Management of Utilities - Assignment Example

Management of Utilities The main goals for the establishment of a utility management plan are to provide quality care that is safe, controlled and comfortable. Secondly, this will help reduce the potential for nosocomial illness and moreover the risks associated with utility failures and finally the establishment of utility systems that are operationally reliable. In the attainment of the goals, this will eventually ensure protection to the people in the nursing home inclusive of patients and staff and to the environment (Kaveh, 2007). The overall primary objectives of the improvement of utility management includes: infection control, equipment support, communications and environmental support. Further, this establishment will ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, health standard and guidelines established by various stakeholders in the health sector. An effective preventive maintenance program and the establishment of reference documents for each system will ensure good utility management. On the other hand, contingency plans in the event of a utility system failure should be established and the introduction of performance evaluation of the various systems put in place (Hal, James, and Wayne, 2004). The establishment of such a system that will incorporate the various components of utility management will be quite effective in the provision of quality health care and increase in income of this nursing home. In utility management, the plan identifies the various stakeholders and educates them on their use. After its implementation, the way the stakeholders respond should subsequently be monitored and the improvement cycle established to identify the weaknesses and the strengths of the system. This plan will also help in giving a guideline on the responsibilities and the delegation of duties among the staff members so as to improve performance by elimination of duplication and conflicts of targets. Review of the progress is recommended to ensure that the management system is performing and hence maintenance. A quality control department needs to be established in the nursing home under utility management and with collaboration with risk management. Under utility management, it will establish the procedures into the reduction of health hazards as depicted by the Harvard analysis Critical Control Point. Emergency procedures should also be well illustrated in the plan in the event of utility system malfunction. Methodologies for Integrating QI Strategies into Performance Measurements The consumer inspired quality is one of the methodologies used in performance measurement. It focuses on the various processes that directly affect the care and services provided in the hospitals and in our case, to the nursing home. With an aim to improve performance, the system identifies, defines, and analyzes the service and care provision to the elderly or any other specific group of people. In this, patient perspective drives improvement by prioritizing processes that have been seen to cause poor service delivery to the patient. More surprisingly, satisfaction in health care is the leading aspect of business and in order to make profits, customer loyalty must be gained. Merits 1. It increases customer loyalty and therefore increasing the market share. 2. It ensures the reduction of errors and wastes and consequently reduces the cost of running the organization 3. There is a tremendous increase in employee satisfaction and consumer and management performance can be measured at ease. Demerits 1. It is only applicable in health care and other service sectors. The six sigma approach can be used as a quality improvement methodology in that it reduces variation. It basically defines, measures, analyzes, improves and controls improvement. It works on the presumption that a problem already exists and performance is measured by managers in an attempt to improve quality. This methodology ensures a continuous process in healthcare provision without establishing a link with the patients. Merits 1. This method reduces the use of inventory in admissions and other various service deliveries. 2. It ensures the maximum utility of the resources in the hospital including the staff. Demerits 1. The system ignores the customer perspective and the process improves independently. 2. The various components within the system are not considered and this can only perform well in a short period. The theory of constrains is another way of quality improvement methodologies and as the name suggests, it aims at manipulating the constraints. It generally focuses to the system constraint rather than the customer’s perspective. It begins with the identification of the constraint, exploits the constraints, elevates the constraint and the cycle starts all over again. It enhances at reaching a large number of patients with the integration of processes and systems. The exploitation of the existing processes is very common with this method (Kaveh, 2007). Merits 1. Less inventory and waste is experienced in this kind of methodology and throughput performance is attained. 2. There is an improved quality in healthcare. Demerits 1. The data analysis is not valued and conspicuously ignores customer perspective. 