Effective Process Improvement in the American Hospitals

Effective Process Improvement in the American Hospitals

Chapter 1

Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to present the current findings on the improvement made in the health sector in the United States in regards to productivity, cost, and efficiency. This chapter focuses on how technology has promoted effective health care delivery. To fully explore on this topic, the research utilized various questions. The first question is whether the health strategy in the United States maximizes the patient’s well-being, whether the current methods for delivering health care maximize the patient welfare, and what hospitals have done to maximize patients’ welfare. This research underlines the effective process improvements hospitals in the United States have made in regards to productivity, cost, and efficiency.

In the article entitled, Enabling Effective Nurse Communications 2010 Avaya Company argues how the health care industry faces increasing pressure from different aspects such as communication. The study demonstrates that, for healthcare professionals to be effective, they need to have access to information technology that facilitates effective communication (1). This study indicates that effective communication saves time, avoids costly errors, and allows health professionals to deliver quality health care that patients deserve. Further, the study highlights the situation of how different hospitals in the United States function. The study investigated how most hospitals in the United States have demonstrated the importance of effective communication in day to day health practice. Moreover, the article reveals that nurses have embraced the tools and technology that facilitates effective communication in the health care environment (Avaya Company 2). Although the article reveals that there has been a challenge in the health care industry in that nurses spend more time at the nurse’s station than they do with patients, nurses need access to mobile communication to improve quality care. Despite the challenges of communication technologies available to many nurses, nurses have worked to deliver the quality care that patients’ need (Avaya Company 3). Based on this research, one can affirm that effective communication in the hospital boosts staff productivity as well as operational efficiency. In turn, this improves patient care and reduces operating costs. Additionally, this improves nurse satisfaction since it allows them to spend more time on activities of direct care, which define their profession.

According to Alexander, Weiner, and Griffith (1007), there has been a widespread involvement of hospital staff in multiple units. Their article indicates that, this has strengthened the efficiency of Quality Improvement (QI) by promoting a strong learning culture. This has promoted shared values and increase better organizational performance. The involvement of medical staff across multiple staff has been crucial in that it has created a strong path to implement solutions that improve the well-being of patients. Hospitals that have demonstrated medical guidelines for multiple procedures and conditions have demonstrated improvement in their organizational performance. With increasing pressure to improve and maintain healthcare quality in the face of economic crisis, the American government has encouraged hospitals to emphasize more on process improvement as the mechanism to offer high quality care while reducing the healthcare costs (1008).  After conducting a study on Quality Improvement and Hospital Financial Performance, Alexander, Weiner, and Griffith (1022) found that hospitals in the United States operate on the postulation that boosting medical processes through QI increases financial performance. This increases the efficiency and improves the competitive position for hospitals to provide best services that attracts payers and patients. Patient/customer satisfaction, quality of medical care, and service improvement are some of the values added by the QI programs.

To Carroll, Alteras, and Meyer (7), hospitals in the United States have improved in their operation over time. Their research reveals that more effort has been done to improve and measure quality hospital care. Much improvement has been done in developing risk-adjustment mechanisms and quality indicators to compare quality across different institutions. Based on the case study analysis of four hospitals, this research indicates various factors that have enhanced positive change or quality improvement sequence. First, this article reveals that most hospitals have emphasis more on quality improvement, leading to organizational changes. Secondly, most hospitals have empowered their staff members to improve quality healthcare. Still, many have invested in technology and infrastructure that ease clinical operations and procedures. Hospitals have made organizational changes that nurture and reflect on a strong culture of quality. Most have created processes and structures to identify deficiencies, monitor performance, and implement solutions. Thirdly, as organization and structural changes, hospitals have been able to investigate and implement major changes such as nurse empowerment, nurturing champions,

Improved training materials for medical staff on various aspects such as infection prevention, and investing on information technology that diminishes medical errors and increase data collection. Still, hospitals have provided clinical guidelines, care maps, and protocols for specific procedures and conditions (7).

The mentioned practices have improved outcomes for hospitals and patients. Typically, this has improved work environment and its reputation in that the outcomes have increased staff and patient satisfaction, improved a strong status in the community, reduced medical complications, costs, and reinforced a strong commitment to change. These have resulted to practice changes such as clinical guidelines, new protocols, procedures, and pathways. Most importantly, Carroll, Alteras, and Meyer (10) affirm that most hospitals in the United States have empowered their staffs to coordinate quality medical care for patients and identify possible areas to improve quality standards.

