Introduction
My current employer has employed me for seven years as an Assistant Hospital Administrator. However, the Company has noticed my sharp business acumen and dedication to service excellence. Therefore, they have offered me a promotion and relocation package to become the Senior Hospital Administrator of the new Jacob's Hospital Wing for long term care and elderly care, located in Venice, Florida. My responsibilities will be to manage the wing. My job as senior Hospital administrator is to oversee all aspects of healthcare administration. This essay presents a formatted business summary that will be presented to the Jacob Board updating them on the choices that I make for the new wing.
Importance of studying the problem
Studying the problem of long-term care and elderly care is essential because the life expectancy in the USA has been going up for the past five years (Arndt, 2010). Accordingly, most people and living longer to the extent that they enter the age where they require long term and elderly care. Long-term care and elderly care is an urgent policy matter the proportion of elderly and frail Americans keeps increasing and the number of those Americans who live for more than 65 years keeps increasing (Dahlgaard, Pettersen & Dahlgaard-Park, 2011). The society faces the challenge of meeting the elderly needs. However, the birth rates have been falling, and this implies that the number of old people in Florida is greater than that of young people. As such, the healthcare systems should look for sustainable and innovative method to handle the demographic shift. Further, due to the rapid aging of populations, it is crucial to come up with models that will offer the best long-term and elderly care. Besides, the demographic shifts have led to a change in social patterns such as smaller families, new residential patterns and the participation of the female in the labor force. Accordingly, the need for paid long-term and elderly care has increased. According to USA's Medicaid Services and Centre Medicare, about 12 million people in the USA will need long term and elderly care by 2020. Further, approximately, 10% of people who access the long-term and elderly care will live for an additional five years. Therefore, it is crucial to study the problem of long term and elderly care (Moyer, 2013).
System Level Arguments
The components of the elderly and long-term care systems include the customers who require long-term care; the elderly who use the long-term care; elderly people who require long-term care such as the people who are physically handicapped, mentally retarded persons and baby boomers. The providers of the elderly and long-term care are also crucial components of the system (Moyer, 2013). The long-term and elderly care system is defined by those people who require and use the system. The elderly are functionally dependent on the system because of their age, mental limitations, and physical limitations. The users of the system require health care, supportive services, social services and personal acre over a sustainable number of years. Accordingly, long-term and elderly care is a continuum that is client-oriented because it revolves around the client instead of the services (Moyer, 2013). The long-term and elderly care system a client oriented and integrated system that is made up services and it integrates mechanism which track and guide the clients through time in a comprehensive array made up social, health and mental health services.
How the Problem relates to Business, Social, and Political Trends
The issue of long-term and elderly acre affects business, social and political trends because the costs of the care have been increasing in the recent past. In spite of the statutory benefits and pensions providing insurance care for the elderly, the benefits and compensations are not enough to care for the high long-term and elderly costs. Socially, the problem has caused a lot of stress on women because they bear the burden of taking care of the elderly in the societies. The elderly people influence the political trends in the society today by exerting political influence on the politics of the day (Shu-zhang, 2011). The elderly have strength in debates more especially the debates that concern those issues that affect them. As such they demand changes in the restructuring of Medicare and the national healthcare reforms.
Healthcare Philosophy
Jacob's Hospital Wing for long term care and elderly care will deliver the best care to the patients with the aim of showing them that the hospital values them. The core of the wing's philosophy will be Compassionate and professional care. The wing will treat individuals and restoring the patients' sense of self-worth, confidence and dignity by encouraging them through open communication and kindness. The compassionate and professional care will offer each patient a unique and personalized care. The wing's philosophy will promote speedy recovery, enhance the lives of patients and improve the outcomes of the long term and elderly care (Véricourt & Jennings, 2011). The guiding principles that will help the wing achieve its philosophy include commitment, integrity, compassion, honesty, loyalty and excellent customer service.
