Banner Health Case Study
Banner Health is a non-profit health care system in the United States of America recognized for offering indisputable patient care in the seven states of Nevada, Arizona, California, Nebraska, Colorado, Alaska and Wyoming. Banner is consistently making efforts to expand its clinics and health centers and, initiate innovation in their leadership and patient experience to provide convenient access to quality healthcare. Becoming a market leader requires fast recognition and use of policies to leverage the operating model and improve the science of delivering amazing patient experience. . The innovations focused on providing the best patient experience has made Banner Health the leading health care provider among its competitors.
Innovative Specialized Health Care
In an increasingly competitive health care sector, Banner Health identified services that were scarcely provided to patients. The strategy was to create centers that offered specialized health care. By responding to patients with specific illnesses concerns, Banner created four centers that offer specialized treatment services. The Western States Burn Centre located in North Colorado Medical Center provides the most advanced treatment for patients with severe burn injuries. The Banner Concussion Center based in Phoenix, Arizona provides quality care with a peculiar approach to the diagnosis and treatment of concussion patients. The Banner Alzheimer’s Institute was established to conduct research on best ways of prevention of Alzheimer’s with early detection. Lastly, the Banner Heart Centre located at Maricopa in Arizona was established to provide advanced health care to patients with heart problems . The creation of these centers ensured Banner Health fulfilled the needs of individual patients with special illnesses.
Best Practices in Leadership
Many organizations with multiple facilities and span a number of states sometimes find it hard to find a method for achieving success. In health care setting like Banner Health care, people think that the readiness to provide quality health care is a simple task. However, coming up with a success formula for use across all the facilities operated by Banner Health has been quite a challenge .
The strategy employed by Banner Health to ensure it maintains an edge in the sector was to use the best practices in leadership. Banner Health has identified the leadership attributes of its staff and the impact that has on the experience of patients with a view of addressing patients’ concerns. Most high performing organizations make use of an established culture of integrity, responsibility and professionalism . Management was recognized as a cornerstone in addressing the health concerns of patients since quality service delivery is directly related to effective leadership. Banner identified four ideas in leadership that would help them achieve their long term goal of providing quality health care.
The first theme involved articulating a clear vision. Keeping an organization in touch with its long term vision will streamline operations and assist in achieving long term objectives. The second approach entailed establishing a measurable accountability. Through individual responsibility, the staffs at Banner Health are guided to offer services with utmost diligence with an aim of exceeding patient’s expectations. The third theme centered on developing leaders for success. For Banner Health to be successful, it has to develop talent. Finally, the fourth idea involved creating sustainability. There is a continuous change going on globally involving new ways of offering medication. Banner Health has come up with strategies to tackle the ever changing requirements in the health care system .
Strategic Plan
The health care sector in the USA enjoyed spectacular explosion in the first decade of the 21st century. The boom continued until the economic downturn of 2008-9 with most major health care organizations putting a brake to their plans. To mitigate the effects of the downturn, Banner Health embarked on innovative processes that would drive change. With an objective of widening its areas of operations in the seven-state service areas, the institution had to embark from the growth phase and embrace an innovation phase that would help redesign the whole concept of community care. In the growth phase, Banner concentrated in building three new Greenfield health centers, a children’s medical facility and key renovations in four of its centers. However, to expand growth through innovation, Banner is looking to construct a unique cancer center in the USA. Additionally, in the innovation phase, Banner is looking into developing information technology system that would enhance the quality of health care they offer. The improved IT infrastructure would help in handling the larger data expected in the coming decade .
Resource Management Program
Among the key factors of success to any organization is resource management. The great recession affected all organizations including Banner Health. Banner experienced substantial reduction in patient numbers and decline in reimbursements. Hence, some of their resources were wasted during this time. To avoid future problems, Banner had to come up with future ways of resource management to avert such problems. Banner started a cost-cutting initiative. Banner created an optimization office tasked with facilitating cost reduction initiatives that would ensure the available resources are maximized to provide quality health care. The office came up with clinical-setting oriented cost-cutting initiatives that promised a brighter future for the institution .
Interactive Patient Programs
Banner Health, with its policy and practice presents a strong example of a successfully working system. With their magnificent operating philosophy and core strategies, it has been highly committed to providing the best patient experience . The best patient experience is realized by offering interactive patient programs. To maintain quality health care, name recognition and patient loyalty, patient satisfaction and experience is vital. Banner Health has established interactive online programs meant to make communication with patients efficient. The interactive programs also offer patient education and, hence, addressing their main concerns. Apart from enhancing the patient experience, the interactive programs also provide the system with a platform for collecting patient feedback . The patient feedback is necessary for strategic planning.
Evidence-based Nursing Approach
The most significant stakeholders in the health care sector are the nurses since they spend most of the time with the patients and, understand them better. Hence, for Banner Health to effectively offer quality health care, nurse staffing must be a pillar of their strategic plans . In the process of conducting nurse staffing, Banner provides a structure for nurses that utilize their evidence-based practices essential in developing and aiding skilled nursing practice coupled with exceptional patient care. Through this process, only the best nurses are recruited to ensure continuity in the delivery of the best health care. The evidence-based nursing approach ensures that the nursing staff is well positioned to provide the best patient care.
Conclusion
The Banner Health case study has highlighted the management practices and innovative plans in place to ensure stability in offering the best patient experience and quality health care. Using the best practices in management, Banner is capable of providing leadership-oriented services with the aim of exceeding patient satisfaction. The strategic plans focusing on nurse staffing, network growth, resource managements and patient satisfaction at Banner Health has led to the emergence of new ideas aimed at fulfilling patients’ concerns. In the ever changing health sector, the institution has led change through innovation without losing focus on their mission: making a difference in people’s lives by excellent patient care provision.
References
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