Typically, hospitals have improved on how they compile, retrieve, and access patients’ information. Currently, patients do need to stay for long periods waiting for the results. With the help of Electronic Medical Records, hospitals have been able to compile and retrieve information more efficiently and effectively. According to Brooks and Grotz (74), American hospitals have utilized electronic medical records to improve efficiency, productivity, and cost. The authors highlight how Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), the latest form of documenting patients’ medical record, have been used by hospitals to improve efficiency in service provision (Brooks and Grotz 74). Although the implementation of the EMRs has been slow, the article reveals that the government has taken actions to encourage implementation in all hospitals across the U.S (75). The study provides a review of how hospitals in the United States manage various challenges such as documenting patients’ record with digital facilities. In essence, the healthcare field has experienced a transformation on how records are used and kept. Hospitals in the United States have utilized electronic medical records, which in turn has improved the way records are reviewed and kept, making a tremendous saving on the time that health professionals use to access patient information and thus enhancing cost efficiency (76). This research is further supported by Richards, Prybutok, and Ryan (121) and Silow-Carroll, Edwards and Rodin (1) that, EMRs have played a significant role in improving productivity and efficiency.

A research conducted by Kohli, Devaraj and Ow (1149) investigated patients’ managers’, and clinicians’ perceptions of technology in the health sector. This research indicates that a large number of hospitals in the United States have significantly invested in IT. Additionally, the study indicates that IT has had a positive impact of improving performance, accuracy, and efficiency, which in turn have increased the firm’s competitiveness (1154). To deliver better health care, hospitals have embraced IT in the communication process. IT has allowed health care providers to communicate effectively with other health care providers resulting in improved and quality care that patients need. A research by Bandyopadhyay and Haves (179) supports this conclusion indicating that many hospitals in the U.S are taking steps to provide quality care at the lowest cost. Hospitals have embraced quality management approaches such Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and Total Quality Management (TQM) to boost health care quality. Top hospital management have enhanced patients’ satisfaction by ensuring that healthcare providers have the information they need to improve patient care. Still, hospitals have provided health care at an affordable cost to meet the needs of patients in the low-income bracket.

Hospitals have also adopted a medical-surgical safety checklist that has improved the quality of care and saved money (Semel et al. 1593). The checklist is a two-minute tool similar to the checklist used by pilots before takeoff. This tool is designed to enhance quality care and safety processes during surgery. The study by Semel et al. also highlights that use of such a checklist ensures that patients receive suitable antibiotics to prevent infection after surgery process (1593). This has eliminated the rates surgical complications, which increase the cost of providing such procedures through aspects such as prolonged hospital stay (1595).

Hospitals in the United States have also promoted cultural competence in their staff to improve productivity, efficiency, and cost (Wilson-Stronks, Amy, Sunita, and Joseph 339). In the study by Wilson-Stronks, Amy, Sunita, and Joseph most Hospital CEOs are argued to have embraced cultural competence in their management, which has helped them attain the organization’s priorities, mission, and the capacity to meet the needs of patients (339).  Many have created an organization’s culture that understand patients’ needs, and that encourage staff in improving quality care. Hospital CEOs have ensured that patients’ needs are met  for instance according to the nursing code of ethics. Additionally, managers have constantly allocated resources on critical areas needed to augment health care services (Marley, David, and Meyer    350). As indicated in this study, managers have worked hard to improve standards of patient care through medical diagnosis, treatment, and improved physiological and psychological care (353).

Lastly, hospitals in the United States have embraced a philosophy of a continuous improvement linked with providing care that exceeds patients’ expectations (Alexender, Weiner, and Griffith 1003). To accomplish this, most CEOs have empowered their employees to understand and respond to patients’ needs accordingly. Although the issue of how hospitals spend less resources empowering their employees is contentious, this article affirms that hospitals’ management has have enhanced the empowerment in an effort to provide patient care that aligns to the standards of patient care suggested by various professional bodies (1004). In this respect, many hospitals have put in place measures to improve their operations, management, and communication.

Thus far, this discussion underlines that there have been many changes and improvement made in the health sector. U.S hospitals have improved in their operation, organizational structure, and have effectively used advanced machines to carry their medical operations. The development of healthcare has had a great impact on the U.S population. Hospital staffs have been helpful in promoting efficiency healthcare and reducing mortality rates. U.S hospitals have been on the lead to implement medical care processes that improves patients’ well-being. They have identified IT systems and tools that alert health care providers to provide high quality and safer care. Additionally, hospitals have promoted the adoption of promising QI strategies that in turn improves efficiency and productivity. With this, U.S hospitals have implemented and evaluated strategies that boost quality care for people. With the help of information technology

Healthcare providers have been able to respond to critical conditions on time.

