Members who were interviewed for the environmental assessment as stakeholders include current nurses, ambulance drivers, call center drivers and other additional staff who were hired to assist with the extra work. Members of the TCLT who were interviewed include the CFO and marketing director, the intern consultant, the CEO of Allied Homecare and Premier Transport, the Executive Administrator and the project manager. The stakeholders are well conversant with the hospice care services, and the members of the TCLT are vested in the business, and they are experienced in the health care industry, having worked in other departments. Below are a sample of the responses and the analysis.
Hospice care is meant to take care of people who are terminally ill and who have a duration of fewer than six months to live. Care can be offered at hospice centers and the homes of the patient, and also assist family members and patients to deal with the situation at hand physically and emotionally. Hospice care is meant to assist the patient and loved ones to cope with the situation and avoid instances where they spend the last days searching for inexistent training. Allied Homecare Company deals with providing care for the elderly who have no one to take care of themselves and are too old to do it themselves. The hospice care will increase the scope of the patients the company takes care of to include those who have a short period to live by assisting them and their loved ones to cope with the situation.
The hospice facility should be located within the proximity of the patients who prefer to be attended from the comfort of their homes. Accessibility will ensure that aid will reach them within the shortest duration possible. Acquiring the first clients will require assistance from hospitals and doctors who deal with terminal illnesses.
There are five forces which are likely to influence the success of the hospice care project which are social, economic, technological, political and environmental. Most people are learning the importance of planning ahead for their future and how they are going to take care of themselves through the use of medical insurance plans. Most individuals have covers which will take care of them in case they are diagnosed with a terminal illness. With technological advancement, the hospice care attendants will be able to monitor the patients both in their homes and even when they are away from the patient. Wheelchairs and automated procedures will be available for patients who are in need of specialized services.
The government is getting more concerned with hospice care as it seeks to seek medical assistance for those who are diagnosed with terminal illnesses. The government is encouraging people to take health care covers by subsidizing the premiums for health care insurance policies. The government is however against the use of the hospice care industry for organizations to use them to generate income, and they are constantly accused of fraud .
Terminal illnesses are becoming more common in the society, and people are embracing the concept of homecare and hospice care facilities. People who turn to the hospice care facilities have an easier transition as compared to those who prefer not to turn to hospice care (Kayser-Jones, 2003).With the rising number of people suffering from terminal illnesses, there is the need to come up with ways in which these individuals can be assisted to cope with the transition. Most patients seek for alternative drugs for these types of illnesses, and waste time which is meant to be spent wisely, both for the patient and their loved ones. Terminal illnesses can lead to emotional and psychological torture.
The number of people resolving to hospice care increased from 18% in 2001 to 30% in 2007. The duration of the care has also increased tremendously from 3 days to an average of 60 days in 2010. The hospice industry is estimated at 18.9 billion USD and is expected to maintain a steady growth of 7.4% up to the year 2017, a growth it has maintained since 2007 (Thompson, Carlson, & Bradley, 2013). The financial support for these services is a major concern for most patients, but it is important to note that hospice care is catered for by both Medicaid and Medicare insurance plans.
The US government is less involved in the hospice industry with most of the hospice care providers being private organizations. This is surprising since most of these individuals are elderly, and the government is forced to spend large sums of money to taking care of them. The hospice care industry assists the government to lift part of this burden. The government is constantly accusing private organization in the hospice industry for fraud. However, the government is less keen on hospice care centers as compared to other health care facilities. Patients are also more likely to visit hospice care centers which are privately owned as compared to those which are owned by the government . The number of privately owned hospice care centers has been on the rise over the years while government owned hospice care centers have been declining.
There is the need for people to be contented with their lives during their final days of transition. The hospice industry saves these individuals a lot of money by assisting them to accept their conditions, instead of searching for alternative cures. More people are embracing hospice care, and the services assist patients and families to cope emotionally with the condition. Hospice care is necessary for the society, and more people are finding the services beneficial and affordable through the use of Medicaid and Medicare insurance services.
References
Kayser-Jones, J. (2003). Factors That Influence End-of-Life Care in Nursing Homes: The Physical Environment, Inadequate Staffing, and Lack of Supervision. Oxford Journals, 76-84.
Thompson, J. W., Carlson, M. D., & Bradley, E. H. (2013). US Hospice Industry Expereinced Considerable Turbulence From Changes In Ownership, Growth, And Shift To For-Profit Status. National center for Biotechological Information.
Appendix
Question to the stakeholders and members of the TCLT
What aspects of the external environment are important to take into account, and which are likely to influence the success of the hospice care project?