2. Evidently, the health care workers tend to relax due to the failure to focus closely to the staff. Information Technology Applications as Components of QI Management Data Acquisition and Analysis Using integrated data management, IT can help the health sector by helping in the managing of facilities without the need for re-keying or additional validation of data. In quality improvement, data analysis is vital in the determination of whether the organization is working towards the attainment of quality health care. IT developed data can be used to measure the effect of changes and in monitoring performance (David, 2006). Through information technology, the current systems can be analyzed to identify their capability in delivering, identify when to act based on changes in performance and assistance in decision making. Decision making With the integration of IT in medicine, many companies have started offering information technology software that helps in the decision making. An example of such a system is the Clinical decision support system (CDSS) which has provided the health practitioners and nurses with real time diagnostic and treatment recommendations. Clinical information systems on the other hand helps the management of the organization to come up with management decisions in a short time that would otherwise take a long time to be reached at (Kaveh, 2007). Utility management IT can be used in the development of utility systems management and ensuring quality service to the patients. Retrieval of patients’ documents and admissions into the hospital can be automated to reduce inventory paperwork. Payment systems for example can adapt the information technology to reduce the hectic work of writing and rewriting. The flow of information across providers is also very important in healthcare (Hal et al., 2004). Financial and accounting systems that facilitate billing, accounting and other administrative tasks have been established but the use of IT for decision making has not been achieved. In order for improvement to be achieved in utility management, data analysis is very essential in establishing the way forward towards the attainment of its goals. It is then apparent that utility management benefits more from information technology than other aspects of quality improvement. Tools used in data collection utilize information technology that will then be useful in data analysis and decision making. The use of IT in human resource management also falls under utility management and therefore helps in the smooth running of the organization (Royal Pharmaceutical Society, 2006). Involvement of benchmarks and milestones in managing QI A benchmark can be defined as a target and both the indicators and benchmarks are used in measuring performance. Benchmarking is therefore the determination of how the organization measures up. The various benchmarks can be used in the measurement of key performance indicators (KPIs) thus helping this organization to monitor, assess and improve performance. More particularly, the performance indicators are benchmarked against other organizations in the same level so as to ensure growth and progress. Key performance indicators can be developed that the milestones and benchmarks can gain maximum utility. In determination of healthcare benchmarks, the involvement of customers is inevitable where the patients submit their case data from the hospitals records. The results obtained are standardized metrics that ensure apples- to-apples comparisons and further the patients can help analyze the metrics (David, 2006). Benchmarks in the Organization 1. Adequate systems, processes and resources in all the departments of the organization to ensure fulfillment of their roles. 2. Adequate capacity including technical and managerial skills and the institutional values within the organization. 3. Coordinated reform plans designed and developed for implementation by relevant departments of the organization to help rectify deficiencies identified. Milestones 1. A survey of the patients attitude towards the services offered in this organization 2. The development and establishment of a relationship between the patients and the staff. 3. Establishment of effective accountability and award mechanisms within the human resource department. Conclusion It is evident that use if Information Technology is vital for the achievement of considerable quality improvement. Consumer inspired quality stands out as the best methodology for application in this organization. The development of a user interface can be relevant in identification of the milestones and the way of achieving them. Additionally, in performance measurement, several milestones have to be laid down for achievement in order to establish weaknesses in the system for recommendations. Finally, the involvement of the patients in decision making remains an outstanding approach in attainment of quality improvement. References David, A. (2006). Accelerating Quality Improvement in Health Care. Washington, National Institute for Health care management (NIHCM) foundation. Retrieved from: www.nihcm.org- Accelerating Quality Improvement in Health Care/pdf Hal, M. James, G and Wayne New (2004). Choosing a quality improvement Methodology Issaquah, Shaw Resources Publishing. Kaveh, G.S., Kathryn, M.M., Robert, M.W. and Douglas K.O. (2007) “A Critical Analysis of Quality Improvement Strategies”, Prevention of Healthcare-Associated Infections. Vol 6. Stanford, University of Stanford Press. Royal Pharmaceutical Society (2006) Healthcare Quality Improvement Plan. London, Welsh Assembly Government Publisher. Read More