The staff at the wing will conduct themselves in a trustworthy manner, and they will comply with the ethical and professional standards that govern the long-term and elderly care. Further, the staff will act with attentiveness, empathy and understanding towards all the patients. All the staff will take responsibility for all their decisions, and they will treat all the families, patients and colleagues with sensitivity and dignity (Wachter, 2012). As such, the diversity of all the people will be valued by the wing. The wing will uphold excellence through leading by example.
The patients and their families will be placed first on the wing and as such all the care will be centered on the patients and their families. There will be principles that will govern the patient and family care. Accordingly, the wing will establish a partnership with the patients' families. All the patients' families will be educated, supported and encouraged to take part in all the aspects of care that will be offered at the wing (Yan-jun, 2011). The staff will be sensitive to the patients' believes and preference and as such they will listen the patients' and families' inputs. The communication between the staff at the wing and the patients' families will be open, clear and timely. The care that will be offered at the wing will be holistic and as such it will encompass the patient's physical, emotional and spiritual needs, and the staff shall treat all the patients with respect and dignity.
Organizational Chart
Senior Hospital Administrator and the Assistant Hospital Administrator
These are the administrators who shall run the wing, and their responsibilities will be to manage the wing. Additionally, they shall oversee all aspects of healthcare administration. They will oversee the financing and budgeting activities at the wing. Further, they will implement the wing’s procedures and policies (Yan-jun, 2011). The administrators will perform the public relations duties.
All the resources, supplies, facilities, personnel, and equipment will be planned, organized, directed and controlled by the administrator and assistant administrator. The administrator and assistant administrator will advise the nurse at the wing on how to develop and implement the wing's procedure, programs, and policies. The president will earn a basic salary of $3,000 every month whereas the assistant administrator will get a salary of $2,500 every month. The administrator will be required to have knowledge in Business management in the setting of a hospital. Further, they will be required to have knowledge concerning the legislation that govern the operation of an elderly and long-term care facility. Additionally, both will have a post-graduate diploma in the hospital administration and more than five years' experience in the health industry (Yan-jun, 2011).
Information Department
The information department will be in charge of admitting the elderly, billing, medical record human resources, Computer Information systems and health education.
Therapeutic Departments
The therapeutic department will offer therapies such as Respiratory therapy, Language therapy, nursing services, Dietary services and pharmacy service. The main therapeutic departments at the wing shall be Physical therapy, Occupational therapy, speech therapy, respiratory therapy, medical psychology, Social services, Pharmacy, Dietary, and Nursing. The nursing department will offer care to the elderly whereas the dietary department shall offer sound diets to the elderly. The respiratory department will cater for the elderly with lung and heart diseases whereas the medical psychology will cater for the elderly wellbeing (Wachter, 2012). The social service department will connect the elderly to the community resources such as financial aid whereas the pharmacy department will be in charge of dispensing medications to the elderly. The physical therapy department shall offer the treatment that will improve the elderly muscle mobility. The occupational therapy department will cater for the elderly motor skills whereas the speech therapy department will cater for the elderly people with language disorders.
The Diagnostic Department
The diagnostic department will offer the following service: medical laboratory, Radiology, Cardiology, and Neurology. The medical laboratory will deal with the elderly body tissue whereas the medical imaging will offer radiology, MI, Ultrasounds, and Ct. Further, there will be an emergency medicine that shall offer emergency treatment and diagnoses.
Support Department
The support department will be in charge of supplying resources to the other department, housekeeping, transportation, and maintenance. The support department will deal with suppliers, orders, stocks, receives and equipment (Wachter, 2012). Further, the department will deal with the biomedical technology by repairing, building and repairing the medical equipment. Additionally, the housekeeping and maintenance duties such as maintaining of a clean and safe environment at the wing will be overseen by the support department.
