For this assignment, you will use the same health care organization that was established in
previous individual assignments(Mayo Clinic, Wisconsin). Health care administrators
evaluate risk in a health care organization in order to identify operational impact and
develop action plans. This is accomplished through assessment tools and application of
methods.
Review “Different Types of Health Assessments,” located on the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC)
Identify one type of assessment that would be used within your organization. In an essay of
550-900 words, explain three areas that the assessment evaluates and the role each area
plays in risk management.
Incorporate a minimum of three references in the essay.
Health Assessment Evaluation
Mayo Clinic Wisconsin is interested in maintaining a constant flow of its operations in order to
accomplish its mission and to be the most preferred health care organization by patients in
Wisconsin. Health care administrators of the organization constantly evaluate risks in order to
identify factors that may negatively impact its operations and to take appropriate action plans to
mitigate those risks. One type of assessment that would be used within Mayo Clinic is
Community Health Assessment. Three major areas that play important roles in risk management
and that Mayo Clinic’s administrators can evaluate using Community Health Assessment
include; specific health care needs of the community, the number of resources or assets that the
community requires to meet specific health care needs, and the relevance of its current assets in
assisting the community to meet specific health care needs (Mayo Clinic Health System, 2016).
One of the areas that Mayo Clinic, Wisconsin can evaluate using Community Health
Assessment method is the health problems that have not effectively been met by the
HEALTH ASSESSMENT EVALUATION 2
organization. Mayo Clinic takes pride in delivering quality health care services which have
contributed to the improvement of the health standards of Wisconsin community. However, the
organization still needs to know the specific health needs that it has not adequately addressed in
order to avoid directing its resources on programs that will be of no help to the community
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). Evaluation of specific health care needs of
the community plays a very crucial role in risk management in the sense that, it will guide Mayo
Clinic to focus its resources only on those programs that will meet the health needs of the
community. In this manner, the organization will be able to mitigate competitive risks because it
will be in a position to offer health care services which are not currently being provided by its
competitors (Wissem, 2013).
The other area that Mayo Clinic, Wisconsin can evaluate using Community Health
Assessment is the number of resources or assets that the community requires to meet given
health care needs. Mayo Clinic may still want to know whether it has deployed adequate
resources or assets to facilitate delivery of health care in the community. For instance, the health
care organization may be offering care to diabetic patients yet it might not have adequate nurses
or treatment devices to effectively address this particular health problem. If this occurs, the rate
of patients’ visits may go down even as the organization continues to spend a lot of finances
maintaining the facility (Mayo Clinic Health System, 2016). Evaluating the number of resources
or assets that the community requires to meet given health care needs plays a significant role in
risk management because it will guide the Clinic to purchase adequate resources and assets to
keep patients coming back for services in future. In this manner, it will be able to mitigate asset
impairment risks that may have a negative impact on revenue (Wissem, 2013).
HEALTH ASSESSMENT EVALUATION 3
Mayo Clinic, Wisconsin can also use Community Health Assessment to evaluate the
relevance of its current assets in assisting the community to meet specific health care needs. The
organization may have some of its resources under-utilized despite the fact that it might think
that it has enough of the required assets. Suppose this occurs, the clinic will be incurring
unnecessary costs in maintaining assets that are not currently useful to the community (Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). Evaluating whether all the current assets used by
Mayo Clinic, Wisconsin are relevant in helping the community to meet specific health care needs
plays an important role in risk management by helping the organization to identify and mitigate
risks associated with redundancy of assets (Wissem, 2013).
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Different types of health assessments.
Mayo Clinic Health System. (2016). Community Health Needs Assessments. Retrieved from
mayoclinichealthsystem.org/about-us/community-health-needs-assessments
Wissem, E. (2013). Risks management: New literature review. Polish Journal of Management
Studies, 8(1): 288-297.