Healthcare business
Value-based purchasing (VBP) persist as the practice of linking the payments made by the customers to the quality of the care offered by the healthcare facilities and providers (Lee et al., 2020). VBP significantly helps the healthcare institutions since it eliminates the cases of improper care by the medical facilities and aids in the identification of the excellent care providers for rewarding (Lee et al., 2020). Furthermore, the system of payment improves the quality offered to patients by different healthcare organizations.
Biomedical Waste Management
MegaHealth Medicals Center, like other healthcare facilities, releases the biomedical waste in which they put in various management solutions since most of them exist as hazardous. The harmful wastes exist in different forms like infectious ones that include body fluids such as blood and urine. WHO (2018) posits that other wastes include chemical, sharp objects, pharmaceutical, radioactive and non-hazardous waste. According to WHO (2018), the harmful wastes possess various health risks to the facility workers patient and general public through inferior disposal methods. As a result, the facility employs different biomedical management practices such as the promotion of the procedures aimed at reducing the volume of biomedical wastes generated in the hospital as well as well organized waste segregation (WHO, 2018). Equally, through the safe and sound treatment of the biohazard wastes like steam treatment, autoclaving and microwaving (WHO, 2018). On the same note, the hospital advocates for the safe practices for the individuals who store, transport, collect and handle such biohazard wastes and creating awareness of the health risks of the biomedical wastes produced by the institution (WHO 2018). The hospital complies with both world health organizations (WHO) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Biomedical Waste Management which ensures a safe environment for the general public, patient and care providers.
Burden
Biomedical Waste Management adds more burdens to the hospital-based on extra expenditure expected in maintaining various standards and practices related to the topic. For instance, the facility should allocate resources for different training and purchasing equipment suitable in handling the hazardous biomedical wastes. Purchasing of the materials such as autoclaves and shredders would require, and extra cost and maintenance expenses would add more burdens to the institution. Furthermore, training of the individuals who handle such wastes and the care providers within the facility would require extra time and cost for effective training programs.
Approaches for Quality Healthcare
Different methods exist in the healthcare system to improve the quality of care in medical facilities. The Lean healthcare systems exist as the way of using the “lean” concepts in minimizing the wastes in the healthcare system hence improving patient satisfaction and operational reduction cost. As per Ahmed, Manaf and Islam (2018), activities aimed at reducing the wastes include, reducing the waiting or idle time spent by patients and care providers, minimizing of inventory, eliminating the defects aimed at improving quality of care and increasing reimbursement and decreasing the time spent on transportation within the facility such as reduced movement of the supplies, equipment, patient and clinicians (Ahmed, Manaf & Islam, 2018). Furthermore, then healthcare organization could prevent some injuries as well as saving time by a reduction in the rate of movements, maximizing resources through minimizing the overproductions in the healthcare facilities and provision of understanding on impacts of the healthcare wastes on untapped human potential (Ahmed, Manaf & Islam, 2018). On the other hand, total quality management (TQM) plays a significant role in quality improvement in the healthcare industry (Balasubramanian, 2016). According to Balasubramanian (2016), TQM values concentrate on the continuous improvement of the healthcare quality of processes, products and services to meet and exceed the wants and needs of the customer’s experience and expectation in the healthcare industry. Balasubramanian (2016) explains that the TQM works based on its five fundamental principles that include focusing on consumers, creating quality product and service at the first time, continuous improvement, possessing strategic approach to quality improvement and encouraging the teamwork and respect among care providers and patients.
Similarities and Difference with Commercial Aviation
Most of the Lean and TQM concepts share similarities when applied in the healthcare system and the commercial aviation industry. Minimizing the waiting time by customers in both sectors would result in quality improvements as explains by the two approaches for quality delivery of products and services. Furthermore, continuous improvements play a significant role in gaining the high quality of the services, process and products by the commercial and healthcare industries. Moreover, some of the principles of the TQM and Lean differ due to experience of difference in customers involved in the two sectors (Balasubramanian, 2016). On the same note, commercial aviation and healthcare industries not only share some of the metrics but also possess some differences. For examples, they share metric on quality output and customers experience but different on the impacts of offering first-time quality services and procedures (Balasubramanian, 2016).
Why Is Quality In Healthcare So Elusive?
Different factors contribute to the elusive nature of attaining the quality of healthcare services in most of the medical facilities and at clinicians levels. Firstly, patient cooperation plays a significant role in determining the quality of the medical services offered by clinicians in different hospitals (Mosadeghrad, 2014). The patient involvement indirectly or directly affects the quality of the care sine all the services outcome depend on the ability of the patient to offer the required information and closely cooperate with care providers. Secondly, the type of the illness of patient affects the healthcare personnel while delivering their services in which affects the entire quality of the care provided due to stress or depression based on conditions of the patient (Mosadeghrad, 2014). Thirdly, care provider competence that comprises an individual’s skills and knowledge as those with low competence leads to quality healthcare services. Moreover, improving personal competence results in the provision of high-quality medical care (Mosadeghrad, 2014). Equally, medical facilities and resources hinder the process of providing quality medical services to the patients. The patient would receive services based on the type of facility care provider operates since high-quality outputs always require quality inputs. According to Mosadeghrad (2014), the socioeconomic status of the patients fundamentally affects the quality of healthcare services to receive from different hospitals. For instance, people from lower socioeconomic class cannot afford some high-quality medication hence low-quality care.
