Wellness has been one of the top priorities of U.S. health care in general, as well as all healthcare facilities in particular. Atrium Health has developed the project, Proactive Health, aimed at ensuring patients’ wellness in terms of the primary care setting (Atrium Health, 2019). The services provided within the scope of Proactive Health are delivered by the team, including a physician, a health coach, a health advocate, nursing staff, dietitian, as well as care manager and I.T. specialist. This paper includes a brief evaluation of the roles played by these stakeholders and recommendations as to enhancing these practitioners’ engagement and the use of information technology.
It often seems that healthcare services are delivered by doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, but many more employees are involved in the development of these services. Clearly, healthcare practitioners play a central role in the process. They are at the front line communicating with the patient and delivering care, including consultations, recommendations, and emotional support. However, the care manager is another professional who is involved as patients can address this practitioner to address some issues. Finally, I.T. specialists also contribute significantly to the delivery of the services as well as the development of new services. Communication is one of the primary factors that have an impact on the effectiveness of the entire group work. Hence, IT professionals ensure the provision of certain services and the proper functioning of the system (Sullivan, Ibrahim, Ellner, & Giesen, 2016). This cross-functional team co-creates services with patients making the project more competitive.
The team members are fully engaged in the process of new services development, but it is possible to enhance their involvement. One of the persuasive strategies that can encourage the group members to develop new services is the creation of an atmosphere where distributed leadership reigns. When it comes to nursing staff and physicians, it is essential to ensure regular shifts of power or different types of collaboration (Senot, Chandrasekaran, & Ward, 2016). Nursing-led and physician-led collaboration should be intermingled as this model will ensure physicians’ focus on patients’ needs rather than specific health issues. This framework will also make nurses more active and confident as they will not work in an environment where physicians’ authority is defining.
Another strategy to be used is the focus on creativity and brainstorming. Employees should have regular meetings and share their views on the delivery of services and ways to improve them or make the entire process more effective (Pathak, Parry, Block, & Desai, 2016). People who see each other’s commitment and confidence that their voices will be heard will be willing to take an active part in new services development. It is necessary to add that current I.T. trends can substantially improve the competitive advantages of the project (Sullivan et al., 2016). The use of social networks and mobile-based applications are most valued by the patients. These instruments ensure proper communication and customized service delivery, which is expected by modern patients.
In conclusion, it is necessary to note that the team providing services in terms of Proactive Health consists of different professionals. Communication and collaboration are key factors affecting the quality of the provided care. In order to enhance the engagement of the team members, distributed leadership and regular communication can be utilized. The members of the team should explore their creativity and voice their ideas freely, which will lead to the development of new services. Information technologies can also improve the process of service provision, and the primary focus can be on social networks and mobile-based applications that will ensure the use of the patient-centered approach.
References
Atrium Health. (2019). A new kind of healthcare experience. Web.
Pathak, B., Parry, E., Block, L., Desai, S.V. (2016). Elevate wellness: Unlocking the potential of creative problem solving to improve health in residency programs. Academic Internal Medicine Insight, 14(2), 9-11.
Senot, C., Chandrasekaran, A., & Ward, P. T. (2016). Collaboration between service professionals during the delivery of health care: Evidence from a multiple-case study in U.S. hospitals. Journal of Operations Management, 42-43(1), 62-79. Web.
Sullivan, E. E., Ibrahim, Z., Ellner, A. L., & Giesen, L. J. (2016). Management lessons for high-functioning primary care teams. Journal of Healthcare Management, 61(6), 449-465. Web.