HCA 459 EXPERT Quest For Excellence/hca459expertdotcom
Organizational Survival Strategies. This discussion has two options. Please choose either Option A or Option B to respond to. Be sure to indicate within your post which option you chose. Option A: Hospitals frequently seek ways to ensure survival. Sometimes an adversarial climate cannot be avoided when the action that is being considered is controversial. For example, a hospital may seek to expand its market reach by opening an inpatient drug treatment facility in a small suburban township. The county where the township sits has seen a steady rise in heroin addiction, as well as an increase in hepatitis cases. As a manager, identify the three possible categories of clients within this new clientele network. Give at least one example of a client for each category and explain the reason for your decision. Option B: In this increasingly difficult economic environment, many organizations have been forced to take drastic operational and systematic measures to stay afloat and maintain their position within the community. If you were a health care manager leading an organization in which its financial, political, and/or social position was threatened, what survival strategies would you employ? Please choose at least three strategies from your textbook to discuss and thoroughly explain the rationale for your choices. The Challenge of Change. Change is usually positive, but it can also be difficult to embrace at times. Employees can be resistant to change, while managers may feel that it is necessary for organizational stability. Discuss the challenge of change as it relates to health care organizations. What is the overall impact of change on the organization, its employees, and its constituents, and what role does the manager play as an agent of change? In addition to responding to these questions, review the examples of successful change in your textbook and choose two examples to discuss in greater detail. What did you learn from these examples? In each case, how did the individuals overcome the barriers to change, and what were the resulting benefits? The Health Care Scene: Contemporary Trends. As health care leaders, it is important to understand that health care is quite a dynamic field. Its constant changes are a result of continuing trends in regulation, policy, patient and provider advocacy efforts, as well as increasingly sophisticated technology and industry benchmarking guidelines. Review the possible topics for your Senior Project located in the Senior Project prompt in Week Five, and decide what topic your training program will address. If you choose not to select a topic from the approved topic list, you must have your original topic approved by your instructor prior to submitting this assignment. For this assignment, assess the contemporary trends in health care and be sure to include all of the following: 1. Changes in client characteristics 2. Regulation of the health care industry 3. Reimbursement patterns and mandates 4. Restructuring of health care organizations 5. Impact of technology 6. Ongoing social and ethical factors Address the information above as it pertains to your selected topic, in an 8 to 10 slide PowerPoint presentation. Additionally, your presentation should cover the following concerns: Overall, why should health care managers be aware of these changes and trends? How will each of these trends impact the specific topic that you will address? The information in this presentation will later be used as part of your Senior Project to set the context for the audience you select for your training program. Your presentation must include detailed speaker’s notes for each slide as well as a minimum of one to two scholarly sources from the Ashford University Library and one to two current, scholarly web sources. Examples of scholarly web sources are available in this week’s recommended websites. These sources will also count toward the required sources for your Senior Project. Your presentation must be engaging and relevant to your audience. Lines of text on a slide will not be sufficient for this assignment. It should contain images, graphics, and/or multimedia that communicate your training program clearly to your audience. For tips on creating an excellent presentation, read this overview. Policy and Planning Constraints. Locate an example of a policy or guideline from an external source to a healthcare organization. Explain how this policy or guideline may be a constraint to a healthcare organization’s planning, or how it may shape the healthcare organization’s philosophy. For example, given that the American Academy of Pediatrics offers guidelines on child vaccinations, these guidelines might impact the ability of the healthcare organization to deliver services to newbornsand infants. Using a similar example, as well as the characteristics of effective plans as your framework, discuss how proper planning can help organizations in their future decision making. The Control Process. The control process involves three phases that are cyclic: establishing standards, measuring performance, and correcting deviations. Examine the manner in which health care leaders progress through each phase of the control process to manage organizations. What is the management function of controlling as related to performance improvement? What tools are used to measure and monitor performance? Please describe at least two functions and two tools in your response. Senior Project Summary. Write a short summary paper on the selected topic from Week One, which outlines your Senior Project. In your paper include the topic, your thesis statement, your research methodology, your decision-making process for choosing your resources, and at least three resources you will be using. The Senior Project Summary should be two- to three- pages (excluding title and reference pages) in APA format as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Your summary must contain the following: I. Title Page a. Anticipated title (this may change for the completed project) b. Your name c. Course name and number d. Instructor’s name e. Date submitted II. Introduction: Provide an overview of your selected topic and include your thesis statement. Identify the organization that you have chosen to address. Include why the issue of your selected topic is important to the healthcare administrators in your organization and to the healthcare industry in general. This should be about one-third of a page. III. Scope of the Senior Project: This section should summarize the content that will be addressed in the Senior Project. IV. Discussion: This section should be a brief but constructive and analytical overview of what was found in the scholarly and professional literature. In developing this section, it is important to demonstrate your understanding of the topic and the interventions. V. Conclusion: Provide a summary of the main points and direction of your project. VI. Reference Page Strategic Planning and Budgeting. Imagine you are considering the possibility of operating a small business or practice related to health care, either as a provider of some sort of care or as a service intended to support various provider organizations in their care-delivery activities. 