Health Medical Homework Help

• Please respond to this 4 peers’ Discussion Prompts
• ALL citations and references needs to be APA 7th edition format. (200-250 words each
• Respond to your classmates’ or your instructor’s posts. Your responses should include elements such as follow-up questions, a further exploration of topics from the initial post, or requests for further clarification or explanation on some points made by the classmates.

Peer# 1

Hi everyone!
The organization I focused on this week is my current employer, Crystal Run Healthcare. We are a multi-location health practice with over physicians in over 50 different specialties. I believe this organization has a positive culture. A healthier workplace culture is believed to be related to positive patient outcomes, such as reduced mortality and length of stay, increased quality of life, and decreased pain level (Braithwaite et al., 2017). Braithwaite et al. (2017) states that culture of an organization includes consistent practices, like beliefs and attitudes, within a whole institutional setting. On my first day of orientation, one of the executives said “we smile, or say hello, to everyone we pass”. I remember thinking to myself there is no way that actually happens on a day to day basis. But after two years of being with the organization, I have yet to walk passed a coworker without hearing or saying a greeting. This creates a very positive culture within our buildings for not only employees, but for the patients as well. Even if someone is having a bad day, a simple smile (or hello now that we have to wear masks) can change their day and make the difference.

The way in which the practice is designed also hints towards the positive culture within the organization. Crystal Run buildings are designed as lean buildings as a way to improve staff workflow, patient care, and safety while eliminating waste (Donnelly, 2013). These building are full of natural light and open areas. The waiting rooms are open and connected, separated with different colored chairs for each suite. The exam rooms in each suite are U-shaped, with doctors and nurses sitting in the open area in the middle. When the building was designed, planners mapped out how many steps it would take to get to different points in the building as a way to minimize the distance traveled. This type of design promotes a positive culture because the buildings are more welcoming than a traditional provider’s office and the layout is more conducive to teamwork.

Peer# 2

A healthcare organization I have worked for in the past is HRC Fertility. Personally, I felt that HRC Fertility did not have a positive work culture. While I was employed there, I was part of the reception team and provided clerical support to physicians and clinical teams. At first, I liked the fact that there were teams for certain departments. But as time went on, I noticed that very minimal teamwork was actually happening amongst everyone and there were more employees trying to intentionally point out each others mistakes and report it to administration. Eventually, I noticed that this negative work culture has been affecting the quality of patient care, because staff would be too busy fighting amongst themselves and become complacent when it comes to patient care (forget injection schedules, medication shipments to patients, scheduling patients for labs/diagnostics, etc.).

I felt that administration could have cultivated a more positive work culture by making employees feel valued while maintaining clear and consistent expectations (Brandman University, 2020). When I was employed at HRC Fertility, I spoke with a handful of clinical staff who voiced their dissatisfaction of the company and wanted to leave. A lot of them felt that they needed to feed into the negative work culture in order to “survive” in the company. Eventually, when staff grew tired of the work environment, they would try to move on to a different healthcare organization. Positive work culture is important because it improves teamwork, raises morale, increases productivity and efficiency, and prevents a high turnover rate of employees (Agarwal, 2018).

Peer# 3

Hello Everyone,

I disagree with the opinion that higher ranked officials in the healthcare system are too far removed to directly affect patients in the hospital. While it is not the typical operations to have an administrator be a part of the patient care experience, I have worked in many clinics and departments where the supervisors and administrators that go on the floor or assist with day-to-day operations when there are shortages of staff or unexpected issues arise. In one facility I worked in, the administrator was expected to know all the roles of the staff, unless it required specific licensures, and they would do bimonthly or monthly shifts to keep up on skills to assist with the workflows and be a real part of the decision making that might need to occur in said workflows. This is probably not the most typical of situations, but in reality, I don’t see how it is possible to lead a group of people without having some knowledge of the roles they play on your team.

The board of trustees determines the trajectory of a healthcare organization by governing, developing, and reviewing the hospital or healthcare system they are over seeing, and maintaining its mission and strategy. They are the guiders of the long-term goals and policies, and typically are the implementors of strategic plans and decisions. They don’t typically get involved with management activities, but they do oversee such activities and provide oversight, hiring, and firing for the Chief Executive Officer [CEO] of the organization. “The board is also responsible for making sure that processes are in place to discover any history of disciplinary action by prospective employees and to ensure that they have the proper level of malpractice insurance (Price et al, 2019).” The board is also responsible for overseeing all employee credentialing processes and assuring the healthcare professionals hired to the organization have completed all proper training, licensing, and accreditations required of their position. The trajectory of the hospital/organization can be determined by the board’s decisions on CEO, strategic planning, employment requirements, and mission statement (Price et al, 2019).I do think the healthcare triad of the governing body, CEO, and the medical professionals hired to the company, all have an influence on the trajectory of the company the board of trustees puts in place. It is up to the triad to manage and adhere to the strategic plan as the trustees implement it for the best healthcare available to the public (Langabeer et al, 2016).

Peer# 4

Hi everyone,

A common opinion in the health care industry is that the highest ranked officials in the healthcare system are too far removed from patient care to have a direct effect on the patients of the hospital. I personally do not agree with this statement. Even though the highest ranked officials in the healthcare system are far removed from patient care, the decisions that they make day to day have an effect on the care provided. Healthcare facilities need to have a formal structure in place to oversee professional and administrative staff, facilities, and medical equipment to deliver safe, high-quality care (Price, 2019).

The board of trustees does not get involved in managing the hospital’s activities, rather they oversee them (Price, 2019). One way that the board of trustees determines the trajectory of a healthcare organization is by overseeing the employee credentialing process, making sure healthcare professionals have the proper training, licensing, and accreditation (Price, 2019). The board also is responsible for making sure that processes are in place to discover any history of disciplinary action by prospective employees and to ensure that they have the proper level of malpractice insurance (Price, 2019). According to Price (2019), hospital trustees are charged with duty of care, meaning they oversee the hospital’s financial health and sustainability, all while making sure they hospital is using its resources in the most efficient way.

I think that the healthcare triad (governing body, CEO, and medical professionals) have a greater impact on trajectory of a healthcare organization when they are working together. For the governing body to do their job effectively and make informed decisions, they must understand the issues that affect medical professional and those they care fore (Price, 2019). The healthcare organization’s mission to deliver safe and high-quality care is dependent on the interaction between physicians and trustees (Price, 2019).