Health Organization Case Study in the USA - Essay Example

Health Organization Case Study al Affiliation Health Organization Case Study Healthcare in the U.S. is majorly based ondistinct organizational contribution and role-play firmly influenced by private sector investment. Accordingly, a majority of health care facilities within the nation are both operated and owned by distinct private sector enterprises as Kelley et al. (2012) provide. Distribution of services is accordingly categorized in terms of for-profit, non-profit and government-owned health care provision with an estimated 60% of overall service spending and provision being founded on various programs (Kelley et al. 2012). Amongst such programs are Medicaid, Medicare, the Veterans Health Administration, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and TRICARE. There is still a concern over the notion that a large population does not receive adequate cover for health care provisions. This has resulted in greater government expenses on healthcare, a sector that has historically depended on private insurance policies. This has been founded on the presence of various health care networks and/ or organizations, such as Vanguard, United Healthcare and Banner Healthcare that are the subject of focus in this paper. Historically, issues have influenced the overall effectiveness of health care provision in the U.S., which is ranked as the biggest per capita spender on health care vis-à-vis the highest percentage in terms of national GDP globally (Kelley et al., 2012). As Mensik et al. (2011) provide continuous focus has been on enhancing further insurance coverage, augmented by government insurance of public sector employees. There has been need for enhanced public-private sector partnership in tackling the critical issue through development of prevailing health care organizations. Factors influencing this strategy have concentrated on the need to address nurse staffing, network/ organizational growth, resource management, and ultimately patient satisfaction. Each of these remains a critical issue especially given the fact that the U.S. is still ranked low in terms of quality health care amongst the industrialized nations. Banner Health is a non-profit health organization based in Phoenix, Arizona operating a network of 23 hospitals, in addition to specialized facilities. A large organization by national standards, it caters for the provision of health services, i.e. hospital care, emergency care, outpatient surgery centers, rehab services, labs, hospice, home/ long-term care and pharmacies (Mensik et al., 2011). Recent inclusion of primary care physician clinics i.e. Banner Medical Group and Banner Arizona Medical Clinic further cements the entities stake within the American health sector. In addition, the entity operates a Medicare Advantage insurance plan (Banner MediSun) as part of its larger strategy of greater medical coverage of the American populace. Through its envisaged strategy implementation, it still undergoes pertinent organizational changes focusing more on innovation and R&D. An example of this process is the recent collaboration with Houston’s M.D. Anderson subsequently building a large cancer center within Gilbert, Arizona. Accordingly, the entity is the largest hospital within the state of Arizona catering for a greater percentage of the American population. Special focus is placed on enhancing greater coverage by way of public-private partnerships given the entity’s historical background. Founded on Christian Methodist ideals, its founders, for instance Lulu Clifton amongst others were more concerned about improvement of nursing practice. This concern influenced the decision to establish the institution as a nurse-training institute. The nursing fraternity is indeed placed at the heart of both design and subsequent functionality of the entity (Banner Health, 2014). In terms of design, the entity is organized around various nurse’s stations with an even distribution of fifteen-bed clusters wholesomely catering for 720 patients overall. This interconnection of patient clusters to pertinent nurse’s station was based on a larger strategy of creating a more comprehensive community development and health care program. Accordingly, greater realization of its overall goal rests on continued implementation of various residency-training programs, i.e. Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, Family Medicine and Pharmacy, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Orthopedic Surgery. As part of its larger strategy of enhancing network growth, augmented by greater patient satisfaction based on optimal nurse staffing, the entity is poised to obtain another acquisition (Banner Health, 2014). By adding the University of Arizona Health Network to its fold, the entity will subsequently become Arizona’s largest health-care system and entity combined into one. As conceived during its founding and subsequent growth, the entity is focused on enhancing overall health care service provision in terms of service, capacity and staffing. This is informed by the inclusion of two teaching institutions found in the UA Health Network, i.e. the UA Medical Center’s south and main campuses further augmented by a physician’s practice. The presence of three health insurance plans aids the entity in greatly extending health care cover. As Gonzales (2014) alludes, further policy that affects the acquisition strategy is the fact that while the entity is Arizona’s largest health provider, it is limited in the fact that a majority of its in-state hospitals remain mainly clustered within metro Phoenix. Therefore, the additional capacity with further stretch the overall reach of its health services, to a greater populace; not only within the metro Phoenix area, but also within the state, and subsequently on a national capacity. As Arizona’s second largest non-government employer, the entity has employed more than 30,000 full time personnel to be augmented by the potential increase of UA Health Network’s 6,400 employees. This is further enhanced by the proposed establishment of a $300 million academic enhancement fund. Adding to this is the commitment of $500 million as part of its capital improvement strategy that will be inclusive of both renovating and expanding the UA Medical Center. Implementation of an outpatient clinic as well as an ambulatory surgical center further portrays the entity’s drive towards wholesome and extended health care service provision. In terms of staffing, the presence of the UA College of Medicine provides an opportunity to increase physician staff that is vital in the day-to-day running of the UA Health Network. Most importantly, there is a potential offer of a 30-year commitment, which would avail significant funding towards support of both campuses (aforementioned) of the UA College of Medicine (Gonzales, 2014). In conclusion, the entity’s strategic plan is in line with the promotion of its readiness towards addressing the need for greater healthcare services provision. Accordingly, the strategy has been in line with addressing issues critical towards enhancing patient satisfaction; by way of increased resource management, enhanced network growth and importantly so, greater staffing of its overall facilities. References Banner Health. (2014). About Banner Health. Banner Health [About Us], retrieved from: http://www.bannerhealth.com/About+Us/_About+Banner+Health.htm Gonzales, A. (2014, Jan 30). Government health experiment paying off for Banner Health. Phoenix Business Journal [healthcare daily], retrieved from: http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/blog/health-care-daily/2014/01/government-health-experiment-paying.html?page=all Kelley, A.S., McGarry, K., Fahle, S., Marshall, S.M., Du, Q. & Skinner, J.S. (2012). Out-of-Pocket Spending in the Last Five Years of Life. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 28 (2): 304. Mensik, J.S., Deborah, M.M., Kathy, A.S. & Kashmir, H. (2011). Development of a Professional Nursing Framework: The Journey Toward Nursing Excellence. Journal of Nursing Administration, 41(6): 259-64. Read More