1. Describe the kind of entity you plan to establish by stating the service or services you propose to deliver and the kinds of clients or customers you would be serving. 2. Write a few sentences offering compelling reasons for your proposed venture, explaining why you believe it is needed and by whom it is needed. Also discuss any competition you foresee. 3. Develop an estimate of how much money you will require to establish your business, and state how you would finance your venture. Also discuss your plans for maintaining your budget. 4. Create a mission or vision statement for your organization. Committees and Teams. Select either Option A or Option B to respond to and indicate within your post which option you chose. Option A: Identify what you believe are the top three challenges in setting up a hospital-based committee from a managerial perspective. In a 250- to 300- word post, discuss your rationale and address the following questions: 1. Why are committees advantageous for health care organizations? 2. What are some of the steps that you, as a manager, could take to overcome these challenges? 3. How would you address conflict and/or divisiveness within the committee or team? Option B: Committees have been determined as a necessary component to health care organizations. As a manager, you have been tasked to set up a committee with one of the hospital departments. In doing so, consider the following questions: 1. How much influence should the committee have in the overall management structure? 2. How would you maintain authority without adopting an autocratic leadership style? 3. How would you set up an employee team without violating union and labors laws? Senior Project Progress Report. Complete a one- to two-page report on the progress you have made to date on your Senior Project. Your report and any citations used must be in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Your progress report should cover the following: 1. Topic: Identify the topic that you have selected for your project and provide a brief explanation for why you have chosen this topic to address. 2. Organization: Provide a brief overview of the health care organization that you have selected for your project including a summary of the challenges and/or opportunities the organization is currently facing. How will your training be aligned to help the organizational leaders manage this challenge/opportunity? 3. Methods: What methods will you use to gather information on your client organization and the problem it is facing? You are welcome to use as many research methods as possible to obtain information for and about your organization and its managers (e.g., web-based resources, electronic articles, or personal interviews). The more informed you are, the better prepared you will be to complete your project. 4. Training: Identify the audience for your training program and provide a brief outline of the topics it will address. In your outline, include a minimum of three to five learning outcomes that are targeted for your identified audience. Specifically, what do you want your audience to know and/or be able to do after they have completed the training? How does this training program align with the overall challenges and/or opportunities that the organization is facing? Overall, how will the training program benefit the organization? Case Study: Authority and Leadership. Review the details of the case “Authority and Leadership: Rising From the Ranks” from your course text, and respond to the following questions: 1. Identify the potential advantages Julie might enjoy in becoming manager of a group of which she has long been a member, and contrast these with the possible disadvantages that might present themselves because she has long been a member of this group. 2. Describe how Julie will have to proceed in establishing herself as the legitimate possessor or supervisory authority on the unit, and describe the sources and forms of Julie’s authority. Motivation and Conflict Resolution. Select either Option A or Option B and indicate in your post which option you have selected. In any organization, regardless of the industry, some level of conflict and/or office bickering is inevitable and may have a damaging impact on productivity and motivation or morale. However, it is the responsibility of the manager to ensure that conflict is avoided whenever possible and, when it does occur, that it is handled in an appropriate and respectful manner. With this in mind, listen to the podcast, Stop the Medical Office Bickering and respond to your selected option. Option A: Case Study: A Matter of Motivation: The Delayed Promotion Review the details of the case above from your course text, and respond to the following questions: 1. Thoroughly analyze the likely state of your ability to motivate yourself in your new position. In the process, comment to whatever extent you feel necessary on your level of confidence in the relative stability of your position and how this might affect your performance. 2. Describe the most likely motivational state of your HIM staff at the time you assumed the director’s position, and explain in detail why this state probably exists. 3. Based on the podcast, what are some proactive strategies that management could have used to reduce the potential for conflict in this situation? Option B: Case Study: Charting a Course for Conflict Resolution: “It’s a Policy” Review the details of the case above from your course text, and respond to the following questions: 1. Develop the argument you would be advocating if you were in George Mann’s position. In a similar fashion, thoroughly develop the argument you would advance if you were in Sally Carter’s position. 2. Assuming the position of CEO, Jane Arnold, render a decision. Document your decision in whatever detail may be necessary, and include a complete explanation for your decision. 