Role of Project Management in Healthcare
The project manager in the healthcare industry should understand the sector and possess some training on the same in order to organize, manage, and monitor various projects with the healthcare system. Lavoie‐Tremblay et al. (2017) explain that the project manager plays a crucial part in communicating with the entire organization about the intended or ongoing projects in healthcare setup in an open manner and gather feedback from the individuals and departments which enhances participation (Lavoie‐Tremblay et al., 2017). Similarly, the project manages conducts supervision, monitoring and evaluation of the healthcare projects through qualitative and quantitative information provided.
Comparing New Orleans’ Memorial Medical Center and Manhattan’s NYU Langone Medical Center
New Orleans’ Memorial Medical Center vulnerability originated from its geographical location of low points of the bowl in New Orleans hence vulnerable for flooding. Similarly, NYU Langone Medical Center suffered the storm based on geographic vulnerability due to its location at East River in Manhattan (Fink, 2009). Insufficient emergency responses acted as factors of vulnerability and intervention by the two hospitals. Moreover, NYU Langone Medical Center conducted training and possessed equipment on the emergency response mechanism to the staff hence maintaining advantage on dealing with the storm as compared to New Orleans’ Memorial Medical Center that lacked such training programs (Fink, 2009). Moreover, from the two hospitals and the events of storms they experienced, they learn that the emergency response mechanism that comprises awareness and equipment would save lives in case of such disasters.
CMC Conditions for Participation
CMS Conditions of Participation specify emergency preparedness standards comprises, hospitals, critical access hospital, long term care facility, PRTF, RNHCI, ICF/IID, hospice, transplant centre, PACE, ambulatory surgical centre, home health agency, CORF, CMHC, OPO, RHC/FQHC, clinic, rehabilitation and therapy as well as ESRD (CMC, 2019). Moreover, CMC requires all hospitals to establish risk assessment plan all approaches towards different types of hazards and updated annually. Furthermore, long term care facility and ICF/IID must account for the missing resident during a dictator (CMC, 2019). Similarly, CMC mandates that CORF must establish emergency plan seeking assistance from experts in fire and safety departments (CMC, 2019). Notably, OPO should formally address the kind of hospital it has an agreement with while clinics, rehabilitation and therapy center must create an emergency plan with experts for fire and safety sector (CMC, 2019). Furthermore, such facilities must address the location and possess an alarm system as well as a method of containing the fire. Nevertheless, ESRD must contact the regional emergency preparedness agency yearly to ensure it meets the requirement (CMC, 2019).
Advanced Analytics in Describing the Needs of the Community
Advanced analytics helps individuals and organizations in describing the community based on the health data collected about the patients. As per Bender (2017), the data offered during medical procedures include different aspects such as socioeconomic status, gender, race and ethnicity hence vital in describing that particular community. Advanced analytics help in the right mix of services due to knowledge offered by the advanced analytics on various factors and requirement of the community (Bender, 2017). On the same note, advanced analytics act as a tool in monitoring multiple performances in different healthcare scenarios. The advanced analytics would provide the data on the progress of particular projects. However, other sources of information that should get employed in this case include non–governmental survey and media outlets (Bender, 2017). Population health critically helps in determining the socials needs and prevalence and incidences of various diseases within the community.
References
Mosadeghrad, A. M. (2014). Factors influencing healthcare service quality. International journal of health policy and management, 3(2), 77.
CMC. (2019). Emergency Preparedness Rule | CMS. Retrieved 14 February 2020, from https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/SurveyCertEmergPrep/Emergency-Prep-Rule
Lavoie‐Tremblay, M., Aubry, M., Cyr, G., Richer, M. C., Fortin‐Verreault, J. F., Fortin, C., & Marchionni, C. (2017). Innovation in health service management: Adoption of project management offices to support significant health care transformation. Journal of nursing management, 25(8), 657-665.
Lee, S. J., Venkataraman, S., Heim, G. R., Roth, A. V., & Chilingerian, J. (2020). Impact of the value‐based purchasing program on hospital operations outcomes: An econometric analysis. Journal of Operations Management, 66(1-2), 151-175.
WHO. (2018). Healthcare waste. Retrieved 14 February 2020, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/health-care-waste
Ahmed, S., Manaf, N. H. A., & Islam, R. (2018). Measuring Lean Six Sigma and quality performance for healthcare organizations. International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences.
Balasubramanian, M. (2016). Total quality management [TQM] in the healthcare industry–challenges, barriers and implementation are developing a framework for TQM implementation in a healthcare setup. Science Journal of Public Health, 4(4), 271-278.
Bender, K. (2017). Knowing your community: Community health assessment as a powerful tool. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 23, S6-S8.
Fink, S. (2009). The Deadly Choices at Memorial. Retrieved 14 February 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/30/magazine/30doctors.html