Nursing and Human Resource Sector of the Health Care Industry - Assignment Example

Health Care Industry The area selected for the essay is the nursing and human resource sector of the health care industry. Among the articles researched and addressed in this research include those available in the proQuest. In the article for the Healthier members, happier employers, there is the address of a consumer based and driver of the health care program that has the effect of attracting new employers. The problem presented in the article is that the Mercy Health Plans which is a subsidiary of the Sisters of Mercy Health system in Illinois, are faced by the problem of attracting new employers in their system (Anonymous, 2004). There is a rising cost of providing healthcare to over 230,000 individuals, a task that is making hard for the health care system to retain and attract employers who are discouraged by the premium costs. The employers are facing the effect of having to reduce or absolutely not offering any health care benefits to the employees. The Mercy Health plans are also finding it very difficult to get a local health plan for the employers. There is also the issue of competitors who offer national health plans and worse, they have a large share of the market. As such, the mercy health plan has to strategize themselves so as to face the existing competition in the market (Anonymous, 2004). Among the solutions considered by the Mercy Health Plans in the face of the problem of attracting employers into their health plans, they have decided to attract employers through offering them more attractive health plans that apply to the long term relationship they have with their employee. They encourage the senior management teams of the employers to take up their health plans in order to solve this problem. This is in opposition to the selection of short-term health care plans by the senior management. This is because the short-term health plans tend to be a source of cost shifting solution to the employer and mostly offered by consumer-directed programs for health benefits (Dessler, 2008). Further, the mercy health plan realizes that they have to design a health program that would cover the overall health of the entire population. This includes the consumers that do not have a high risk of health care complications and their probabilities of getting sick is also low. As such, it is possible that the Mercy Health plan can reduce the cost of health and attract more employers. In the article of how to make the communication between the managers and the employee count, there is the address of the better communication between these two parties. Most employees do not have information concerning the determination of their pay slips and performance management. The author recommends that through the employer communicating to their employees, they have a better chance of improving the quality of work and service in the institution (Manning, 2006). As such, effective communication deals with the ability of the managers to listen, enquire, act assertively and also relay information. This is very true, and especially considering that there can arise misunderstandings in the case the managers misunderstand the intentions of the employees. In relation to the human resource sector of the health care field, it is important for the managers of health care institutions to ensure that they understand their nurses and physicians in the hospital. This will contribute to an effective work flow within the health care institutions and the delivery of better health care to the patients (Manning, 2006). Evans Melanie elaborated and addressed the pains of labor in an organization. the problem presented includes that of the union of the clergy, community activists and the low-income earners complaining that the Advocate Health Care institutions is responsible for the overcharging of the uninsured members of the union. The institution is alleged to have the tendency of harassing the members of the union who cannot afford their health care services. Consequently, the union has launched a high prolific and profile campaign that scrutinizes the working conditions, wages and business practices of the Advocate Health plan. In consideration of the recommendations of the author, it is important for the union to rebuild the membership of their members so that they can have the ability to improve the health care access of their members (Evans, 2005). This action will have the effect of enabling the union to better represent their members and manage their health plans so that they can have equal and modest access to health care. This relates to the human resource of the health sector, since the members of the union belong to the various health care institutions. These members require proper representation by the union and have the ability to get better access to health care. Labor success is an article written by Evans Melanie. It addresses the issue of lesser workers in the United States opting to join unions (Evans, 2004). In the 2004 elections of the ballots of health care, the healthcare labor won 67% of the elections, as overseen by the National Labor Relations Board. Unions are increasingly pursuing the inclusion of nurses and hospital clerks, so that they can have a better opportunity of wining in the elections. The problem faced by the union prior to the election was to get support cards signed by at least 30% of eligible members. The management of health institutions have the possibility of accepting unions if they have more members and if they win the elections supervised by the agency (Evans, 2004). This aspect is very true since the wining of the elections by the union will prove to the management that the union has the power to overlook the health plans accorded to their members in the organization. The health care workers should increase their membership in the unions since the unions will ensure that they get quality health care. In the article of the improving clinical communication through structured conversation, there is the need for the availability of effective communication in the environment of the health care system. The transforming of the work environment of the nurses is important for the health care team. There is the undermining of the communication due to the avoidance of proper conversation devices such as audio tape players, cell phones and text pagers (IOMA, 2004). Through the provision of these devices, there will be the improvement of clinical communications. Nurses are the most people that facilitate the clinical relationships, especially through their close interaction with the patients, fellow nurses and physicians. This will improve the human resource of the health care sector since there will be the improvement of the provision of quality health care to the various individuals. As such, relationships among the health care team has a reliance on proper communication skills. References Anonymous. (2004). Healthier members, happier employers. Health Management Technology, 25(2), 74-75. Dessler, G. (2008). Human Resource management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Chs. 13-15, pp. 509-636. Evans, M. (2004). Labor Pains. Modern Healthcare, 34(49), 26-29. Evans, M. (2005). Labor’s Success. Modern Healthcare, 35(7), 24-25. IOMA. (2004). How to make your manager to employee communications count. IOMA’s Pay for Performance Report, 4(5), 6. Manning, M. (2006). Improving clinical communication through structures conversation. Nursing Homes, 53(3), 26-29. Read More