3. Based on the foregoing, outline whatever steps (e.g., policy changes, guidelines, payroll requirements, or something else) you believe should be considered to minimize the chances of similar conflict in the future. Communication Challenges. Select either Option A or Option B and indicate in your post which option you have selected. Option A: Compared to a non-healthcare organization, a manager must have a special skill set for communicating with health professionals and non professionals within a health care organization. What do you believe are those particular skill sets? What are the ethical, financial, and legal implications for communication within a health care organization? What are the some of the primary barriers to communication between a manager and his/her staff? Option B: Case Study: Your Word Against His Review the details of the case “Your Word Against His” in your course text. Describe in detail any options you could pursue to set the matter straight for all parties who received the wrong information, while incurring the minimum possible public disfavor by the vice president. In addition, describe what you think went wrong this in case. Where was the communication breakdown, and how could it have been avoided? The Health Professional as Manager. Select either Option A or Option B and indicate in your post which option you have selected. Option A: Imagine your colleague and friend, Jane Smith, has recently been promoted to department manager for your facility. You have worked side-by-side with Jane for the past ten years and can speak to her excellent skills as a health professional. However, Jane has no prior management experience and many of your co-workers are fearful that she does not possess the necessary leadership skills to effectively lead the team. You feel conflicted because you agree with your colleagues but you also have faith that Jane will do her best. Considering Jane’s situation, describe the dual role of the health professional as manager. What challenges do managers face when they make the leap from health care professional to manager? What are some of the common complaints to indicate the presence of ill-fitting management? Option B: Given the effort and creativity that you have put into your Senior Project for this course, use this discussion board as a forum to share your topic with your classmates. Provide a comprehensive description of the topic you chose, discuss your reason(s) for choosing the topic, and present some of the key information that you learned throughout the research process. For example, what did you learn about the role of management in influencing health care decisions? How do you think the future of healthcare will be impacted by your topic? Are there any current events and/or media stories that relate to your topic? Focus of the Senior Project To start, select one of the following approved topics for your Senior Project. You may also have a topic of your choice approved by the instructor in Week One. Many of the approved topics have specific subtopics outlined and, while these topics are not all-inclusive, they do provide insight into specific areas to consider. Approved Topics: 1. Examine how participative leadership functions in today’s modern health care organization and compare it to other types of leadership styles. Evaluate how each type of leadership style may impact organizational culture, employee performance, and how it may help or hinder the legitimacy of authority. 2. As an administrator, address the challenges of employee recruitment and retention of health care professionals. Additional subtopics may include trends in the nursing workforce, shortage of primary care physicians, staff turnover, retention, and staffing patterns. 3. Analyze the dual role of a manager and healthcare professional. Examine challenges that the health professional compared to those of a non-health professional, may face in terms of leadership style, and the impact these challenges have on organizational culture. The benefits of a health professional manager as an organizational resource may also be included. Explore the career trends of health professionals in organizational leadership positions, such as the types of health professional training that leaders tend to have in common, and the typical demographic background of health professional managers. 4. The health care industry must anticipate and monitor trends that could possibly affect its overall survival. Analyze how regulation of the healthcare industry impacts a health care organization. Explore some of the possible survival organizational strategies such as, but not limited to, mergers, and affiliations, achieving accreditation status, professional licensure. 5. Analyze the impact of technology on how health care services are delivered. The impact of technology on employee performance, organizational structure, and management planning may also be considered. 6. Analyze the impact of any recent social and/or ethical trends on the health care industry. Discuss at least two issues. After identifying your topic, choose a health care organization in your area. This organization may be small or large and may provide single inpatient health service or multiple outpatient services; it is your choice. Consider your topic in light of the leadership of this organization and research the challenges and successes it has faced in managing operational effectiveness. You are welcome to use as many research methods as possible to obtain information for your organization and its managers (e.g., web-based resources, electronic articles, or personal interviews). The more informed you are, the better prepared you will be to complete your project. Finally, develop a management training program that includes relevant guidelines and information to combat the issues identified in the selected topic, as well as recommendations for managers to more effectively lead health care organizations. Your training program should be in the form of a 20 to 25 slide PowerPoint presentation (excluding title and reference slides) that includes comprehensive speaker’s notes for each slide. Utilize at least three to five scholarly sources from the Ashford University Library and two to three current, scholarly web sources. All sources must be cited according to APA guidelines as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Your presentation must be engaging and relevant to your audience. Lines of text on a slide will not be sufficient for this project. It should contain images, graphics, and/or multimedia that communicate your training clearly to your audience. For tips on creating an excellent presentation, read this overview.
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