Process Designs – Workflow and Staffing: Case Study Analysis
Managing the process design in an organization and, therefore, contributing to an efficient exchange among the project members is a challenging task (1). The issue of workload deserves to be mentioned first. A number of nurses suffer from workplace burnout due to an increasingly large number of patients; whose needs are to be addressed. The patient-centered approach, which is traditionally chosen as the best mean to monitor the patient and identify the key changes that occur in the latter, creates premises for the phenomenon of workplace burnout to take place. Therefore, caution is needed.
The process design will depend on the number of patients, the current workload of the staff and the tasks that the staff will have to accomplish. Nevertheless, the process still occurs in accordance with the three phases of workflow, which include the design of the workflow, its further analysis and, eventually, mapping of the results. The application and the interview will be crucial for the specified case, as they will help determine whether the staff members are qualified for the new responsibilities.
For the specified purposes, the 8/80 overtime rule, which presupposes that the overtime fee is paid for working over eight hours a day and 80 hours in two weeks (1), will have to be used. The 40-hour workweek rule, in its turn, means that the staff will have to work Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The lack of flexibility of the latter is likely to make this rule obsolete, though. A generic schedule will also have to be developed to break the process into several stages and set goals for each.
Workplace Conflicts: Easing the Tension
To reduce the number of conflicts in the workplace and reset the workplace environment to the previous one, which was much more harmonic compared to the current state of affairs, Katie will have to learn about the stages of team development and apply hew newly acquired skills to solve the current workplace problems.
Particularly, the negotiation strategies will have to be adopted at the team inclusion stage. Katie will need to focus on peace-making and creating premises for team members to compromise. It will be necessary to deploy the principles of diversity into the workplace ethics so that the staff members could be able to relate to each other and, therefore, stop being concerned about their status in the team. Additionally, the negotiation will have to include the discussion of Helen’s control issues with the latter.
Additionally, job analysis and the existing job descriptions will help Katie redistribute roles and responsibilities among the staff, restricting Helen’s activity and allowing other team members to enjoy more freedom in the course of decision-making processes. Seeing That Helen’s behavior not only bothers the staff but also makes employees feel insecure about their status, it will be crucial to help Helen acknowledge her control issues.
Katie, however, should be very careful so that Helen’s enthusiasm should not be vanquished. Therefore, Katie will have to be very tactful in discussing Helen’s organizational behavior patterns. The desired effects can be attained by pointing out at the positive aspects of Helen’s performance and suggesting that she should put an emphasis on them, at the same time helping her reconcile with the fact that she should let others make choices, too.
When a Manager Fails: Case Three
The fact that the staff members are rarely updated on their tasks and goals shows that Mr. Hancock is using the management style that improves neither the productivity of the organization nor the collaboration between its members. Staff motivation and communication between managers and employees seems to be the greatest concern at present, as the team members seem to have a very vague idea of what they have to accomplish and what quality standards for their performance have been set. His management can be described as loose and inconsistent.
The current situation, however, can be helped by reinforcing the company’s values, reconsidering the quality standards of the staff’s performance and choosing a different management strategy. Seeing that the lack of motivation and the information issues need to be dealt with urgently, it can be suggested that the transformative leadership strategy should be coupled with the principles of shared knowledge. Additionally, regular performance evaluations need to be carried out to assess the progress made.
Defining the company’s values, goals and requirements for the staff to meet are the first key steps towards successful evaluation. Unless rigid standards for the employees’ performance are introduced, spotting the problem that the staff members may have will become barely possible.
Moreover, both financial incentives and a public acknowledgment of the distinguished members’ progress will help improve performance in the company. After diligent and successful employees are recognized as such, the rest of the staff will strive for retrieving the same appreciation and awards. Thus, the organization’s performance will improve with the help of investments in the staff’s professional development.
