collection, sharing and protection of valuable information of the patients at large. Thus, it can be stated that there pertain certain critical challenges presented in various healthcare organizations relating to the gathering, sharing as well as safeguarding valuable information of the patients. In this regard, one of the critical challenges that is presented in different healthcare organizations concerning collecting, sharing and safeguarding valuable information of the patients is managing data. It has been apparently observed that the referring medical practitioners periodically share different clinical information with the patients that ultimately raises a significant concern of managing data in an effective manner. It is the information technology (IT) professionals who possess the responsibility of managing data concerning the collection, storage and protection of valuable information of the patients at large. Thus, hiring qualified as well as appropriate IT professionals and retaining them for future perspective can be certain crucial challenges of different healthcare service establishments or organizations like NMHS. The rapid execution of pioneering technological advancements in the form of personal computers (PC’s) and the medium of internet has eventually supported the different healthcare organizations to gather, share and protect valuable information of the patients by a greater extent (McAfee, Inc., n.d.). However, the execution of advanced technologies generated a new challenge especially for the IT professionals belonging to various healthcare organizations who had to implement strict regulating on managing as well as protecting valuable data linked with the patients. This is owing to the reason that the enormous quantity of data that is flowing across different service networks has hampered or delayed the healthcare organizations from effectually positioning, cataloging as well as protecting the valuable data. Moreover, another challenge presented in health care organizations today with regard to collecting, sharing, and protecting patient information is weak configurations in enterprise network devices. In this similar concern, various security applications like intrusion detection systems (IDS) and firewalls among others may generate a fake security sense to different healthcare organizations that would ultimately make them to face crucial challenges relating to the collection, sharing and the safeguard of valuable information of the patients (McAfee, Inc., n.d.). 6. Discuss What You Learned In Regard To Effective Communication In This Program That You Used To Improve Your Ability To Persuade, Manage Conflict, And Share Information Ineffective communication relating to healthcare settings is considered to be one of the chief contributory factors that often lead towards medical discrepancies and most importantly unintentional harms to patients. Moreover, the facet of ineffective communication also proves to be much disadvantageous for different healthcare organizations in terms of rising financial costs and deteriorating financial planning. By taking into concern the diverse and the complex procedure prevailing in today’s healthcare settings, it can broadly be affirmed that enhancing communication especially amid different healthcare professionals is likely to assist secured delivery of sensitive care with kindness to the patients. Thus, on the basis of the above discussion, there lies the necessity of enhancing effective communication with the intention of possessing the ability to persuade, manage conflict and share information effectually. According to various researches, it has been apparently observed that there exists a strong interrelation between the communication skills of a healthcare team member and the capacity of the patients to manage any sort of critical medical situation and adopt precautionary health behavioral practices. One significant lesson that can be learned with regard to effective communication in this program that has been executed to persuade, manage conflict and share information is the perception of the patients that they hold regarding quality healthcare. In this regard, it has been viewed that the perception of the patients regarding quality of healthcare which they receive from any healthcare organization is heavily reliant upon the quality of the interactions that takes place between different healthcare professionals and other medical staffs (Department of Health, 2010). 7. Develop An Alternative HSA Policy And Practice That Aligns With The Business Strategies Of The Baldrige Winning Company While Considering Quality Of Care, Trends, Ethics, And The Law The transformations in healthcare settings and alterations in the arrangement of healthcare delivery method impose dramatic impact upon different healthcare service establishments and most importantly on patients’ care. In this regard, it has been viewed that the policies as well as the practices relating to HSA connect with various significant areas like business, politics and science with the intention of managing as well as organizing human resources aiming to provide effective healthcare services to the patients. The idea of ‘lean process improvement’ can be noted as an alternative HSA policy as well as practice that aligns with the business strategies of the Baldrige wining company i.e. NMHS while considering quality of care, trends, ethics and the law. The notion of ‘lean process improvement’ generally emphasizes upon different imperative aspects that can support the NMHS to enhance patient care considering various critical issues like ethics, law and most importantly quality of care. In this similar context, the various decisive aspects include proper utilization of valuable resources, lessening operating costs and raising effectiveness particularly in managerial as well as medical care delivery services. This particular alternative HSA policy as well as practice aligning with the business strategies of NMHS while considering quality of care, trends, ethics and the law can prove to be much beneficial for the healthcare organization. This is because the idea of ‘lean process improvement’ benefits the healthcare organizations like NMHS in terms of increasing operational efficiencies concerning the treatment of the patients and enhancing direct patient care procedures among others (Carter, n.d.). Thus, on the basis of the above discussion, it can be stated that the notion of ‘lean process improvement’ that can be aligned with the business strategies of NMHS while considering quality of care, trends, ethics and the law. Conclusion NMHS has been awarded with the prestigious Baldrige reward due to excellence in its different operational functions and deliverance of effective healthcare to the patients. It has been viewed that the healthcare organization implemented HSA policies as well as practices in terms of depicting the rights and responsibilities of the patients in order to provide better and sincere care to the patients. This particular practice ultimately imposes extensive impact upon its employees, patients and society at large. The facets like performance measurement system and benchmarking are needed to supervise financial planning and measure financial performance within a specific healthcare service establishment. Several ethical considerations like quality improvement in care and patients’ satisfaction have been viewed to be quite relevant for healthcare organizations. An effective communication is thus required to persuade, manage conflict and most significantly to deliver effective healthcare to the patients. An alternative HSA policy as well as practice in the form of ‘‘lean process improvement’ can be aligned with the business strategies of NMHS while considering quality of care, trends, ethics and the law. References American Dental Education Association. (2012). Overview. Retrieved from http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/Career/48/Health_Services_Administration Barbuio, F. (n.d.). Performance measurement: a practical guide to KPIs and benchmarking in public broadcasters. Retrieved from http://www.cba.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/PerformanceMeasurementAPracticalGuide.pdf Carroll, S. S., & Edwards, J. N. (2011). North Mississippi medical center: improving efficiency through hospital, system, and community-wide practices. The Commonwealth Fund 11, pp.1-17. Department of Health. (2010). Introduction. Retrieved from http://www.health.vic.gov.au/qualitycouncil/downloads/communication_paper_120710.pdf McAfee, Inc. (n.d.). Protecting and securing privacy data and sensitive information in today’s healthcare organization. Retrieved from http://www.mcafee.com/cf/resources/solution-briefs/sb-protect-secure-data-healthcare.pdf NIST. (2012). North Mississippi health services. Retrieved from http://www.nist.gov/baldrige/award_recipients/no-ms-health-services_profile.cfm North Mississippi Health Services. (2013). NMMC values. Retrieved from http://www.nmhs.net/values.php North Mississippi Health Services. (2012). NMHS receives 2012 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Retrieved from http://www.nmhs.net/documents/NMHSBaldrigerelease.pdf Zoubul, C. (n.d.). Healthcare institutional ethics: broader than clinical ethics. Retrieved from http://www.jblearning.com/samples/076374526X/4526X_CH14_235_250.pdf Read More