Banner Health
Banner Health is a non-governmental not-for-profit healthcare organization that has its headquarters in Phoenix. Arizona. The institution was created following the merger of the Samaritan Health system that was based in Phoenix, Arizona, and Lutheran Healthcare Systems that had its headquarters in North Dakota (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2016). Banner Health has achieved significant growth for the last two decades because of effective management and the ability to understand the emerging trends in the healthcare industry. It currently operates 28 branches spread across 6 states in the country. Some of the main services that it offers include home care, laboratory services, hospice, emergency services, hospital care, rehabilitation services, outpatient surgery, primary care, and pharmacies (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2016). The institution also has a Medicare Advantage insurance plan.
Banner Health’s Overall Readiness
It is important to discuss the organization’s readiness in regard to meeting the health care needs of citizens in the next decade. The investigation of this institution reveals that for the last 21 years, it has been keen on offering specialized services in specific regions within the United States where its services are needed the most. The study reveals that the institution closed its operations in Minnesota, North Dakota, New Mexico, Kansas, and Iowa to concentrate its activities in only six states. The Banner University Family Care (AHCCCS plan) and University Care Advantage (Medicare Advantage) are meant to help patients visiting the institution to afford the cost of care (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2016).
The management of this entity formed a partnership with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to put up a fully equipped cancer center at a cost of $ 90 million in Gilbert, Arizona (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2016). The study also shows that it has fully equipped all its 28 hospitals and has been spending a significant amount of resources on research and development. All these are indications that Banner Health is ready to meet the healthcare needs of Americans in the next decade. Its approach to recruiting and retaining a team of highly skilled medical experts also shows that it has the capacity to offer superior services in the healthcare industry.
Banner Health’s Strategic Plan
The institution needs an effective strategic plan that would address issues pertaining to network growth, nurse staffing, resource management, and patient satisfaction. Currently, this institution has 28 hospitals in 6 states within the country, Arizona, Nevada, California, Colorado, Wyoming, and Nevada (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2016). It is necessary for the management to consider expanding its operations to other six states, especially in New York, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Ohio because of the large population. Increasing the network will require a significant investment in the infrastructure in terms of constructing various hospitals across the country and staffing.
One of the main areas that the institution should give priority is the staffing of nurses. As Banner (2017) recommends, it is crucial to hire and retain talented nurses who understand their role and are committed to delivering the best services to patients. Regular training of the nurses and effective remuneration may help retain them. Resource management is another major area in this strategic plan. As Banner Health expands its networks, it should protect its resources from any form of wastage or theft by staff or any other entity. Maintaining highly equipped hospitals in terms of facilities used and adequate professionals rendering the needed services will maintain patient satisfaction. They will get the services they need at the right time and in the right quantity.
Current Issues
The management of Banner Health should be keen on managing the current and potential issues that may affect aspects of the strategic plan. In 2018, this institution was forced to pay $ 18 million after it emerged that it had deliberately admitted some of its clients for impatient care while their conditions could be managed on an outpatient basis (Sanborn, 2018). The move was meant to inflate the cost of care, which is then submitted to Medicare for reimbursement. This was considered fraud and may have a devastating impact on its image. Giving an image of an institution keen on stealing from the government may hinder the firm’s long-term growth. The management should also address the concern about fair remuneration to its non-medical staff.
Proposed Theory to Support Implementation of the Strategic Plan
Endogenous Growth Theory is the most appropriate model that the management of Banner Health can use to support the implementation of the proposed strategic plan. In the strategic plan, it is stated that this institution should focus on expanding its branches beyond the six states. This theory holds that growth is generated from within a system based on internal processes (Capello & Nijkamp, 2019). Factors such as technology and effective management of a firm’s resources can enable it to achieve the desired growth. Using this theory, the management of this institution should redefine its operations by embracing technology and improving the output of individual employees to increase its revenue. It will then use the generated resources to fund development projects in other states across the country.
References
Sanborn, B. J. (2018). Banner Health hit with $18 million settlement over treatment and billing allegations. Healthcare Finance.
Banner, O. (2017). Communicative biocapitalism: The voice of the patient in digital health and health humanities. University of Michigan Press.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2016). Health literacy and palliative care: Workshop summary. National Academies Press.
Capello, R., & Nijkamp, P. (2019). Handbook of regional growth and development theories: Revised and extended (2nd ed.). Edward Elgar Publishing.