Patient Care Managers
The patient care managers will oversee the elderly and long-term care. The managers will supervise all the staff members to ensure that the elderly people at the wing receive adequate care. Accordingly, the patient care managers will ensure that all staff act appropriately and comply with the ethical and professional standards. The patient care managers will develop criteria that will analyze and asses the satisfaction of the elderly people at the wing. Further, they will create the standards for customers' service at the wing, and they will develop and coordinate patient care programs at the wing (Wachter, 2012). The management and preparation of public relations information at the wing will be overseen by the patient care managers. The cases of patient management and patient care shall be handled by the patient care managers. There will be five patient care managers at the wing, and each will earn a salary of $2000 per month.
Service Providers
There shall be service providers at the facility, and they will include nurses, cooks, and the laundry workers. The cooks will prepare meals, and they will consider the age, medical conditions, religion and cultures for all the elderly people at the wing. The cooks will ensure hygiene during the food preparation, and they shall be in charge of serving all the elderly people.
The Finance Department
The finance department at the wing shall incorporate ICT, Finance Function, store, and procurement. The department will be in charge of budgeting, disbursements, general accounting and collections (Véricourt & Jennings, 2011). The finance department will be divided into the following strategic units: Nursing Division, Administration service, Treasury and Finance, Pharmacy and Credit control. The purpose of the strategic units will be promoting business focus and better management at the wing.
Nursing Department
The wing will provide the highest quality of nursing care for the elderly. The nursing department will be divided into wards, Chaplaincy, Infection control, Social work, Quality improvement nursing, dietetics, and counseling.
Records Department
The elderly people’s record will contain the complaints, family history, identification data, physical condition, illness, special reports and progress reports.
Customer Service and Marketing Department
The marketing department will identify the needs of the elderly at the facility and formulate ways of satisfying them. The department will conduct market research and take strategic decisions that will impact positively on the elderly at the wing (Véricourt & Jennings, 2011). The marketing department will formulate the decisions concerning service design, service delivery, pricing, and promotion.
Stores and Procurement Department
The stores and procurement department will coordinate a steady flow of resources and materials. Accordingly, the will be security and continuity in the supply of materials. The process of procuring materials will be automated. The procurement section will be in charge of purchasing all the resources that will be required at the wing whereas the store section will store of the purchased resources (Wachter, 2012).
Security, Fires Safety and Transport Department
There will be an integrated security solution at the wing, and electronic factors and dogs will offer the security solutions. The will be a 24-hour surveillance system to ensure a crime-free wing. The wing will acquire a fleet of comfortable vehicles that will be used to transport the elderly people and d purchased goods to the wing. Tracking device will be placed on the vehicles to minimize chances of them being lost forever (Wachter, 2012). The arm will acquire firefighting equipment, and all the staff will be trained on how to handle the equipment.
Human Resources Department
The HRM (Human Resources Department) will recruit, train and develop all employees at wing. The HR department will oversee the strategic management of talents at the wing. Further, the department will align rewards with the performance of all the employees. The HR department will manage change and provide organizational support to the wing. Additionally the department will optimize work process and the organization design at the wing in a bid to unleash the total potential for the staff at the wing (Wachter, 2012). The HR department will create and sustain competitive advantage and growth with the people.
A Sample of a Legal Medical Contract
In medicine, just like any other profession the legal contract is significant in protecting both the interests of the medical practitioner and the patient (Pozgar, 2011). Both parties sign such legal contract forms and in cases of violation the legal action will be taken. However, the legal contract forms may also be significant in protecting the medical practitioners in cases where the patients violate the law (Pozgar, 2011). A sample of the created legal contract is shown in Appendix 1.
