Nursing

Research a health care organization or network that spans several states with in the United States (United Healthcare, Vanguard, Banner Health, etc.). Assess the readiness of the health care organization or network you chose in regard to meeting the health care needs of citizens in the next decade.

Prepare a 1,000-1,250 word paper that presents your assessment and proposes a strategic plan to ensure readiness. Include the following:

Describe the health care organization or network.
Describe the organization’s overall readiness based on your findings.
Prepare a strategic plan to address issues pertaining to network growth, nurse staffing, resource management, and patient satisfaction.
Identify any current or potential issues within the organizational culture and discuss how these issues may affect aspects of the strategic plan.
Propose a theory or model that could be used to support implementation of the strategic plan for this organization. Explain why this theory or model is best.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

ANSWER

Analysis of a Healthcare Organization: Banner Health Network

Description of Banner Health Network

The banner health network is one of the organizations committed to offering quality healthcare services in the United States. It exists as a non-profit establishment that has continued to support the American people to boost their health status and well-being. This organization offers crucial healthcare systems and information that enable patients, families, and the community to make informed decisions. Its mission is to “make health easier so that life can be better” (Banner Health, n.d). As one of the largest healthcare institutions in the US, Banner health has always met patient expectations through its quality services. It enjoys a workforce of 5,000 physicians and advanced care providers (Banner Health, n.d). These professionals handle their tasks effectively due to the sophisticated information technology investments that the organization had developed. This enables the institution to deliver quality patient experiences and affordable care services. Notably, the organization ensures that it has adequate staffing levels to meet increased patient satisfaction. Other components that it values include growth and resource management. Overall, Banner health has obtained advanced healthcare outcomes through appropriate staffing, improved patient satisfaction, focus on network growth, and crucial resource management tactics.

Banner’s Overall Readiness

Banner Health Network is devoted to providing excellent care and attention services to its patients. It has a wide range of facilities that encompass crucial programs focusing on offering accessible services to all patients. Across these regions, community members experience challenges that have not adequately been solved using the prevailing services and programs. According to Banner Health Community Health Needs Assessment (n.d), patients have failed to receive the services they need from the existing healthcare services and programs. This calls for the need to ensure that consumers can receive quality services that match their needs and expectations. One of the strategic actions that this institution has developed is to meet the uninsured and minority populations. These are populations that have failed to achieve desirable care services due to the inequalities in the healthcare sector. As Diderichsen et al. (2012) find, health inequalities are a key challenge that affects viable care outcomes, especially among minorities. Elimination of these inequalities can boost healthcare outcomes for all populations. Banner Health has developed vital policies and strategies that enhance equitable access to healthcare services. Also, it collaborates with various parties like the government and other healthcare establishments to advance care services. This is a crucial way of expanding its resource base to accelerate healthcare delivery.

Strategic Plans Focusing on Addressing Problems Affecting its Organizational Culture

Network Growth

Banner Health Network’s mission on growth focuses on the expansion of its branches and facilities. The organization remains committed to reaching out to as many patients as possible. Innovation remains one of its strategic growth factors. Its vision is to be a national leader recognized for clinical excellence and innovation (Banner Health, n.d). A high level of innovation in the organization guarantees a coordinated patient experience. For example, Banner Health has an App and Emergency Department Chatbot. These are crucial systems and structures to boost patient’s healthcare status and overall wellbeing due to prompt access to care services. Thus, Banner Health is better positioned to offer effective coordination and transitional services through advanced innovation. In the future, the institution will promise improved healthcare outcomes because it can integrate innovative technologies that increase service delivery.

Nurse Staffing

Nurses play a crucial role in boosting patient’s health status and wellbeing. It offers a wide range of opportunities for nurses. This has allowed it to balance nursing staffing needs and the increasing demand for healthcare services. It has considered the risk of burnouts among its nursing professionals and thus came up with a comprehensive approach focusing on improving care professional’s wellbeing (Siwicki, 2020). For instance, the organization laid down mechanisms that reduced excessive alerting that might expose nurses to fatigue. It has reduced alerts to enable nurses to focus on their tasks and responsibilities. This has boosted job satisfaction and productivity in the workplace. Thus, Banner Health has adequate nursing staffing levels and has created a viable working environment for these professionals.

