Discussion: Organizational Development, Workforce Planning, and Succession Planning
Organizational development is focused on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of a workplace. As part of this process, strategic planning professionals often work with leadership teams to develop strategies for short-term and long-term organizational development, including workforce planning and succession planning. This helps ensure that health care organizations recruit, train, and retain employees that are capable of meeting strategic objectives. For this Discussion, examine the following scenarios and suggest strategies for organizational development, workforce planning, and succession planning.
Scenario 2: Whitesville Medical Center has been providing quality patient care in Louisiana for over 100 years. However, during the last five years, the organization has experienced significant turnover in middle management positions in the Housekeeping Department. In fact, the average tenure of a middle manager is only six months, and there is a current vacancy in the day and evening shifts. Because of the unstable management team, no one has been able to hold supervisors accountable for facilitating appropriate orientation of new staff, ongoing training of the seasoned employees, and routine audits of the employees’ performance. Unfortunately, the breakdown in management oversight has led to a lack of employee training in cleaning and sanitizing patient rooms, surgical suites, and public areas including the restrooms and waiting areas. The lack of cleanliness and sanitation has led to an outbreak of nosocomial infections impacting several patients and causing them to remain in the hospital for a longer period of time. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Joint Commission have received anonymous tips about this outbreak and have sent survey teams to conduct unannounced visits at the facility, which could lead to fines until the issue is fully resolved by the medical center.
To prepare:
- Review the scenario assigned to you by the Instructor.
- Consider strategies for short-term and long-term organizational planning, workforce planning, and/or succession planning.
Assignment 1: Accountable Care Organizations
Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) play a key role in coordinating health care services for Medicare beneficiaries. These organizations have largely become consumer driven, making marketing and health care consumerism central to their success. By offering and marketing evidence-based, patient-centered services and initiatives, ACOs can better connect with consumers. For this Assignment, you examine the services and initiatives for an ACO in your state.
To prepare:
- Select an ACO from the website ACOs in Your State in this week’s Learning Resources.
- Identify evidence-based services/initiatives that the ACO is using.
Note: To determine if services/initiatives are evidence-based, go to http://innovation.cms.gov/
- Consider the following:
- Is the ACO using services/initiatives that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recognize and for which they offer reimbursements?
- How does the ACO market these services/initiatives to increase health care consumerism?
The Assignment
In a matrix, analyze evidence-based services/initiatives that the ACO you selected is using for each of the following:
- Quality of care
- IT
- Marketing
- Financial outcomes
- Population health programs
- Vertical versus horizontal integration
- Operational excellence
Include whether the ACO is using approaches that CMS recognizes for reimbursements and how these initiatives/services increase health care consumerism.
Synthesize the information you have gathered from your analysis so that each bullet point clearly represents the most significant considerations within each category. While this is a 1-page document that might appear to be simple, each point must be the result of deep and critical thinking.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
This assignment requires an analysis of evidence-based services and initiatives used by an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) in the state. The analysis shall be presented in a matrix, and it shall cover categories such as quality of care, IT, marketing, financial outcomes, population health programs, vertical versus horizontal integration, and operational excellence. The paper should also indicate if the ACO is using approaches recognized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and how the initiatives/services impact healthcare consumerism.
Answer:
For this assignment, I have chosen the ACO named Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health. This ACO is located in New Hampshire, and it serves around 33,000 Medicare beneficiaries. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health is a non-profit with a focus on providing high-quality services that are affordable and easily accessible to patients. The ACO uses various evidence-based services and initiatives to increase healthcare consumerism, and these are discussed below:
Quality of Care:
The ACO has implemented various quality of care initiatives, such as care coordination, medication management, and patient-centered medical homes. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health also participates in the CMS Quality Payment Program, which incentivizes and rewards providers for delivering value-based care.
IT:
The ACO has an advanced technology infrastructure that allows for seamless communication and sharing of patient data among care teams. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health uses technology to support telehealth visits, remote patient monitoring, and secure messaging.
Marketing:
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health has a robust marketing strategy that focuses on patient education, outreach, and engagement. The ACO uses social media, community events, and patient portals to increase awareness and promote its services.
Financial Outcomes:
The ACO has been successful in achieving cost savings and reducing hospital readmissions. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health participates in risk-sharing agreements with payers, which incentivizes providers to manage costs and improve outcomes.
Population Health Programs:
The ACO has implemented population health management programs that focus on chronic disease management and preventive care. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health uses data analytics to identify patients who are at high risk for hospitalization or readmission, and it deploys care teams to intervene and provide support.
Vertical vs. Horizontal Integration:
The ACO has implemented both vertical and horizontal integration strategies to improve care coordination and reduce costs. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health collaborates with both primary care and specialty care providers, and it has established partnerships with community-based organizations to support social determinants of health.
Operational Excellence:
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health has implemented various operational excellence initiatives, such as lean process improvement and data-driven decision making. The ACO uses continuous quality improvement methodologies to streamline workflows and improve efficiency.
Conclusion:
Overall, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health has implemented evidence-based services and initiatives that are designed to improve quality of care, increase healthcare consumerism, and reduce costs. The ACO has been successful in achieving positive outcomes, and it has been recognized by CMS for its value-based care delivery model.
