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(1)Based on the study- Geisinger Health System, examine this model and develop six strategic initiatives which your own individual organization should consider as part of its upcoming fiscal year. This assignment should consider concepts discussed in class, including leadership, accountability, and population health, including data analytics. (Double-spaced, maximum length: three pages.) (2) Under Value-Based Purchasing, providers are held accountable for the quality and cost of the health care services they provide by a system of rewards and consequences, conditional upon achieving pre-specified performance. Discussion should be at least 300 words. Discuss ways by which healthcare institutions can financially benefit under Value Based Purchasing, while improving patient satisfaction. (3) Under the Affordable Care Act, hospitals are penalized when patients are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days for the same problem, or because of a complication from their previous stay, if the readmission is deemed unnecessary by Medicare. Discuss ways by which hospitals can decrease/prevent readmissions to avoid penalties by Medicare. Discussion should be at least 300 words.
Healthcare
Students’ Name
Institution
Health care
Introduction
Geisinger Health System is one of the case studies that were done by the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High-Performance Health System. In this study, the Commonwealth Fund Commission developed six attributes used in any setting of a diverse organization. The Commission established characteristics of an ideal healthcare delivery system which are applicable in any organization seeking to improve its capabilities for achieving higher levels of performance.
The six attributes are smooth information continuity, care, and coordination transitions, system accountability, peer review, and teamwork for high-value care providers, continuous innovation, and easy access to appropriate care. The aim of this easy is to find out how a diverse healthcare organization can incorporate these six attributes and develop strategic initiatives applicable to running an individual organization. I designed six strategic actions to use in my organization. The strategic initiatives are; physical profiling, measuring and improving the patients experience, adoption of information technology, creating a culture of accountability; develop tools for creating alignment, and having leadership for quality.
Physicians profiling
One of the attributes of a successful health care system that the Commission developed is peer review and teamwork for high-value care providers. The objective of having peer review is to harness an environmental culture that will incorporate incentives which will foster higher performance. In the next financial year, I would recommend physicians profiling as one of the strategic initiatives. Physicians profiling is the collection of provider-specific and practice-level; data used to analyze physicians practice patterns, utilization of services, and outcomes of care. Profiling of employees in an organization enhances the accountability of the responsible parties. Profiling of physicians in a health system will create an accountable culture. An accountable health care system provides high-quality care to patients.
Measuring and Improving Patient Experience Care
The second initiative that I would recommend is measuring and improving patient experience care. One of the main challenges to lack of patient satisfaction in any health system is the lack of accessible care at any time or place. In measuring on the patient’s satisfaction with the health care system, it is advisable to formulate a patient survey report. The survey should give each patient a platform to express their views about the health care system, as they also give their recommendations. In coping with the challenge of accessing health services, it is recommendable to provide care that is easily accessible to all patients. Providing secure and available care in an organization will be done by having a joint location of multiple services in every department. Having different multispecialty services will allow more patients to access the services in a given day and thus reducing the time wasted in appointments.
Creating a Culture of accountability
One of the most critical factors to having a successful health system is integration between the health practitioners and the patients. Having an integrated community between the practitioners and the patients encourages the patients to trust in the health system and helps the responsible practitioners to follow and keep in touch with the patents. In the nest financial year for the organization, it is recommendable to try having an integrated community and have information continuity for all the involved parties.
Tools for creating alignment
A healthcare organization should develop mechanisms to keep their healthcare quality improvement efforts on track. Dashboards and scorecards are tools that an organization can use to create an arrangement. The role of a dashboard tool is to give you an update of your current performance. A scorecard is used to provide updates about the performance of physicians often from time to time. For a healthcare organization to create a scorecard, they need to identify the potential measures of the six IOM aims. The IOM possible measures are; a health care environment that is safe, effective system, patient-centeredness, timelessness, efficiency, and equity. Scorecards contribute positively to the healthcare system. They help in the implementation of strategies through strategically oriented performance.