Resource Management

Banner Health has developed adequate and quality policies revolving around key organizational processes and procedures. Financial management is one of the key areas that has attracted in-depth attention among Banner Health corporate leaders. The company has invested in excellent auditing procedures to ensure that its financial resources are utilized appropriately. Also, wastage is handled through the closure of potential loopholes. Banner Health should consider investing in fiscal policies to enable it to manage its financial resources effectively. As Behera and Dash (2019) state, these policies can help in improving financial status. Considering that Banner Health is a large healthcare establishment, there is a dire need to ensure that it implements fiscal policies to handle and manage its financial resources in line with the set goals and objectives. Overall, Banner Health has cultivated a culture of appropriate resource management.

Patient Satisfaction

Patient satisfaction is a key approach at Banner Health and is supported by the excellent, accessible, and affordable services that the organization provides to patients. Investment in well-established technological structures and systems that the organization has developed and implemented. For example, healthcare providers communicate effectively to pass crucial information that supports patients’ desired outcomes. High patient satisfaction is always an essential indicator of the quality of services offered by an organization.

Issues Likely to Affect Banner Health’s Organizational Culture and the Effect on the Strategic Plan

Poor leadership and financial challenges are potential organizational issues that Banner Health seeks to encounter. If the institution experiences poor leadership, this is likely to affect its culture. Banner Health is known for its quality, accessible and affordable services. Poor leadership can hamper the delivery of effective care services primarily because its leaders will be less focused on its mission and vision. Also, it will interfere with workforce performance because of reduced motivation strategies. As Kristic et al. (2019) reveal, leadership and workforce motivation goes in handy in the healthcare industry. Leaders formulate strategies that boost satisfaction and motivation. Thus, if an organization has poor leadership, workforce performance is lower due to the lack of crucial motivation strategies. Another central issue is financial challenges which will affect investment in innovative technologies. Banner Health has always desired to integrate innovative solutions. A shortfall in financial resources can halt this dream. The institution experiences massive challenges in its strategic plan due to poor leadership and lack of adequate financial resources.

A Theory or Model Likely to Support Implementation of its Strategic Plan

A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) model is an important model that can assist the organization in developing and implementing a strategic plan. Exposure to the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that the institution has faced can open opportunities for making quality decisions. In addition, scanning both the internal and external environments will enable leaders to understand each of these perspectives. Thus, a SWOT analysis model offers a viable opportunity to understand the environment better and allowing corporate leaders to implement supportive plans.

References

Banner Health Community Health Needs Assessments Reports-Staying Well. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.bannerhealth.com/staying-well/community/health-needs-assessments-reports

Bannerhealthnetwork.com. (n.d.). Care designed to fit your health. Retrieved from https://www.bannerhealthnetwork.com/

Behera, D. K., & Dash, U. (2019). Impact of macro-fiscal determinants on health financing: empirical evidence from low-and middle-income countries. Global health research and policy, 4(1), 1-13.

Diderichsen, F., Andersen, I., Manuel, C., Working Group of the Danish Review on Social Determinants of Health, Andersen, A. M. N., Bach, E., … & Søgaard, J. (2012). Health Inequality-determinants and policies. Scandinavian journal of public health, 40(8_suppl), 12-105.

Krstic, M., Obradovic, V., Terzic-Supic, Z., Stanisavljevic, D., & Todorovic, J. (2019). Leadership and motivation among employees in health-care facilities in Serbia. Management: Journal of Sustainable Business and Management Solutions in Emerging Economies, 24(1), 33.

Siwicki, B. (2020). Banner Health reduces alert fatigue, doc burnout with help from Cerner tools. Retrieved 2 June 2021, from https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/banner-health-reduces-alert-fatigue-doc-burnout-help-cerner-tools