This chapter has reviewed current findings on effective process improvements that hospitals in the United States have made in regards to productivity, cost, and efficiency. Many have utilized EMRs to enhance information retrieval, record keeping, and compilation of patients’ information. Many hospitals have invested heavily in Information Technology in medical care and this has facilitated effective communication between health care providers and patients and health care providers with other providers across the U.S. Through electronic data systems, health care providers can easily record and retrieve patient information. With information being easily available on how to carry out different diagnosis, health care providers have improved in their operation and this has resulted in efficiency and productivity. Additionally, most hospitals CEOs have promoted effective management and leadership that focus on providing quality care to patients. Most hospital CEOs have ensured that their employees understand the needs of patients and respond to them accordingly.

This research has outlined how hospitals in the United States have embraced best facilities that facilitate patients’ well-being. For instance, most have used medical surgical safety checklist that has in turn eliminated the rates and costs of surgical complications. Thus, this research has revealed that hospitals in the United States have invested more in terms of resources and human efforts to improve patients’ well-being. Additionally, the American government has significantly helped hospitals to invest heavily on electronic records that improve accuracy and reduce medical errors. Through technology, hospitals have saved time used in compiling, retrieving, and obtaining patients’ records. Patients do not need to stay in long periods waiting for their medical records to be retrieved. The innovation of technology has enabled healthcare providers to research and obtain information at ease. Technology has created a strong path for healthcare providers to search information at ease in regard to patient’s diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies. This has enabled clinicians to learn from other experts in the field of health care. As a result, this has promoted productivity and efficiency in hospitals in that many have adequate information on how to respond to patients’ needs. This research would recommend many hospitals from other nations to learn from the United States where many hospitals have emphasized more on quality health care. This has significantly increased the health population of the United States. Therefore, this research has focused on the effective process improvements hospitals in the United States have made in regards to productivity, cost, and efficiency.

Works Cited

Alexander, Jeffrey, Weiner, Bryan, and Griffith John. “Quality Improvement and Hospital Financial Performance “. Journal of Organizational Behaviour 27. 10 (2006): 1003-1029.

Avaya Company. “Enabling Effective Nurse Communications” Avaya Intelligent Communications (2010): 1-7. Retrieved from http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:O08U8HAE3GEJ:www.avaya.com/uk/resource/assets/factsheet/Enabling%2520Effective%2520Nurse%2520Comm%2520LB5027%2520(4).pdf+&hl=en&gl=ke

Bandyopadhyay, Jayanta K., and Gary Hayes. “Developing a Framework for the Continuous Improvement of Patient Care in United States Hospitals: A Process Approach.” International Journal of Management 26.2 (2009): 179-185.

Brooks, Rochelle, and Courtney Grotz. “Implementation of Electronic Medical Records: How Healthcare Providers are Managing the Challenges of Going Digital.” Journal of Business & Economics Research 8.6 (2010): 73-84.

Carroll, Sharon, Alteras, Tanya, and Meyer, Jack. “Hospital Quality Improvement Strategies and Lessons from U.S. Hospitals”. Health Management Associates. (2007): 1-34.

Kohli, Rajiv, Sarv Devaraj, and Terence T. Ow. “Does Information Technology Investment Influence A Firm’s Market Value? A Case Of Non-Publicly Traded Healthcare Firms.” MIS Quarterly 36.4 (2012): 1145-1163.

Marley, Kathryn A., David A. Collier, and Meyer Goldstein Susan. “The Role of Clinical and Process Quality in Achieving Patient Satisfaction in Hospitals.” Decision Sciences 35.3 (2004): 349-69.

Richards, Rhonda J., Victor R. Prybutok, and Sherry D. Ryan. “Electronic Medical Records: Tools For Competitive Advantage.” International Journal Of Quality & Service Sciences 4.2 (2012): 120.

Semel, Marcus E., et al. “Adopting A Surgical Safety Checklist could Save Money and Improve the Quality of Care in U.S. Hospitals.” Health affairs 29.9 (2010): 1593-9. ProQuest. Web. 5 Apr. 2013.

Silow-Carroll, Sharon, Jennifer N Edwards, and Diana Rodin. “Using Electronic Health Records To Improve Quality And Efficiency: The Experiences Of Leading Hospitals.” Issue Brief (Commonwealth Fund) 17.(2012): 1-40.

Wilson-Stronks, Amy, Sunita Mutha, and Joseph R. Swedish F.A.C.H.E. “From the Perspective of CEOs: What Motivates Hospitals to Embrace Cultural Competence?/PRACTITIONER APPLICATION.” Journal of Healthcare Management 55.5 (2010): 339,51; discussion 351-2.

 

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