Information technology
The healthcare system is one of the sectors that have lagged in the adoption of technology. In their day to day activities, many hospitals tend to rely on medical record that rerecorded on paper. Confirmation of the use of information technology is a strategic innovation that should be adopted by even an individual organization. An electronic health record (EHR) system is an approach used to have information continuity and integration in the health system. EHR system incorporates a web portal that is accessible to all the health practitioners. Different studies have proven that in an integrated health system, the use of EHR has improved chronic care management. The use of technology is an initiative that an individual organization should consider in their next financial year.
Leadership for Quality
Different factors determine the success of a healthcare system. These factors are only achievable under the influence and control of the leadership department. All the members of the organization should work together to achieve the goals of the organization faster and efficiently. A good leadership management team should have a shared vision, shared way to achieve their goal, clarity about the role of each member, communicate effectively, and have trust among themselves.
Discussion on How Healthcare Systems Can Benefit From Value-Based Program
Value-Base Healthcare is a healthcare delivery model in which providers, including hospitals and physicians, are paid on patient health outcomes. Under the Value-Based Program, healthcare institutions are not paid based on the number of services they provide, but they are paid based on the value of care they provide. One of the benefits of Value-Based Program is to reduce medical errors. Health care institutions can financially benefit from these. For the insurance sponsors and large employers, medical errors are a primary concern. Due to medical mistakes, a large amount of the funds given to the hospital go to funding medical error such as ineffective or harmful treatment. By adopting of Valued Based Program, the insurers are now able to make sure that the numbers of medical errors reduce. The finances that were getting wasted in medical errors, now the hospital can use it in another department.
Value-Based Purchasing power ensures that the providers achieve efficiency and satisfaction of the patients. This program provides that hospitals spend less time on chronic diseases. If a health care institution can give efficient and greater comfort to patients, it escapes the challenge of being placed under financial risk that comes with capitated payment systems.
The payments that the Value-Based Program gives to the hospitals based on their performance helps in the hospitals financial operations. A hospital institution that is high perfuming gets higher benefits. Calculation on the amount of interest that a hospital is supposed to receive depends on four main factors. The factors are; clinical care the hospital is providing, the hospital person and community engagement, safety, and efficiency and cost reduction. Value-Based Purchasing aims at reducing costs. The program follows an approach which aims at promoting service quality. It holds a perception that all patients have the right to receive quality healthcare services.
Discussion Ways in Which Hospitals Can Reduce Patients Readmission
The hospital gets a penalty if they have higher than expected risk-standardization 30-day readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia. The first effective way to reduce the number of patients readmitted is by the improvement of patient engagement and education. Inadequate patient and caregiver communication is a leading factor to the readmission of many patients. During the discharge process, if the patients are excluded from the process, it might cause errors. Errors such as; giving conflicting recommendations, confusing medication regimes, and unclear information about follow-ups and clinics of the patient. These errors lead to the readmission of the patient. The hospital should introduce programs that improve patient engagement and education. The plans should educate the patients on how to be involved in the discharge process.
The second solution to reducing readmission is by regular follow up and supporting and maintaining wellness after the discharge. For patients who are suffering from chronic diseases, it might be difficult for them to take control of their health. Hospitals should develop effective monitoring programs. The monitoring programs are applicable even when the patient is at home, as it will help them in taking control of their health and thus reduce the rate of readmission. Biometric and telephone monitoring are other forms of home monitoring programs that can be used to reduce readmission. If the nurses and other health practitioners called and followed up on the patients for one month, they would be able to determine whether the health of the patient is improving or not.
Hospitals should also consider having a close working relationship with post-acute partners. By strengthening their ties with post-acute partners, hospitals can now do more measurement on patients after discharge. The hospitals should also concentrate on the experience of the patients. To avoid readmission, hospitals should take a closer look at the patient’s satisfaction scores.
Conclusion
According to Geisinger, leaders play a significant role in the success of an organization. Leaders can improve the performance of any diverse organization by having leadership aimed at achieving a common goal and vision. The objectives of an organization are achievable if the leaders are spearheading and motivating the achievement of higher performance. An organization should have a functional integration between all the involved parties.