Healthcare Organizations and Networks

Research a health care organization or a network that spans several states within the U.S. (Example: United Healthcare, Vanguard, Banner Healthcare, etc.).

Harvard Business Review Online and Hoover’s Company Records, found in the GCU library, are useful sources. You may also find pertinent information on your organization’s webpage.

Review “Singapore Airlines Case Study.”

Prepare a 1,000-1,250-word paper that focuses on the organization or network you have selected.

Your essay should assess the readiness of the health care organization or network in addressing the health care needs of citizens in the next decade, and include a strategic plan that addresses issues pertaining to network growth, nurse staffing, resource management, and patient satisfaction

Healthcare Organizations and Networks

            The Banner Health Network (BHN) refers to an Arizona business partnership and patient care that comprises of Banner Health, BPHO (Banner Physician Hospital Organization), Banner Medical Group, and Arizona Integrated Physicians. Presently, BHN has over 2,600 Banner-affiliated physicians who are based in the Phoenix metro area. It serves more than four million residents.

Readiness in addressing health care needs in the next decade

            Being an integrated network, the Banner Health Network is designed in a manner that will allow provision of exceptionally synchronized patient care experience. BHN covers Medicare beneficiaries as well as members under the private sector insurance plans. It also ensures that all members have a convenient access to health care. In this connection, BHN has over 2,600 Banner-affiliated physicians who can be traced easily throughout Pinal and Maricopa County.

            According to Shortell et al. (1996), BHN is recognized as a particularly comprehensive provider network. Moreover, clients served by this network are guaranteed financial accountability as well as patient care. There are barely networks in Arizona that serve patients using the population health management approach. However, BHN is renowned in Arizona for its unique services. Therefore, there is a guarantee that patients will receive a uniquely coordinated patient experience in a primary care setting. There is a keen focus on improving patient outcomes, emphasizing on wellness, and ensuring more efficient chronic care management.

            The patient-centered model is linked with the principal impact of a higher level of efficiency that consequently minimizes costs. All the Banner hospitals utilize a superior electronic medical records system that ensures delivery of highly integrated and coordinated patient care.

            In a bid to meet various patients’ needs, beneficiaries linked to the Medicare Pioneer Model (Accountable Care Organization), Health Net ExcelCare, Banner MediSun, and Aetna Whole Health are not left out (Christianson & Moscovice, 1993). BHN also offers a wide array of services that ranges from outpatient and inpatient hospital care, surgery centers, residential care, rehabilitation centers, nursing registries, laboratories, hospice care, and home care. This ensures that patients who require various types of specialized care have their needs fulfilled.

            The presence of various hospitals, major entities, and independent physician partnership is a strategy of ensuring that many patients receive the integrated health care and serving people from a wide array of backgrounds and cultural influences. It is worth noting that some major entities such as Banner Research Institute and Banner Alzheimer’s Institute specialize in one key role that ensures that the professionals in such entities are focused to meet their planned objectives since they do not engage in multiple roles. BHN also has Cardon Children’s Medical Center and Banner Heart Hospital, which ensures that different age groups and conditions are managed more comprehensively.

Strategic plan

            This strategic plan is acknowledged as a sound strategy for setting long-term objectives for Banner Health Network, defining accountability for performance and results, and identifying principal initiatives. It is anticipated that the strategic plan will promote better performance since there will be fixed accountability, better managed leadership, proper alignment and commitment, and professionalism.

Network growth

            BHN aims at initiating more service lines as a result of the increased chronic diseases that are attributable to poor lifestyle and aging disorders. There is a plan to advance signature and foundational programs, which will directly result to improved health care. Consequently, people will benefit from research expertise, education, and clinical care.

            BHN has a master plan to expand and upgrade its facilities. This is aimed at ensuring a comfortable and convenient environment that will promote world-class care. In this regard, all children’s and women’s services will be consolidated in extremely convenient locations. More outpatient clinics will be constructed and if necessary, renovations will be done. While, consolidating, renovating, or designing facilities, the interdisciplinary patient care approach will be embraced. Moreover, there will be a concern on advancing translational education and research.

Nurse staffing

            For the past few years, BHN has spent immense effort and time in ensuring a solid performance base as far as the community image, finances, employee satisfaction, staffing, and patient outcomes are concerned. Therefore, BHN aims at providing extraordinary patient experience. There is a clear strategy of changing the workforce in the next decade. This will allow absolute excellence as far as family- and patient-centered customer care is concerned. There is a vision of attracting the brightest and novel talent. In this connection, an in-depth screening strategy will be launched so as to identify strong candidates. The existing talent pool will be developed. Moreover, there is a commitment to invest in training and educating the present employees so as to promote a novel patient care approach. There is a long-term commitment to identify, fund, and train new staff as well as providing an environment that embraces high performance and lifelong learning.

 Resource management

            It is anticipated that within the next ten years, there will be huge transformations in regard to the relationship with Medicaid, Medicare, as well as insurance companies. Therefore, there is a close adherence to industry and legislative changes. Moreover, efforts are being made so as to fulfill the needs of the dynamic and diverse market place. So as to promote better alignment in the market, new piloting options and payment models will be assessed.

            The financial plan also encompasses of the 280 million dollars master facility plan as well as the relevant financial implications of the strategic investments. There is a volume targets, financial performance, and financial strategy aimed at supporting the anticipated capital needs. To achieve this, there is a need for promoting revenue cycle performance, satisfying market share targets, ensuring investments in signature and foundational clinical services, and increasing physician recruitment. Moreover, there are philanthropy targets.

Patient satisfaction

            BHN is renowned for quality patient care and quality improvement. Measures are in place to ensure that equitable, patient-centered, timely, effective, and safe care is provided to all clients. The principal goal is reducing the risks associated with health care through preventing and anticipating hazards, and by ensuring that all employees value safe care (Bazzoli et al., 2000). This will improve patient satisfaction. In this regard, there is a goal of creating a culture that promotes personal and organizational learning, improving overall organizational capabilities and effectiveness, and improving value to stakeholders and customers that will result to sustainability.

            The patient satisfaction plan promotes high quality and properly coordinated care to all the patients. This will be achieved through systematic improvement of all the processes, sharing best practices enterprise-widely, and standardizing work processes. Patient outcomes and quality improvement processes will be measured against the national benchmarks so as to ensure that while the goals are being met, exemplary care is being provided.

References

Bazzoli, G. J., Chan, B., Shortell, S. M., & D’Aunno, T. (2000). The financial performance of hospitals belonging to health networks and systems. Inquiry, 234-252.

Christianson, J., & Moscovice, I. (1993). Health care reform and rural health networks. Health Affairs, 12(3), 58-75.

Shortell, S. M., Gillies, R. R., Anderson, D. A., Erickson, K. M., & Mitchell, J. B. (1996). Remaking health care in America. Hospitals & health networks/AHA, 70(6), 43.