A New Outpatient Center and the Associated Challenges
The creation of a new outpatient center, which will include the facilities such as a tranquil nature setting, will clearly require significant funding. Therefore, major inventory costs are expected to be made. As a result, the existing budgets of the organization will inevitably shrink. It could be suggested, though, that budget cuts should be made for certain departments of the facility and the processes in it, such as transportation and the choice of suppliers.
Therefore, certain areas of the laboratory may be impacted significantly. Particularly, it can be assumed that the process of medicine delivery may slow down due to the need to choose a different transportation company. Additionally, it is very likely that the staff may receive fewer financial incentives for motivating them to excel in their performance.
To alter the existing budget, one will have to consider the processes that are not to be terminated and, therefore, need standard funding. Afterward, the aspects of the organization’s operation, the expenses for which may be cut, will have to be identified. The direct and indirect costs, which the organization is likely to take when creating the new operating center, will also need to be calculated carefully.
Moreover, new staff members may need to be recruited after the list of new role and responsibilities of the employees is created. To prevent workplace burnout, managers may need to hire new personnel, who will take care of new patients and, therefore, relieve the employees from some of the extra workload. and help them avoid possible development of stress and even depression. The allocation of costs and the rearrangement of responsibilities of the staff members, thus, are the key concerns at present.
Healthcare Reimbursement
According to the Federal Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Ambulatory Payment Classification presupposes that the coding system known as the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System should be used for identifying the APC-related cases and addressing them correspondingly. Traditionally, a status inspector considers the appropriateness of assigning a specific code number to a certain case concerning an APC-related issue.
According to the existing standards, the formula for calculating the APC rates includes the elements such as the Outpatient Protective Payment System (OPPS) rate of Medicare, the outlier in case the specified data has been provided, and the sole community ratio, which is often replaced with the hold harmless add on (1). To be more exact, the sum of the Medicare OPPS rate and the outlier is divided by the sole community ratio to retrieve the total OPPS rate.
As far as the APC rates and the conversion factor are concerned, the corresponding data can be retrieved from the corresponding healthcare facilities. Particularly, a range of healthcare services issue brochures containing the specified data; additionally, a number of healthcare services have official websites, in which the company’s statistics along with the key information on reimbursements is provided.
An organization, in its turn, defines the specified rates based on its financial strategy and the corresponding state laws. The information regarding the subject matter is incorporated in the budget. Thus, possible costs are allocated, and the organization will not be destroyed financially in case of a reimbursement. Apart from the specified process, laboratory tests can also be billed for the patients that do not have Medicare insurance. The patients in question need to be billed privately.
Long-Term Healthcare Facility: A Marketing Plan
In order to create a long-term healthcare facility and promote it efficiently among the target denizens of the population, one will have to consider the unique options, which the specified facility has to offer to the patients in the designated community. Moreover, the marketing plan will include the development of means of reaching out to the community members.
The outpatients of the community should be viewed as the target audience, as they can be viewed as the most vulnerable denizens of the population. The organization will promote a patient-centered approach and the emphasis on using modern IT tools as the methods of spreading awareness concerning the topical and significant health issues; more to the point, the above-mentioned elements of the organization’s operations deserve to be made public as the firm’s selling point.
It would be wrong to position the organization as costly, seeing that the power of buyers is comparatively high in the specified area. Indeed, with the abundance of healthcare services, patients may switch easily to the alternative available. Hence, the company will need to be flexible and position itself as an innovative company with significant pricing advantages. Apart from the given strategy, the firm will also need to consider the idea of stressing the quality of its services and the high possibility of a recovery.
Finally, the distribution process will involve sending brochures to the target population both as printed sources and via e-mails. Thus, all types of audiences will be targeted and will be able to choose the method of purchase, which they consider the most convenient. The costs, therefore, are expected to be considerably low, each brochure costing approximately $20. Seeing that the total amount of brochures will make around 1,000, total costs of $20,000 are expected.
Reference List
- Harmening, D. Laboratory management: principles and processes. St. Petersburg: DH Publishing & Consulting Inc.; 2007.