Legal Healthcare Issues in Florida (200 words)
There are three major legal issues facing Florida today. The first legal healthcare issue in Florida is the lawsuits against the mandate of buying health insurance. During the time of Obama's administration, the Congress has no intention of repealing the law. Therefore, any repeal of this law can only be possible in the two years. It, therefore, implies that any taxpayer has a choice of purchasing or not purchasing health insurance (Hall, 2011). The Florida state finds this clause of the constitution to be unfair to the people of the state. The second legal issue facing Florida is the HIPAA and data breaches. In Florida, the breaching of the electronic data is a big challenge to the health care system. The health related data and information have been leaching through the theft of electronic gadgets such as the laptops and smartphones (Hall, 2011). Florida is among the US states that enacted laws related to the data breach after California. Breach of medical related data is a major violation has it exposes confidential information concerning the hospitals and the patients. Therefore, electronic data breaching is an important health issue in Florida. The third legal healthcare issue in Florida is the anti-trust and the accountable care organizations (ACOs). According to the anti-trust laws, hospitals and other health-related facilities will have to share the pricing information (Hall, 2011). The anti-trust law is likely to make the health care expensive in Florida. However, it seems that the hospitals and other health centers may focus on profitability which against the principle of ACOs.
Obstacles encountered during the research
The major obstacles encountered during the research was the time constraints. The available time was not sufficient enough to explicitly cover everything, and this forced me to use samples studies. I, therefore, overcame the challenge of time constraint by using sample studies to arrive at my results. Similarly, it was a challenging accessing some data that was important for the study and it consumed much time trying to acquire the information. To avoid the challenge, I had to use the most recent available data on the public institutions to come up with the finds. The exercise also required funds to as that were not readily available since the study involved movement from one place to the other. To overcome the challenge of finances, I selected a locality with much of the required information for the study and this limited the frequency of movement.
References
Arndt, M. (2010). Education and the masculinization of hospital administration. Journal of Management History, 16(1), 75-89.
Dahlgaard, J. J., Pettersen, J., & Dahlgaard-Park, S. M. (2011). Quality and lean health care: A system for assessing and improving the health of healthcare organizations. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence,22(6), 673-689.
Hall, M. A. (2011). Commerce clause challenges to health care reform. University of Pennsylvania Law Review, 1825-1872.
Moyer, V. A. (2013). Screen for intimate partner violence and abuse of elderly and vulnerable adults: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Annals of internal medicine, 158(6), 478-486.
Pozgar, G. (2011). Legal aspects of health care administration. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Shu-zhang, L. I. (2011). Innovation Features in the Development Strategy of Research Hospital and Its Practice [J]. Hospital Administration Journal of Chinese People's Liberation Army, 2.
Véricourt, F. D., & Jennings, O. B. (2011). Nurse staffing in medical units: A queueing perspective. Operations Research, 59(6), 1320-1331.
Wachter, R. M. (2012). Understanding patient safety. McGraw-Hill Medical.
Yan-jun, W. A. N. G. (2011). Discussions on Research Hospitals: Connotation, Characteristics and Constructing Pathway [J]. Hospital Administration Journal of Chinese People's Liberation Army, 5.
Zhao, G., Ford, S., Li, C., & Balluz, L. S. (2011). Physical activity in US older adults with diabetes mellitus: prevalence and correlates of meeting physical activity recommendations. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society,59(1), 132-137.
Appendix
CREATED CONTRACT FORM
LEGAL MEDICARE CONTRACT ACCORDING TO THE UNITED STATES COUNCIL §1395A; 42.0 C.F.R. § 405.0 SD.
This is a legal contract entered by and between {insert the physician’s name} whose head office is located in &. staying or residing at.effected on.
Obligations of the Physician (Social Security Act Sections 1128, 1156 & 1892)
{Obligations of the physician accordance to the law are highlighted in this section}
Beneficiary Obligations
{The obligations of the beneficiary are highlighted in this section accordance to the law)
Signings (By signing, both parties agree to the terms and conditions of the contract and any violation will have a consequence)
_____________________________
_____________________________ ______________________
Physician’s Signature Date
_____________________________ ______________________
Principal’s Office Address Tel Number
_____________________________
Provider Identifier(s)
_____________________________
Beneficiary’s Names or Legal Representative
_____________________________ ______________________
Beneficiary’ or Legal representative Date
____________________________ ______________________
Home Address Tel Number
