HCA has a board of directors whose main function is to oversee its general administration. It makes corporate decisions on behalf of the institution, which include funding projects and acquisition of new facilities. An additional function of the board is to employ and fire the company’s directors and officers when need arises.
Furthermore, the institution has the position of Chairman and ‘Chief Executive Officer’ (CEO) who coordinates its daily activities within the hospitals and other medical facilities around the world. The vice president in charge of finance manages the institution’s assets. Lastly, the senior vice president oversees the well-being of employees and clients[1].
The headquarters of HCA is in Nashville in the state of Tennessee, US; moreover, it is in the Nashville-Davidson County. It has initiated community-based programs that help the community in diverse ways. The institution owns hospitals and properly established surgical facilities in twenty states, in the U.S and London in England.
It provides sufficient Medicare that meets the community’s healthcare demands. Moreover, it puts together many services with an aim of delivering maximum quality and efficient medication to clients. The institution shares technology with other facilities to ensure excellent Medicare. It is noteworthy that it also offers training for health practitioners through a well-integrated internship curriculum. This mainly targets medical students from colleges[2].
Its excellently structured hierarchy of governance shuns any misapprehension between personnel, especially the administration. It is noteworthy that the board of directors designates duties to the directors and officers of the institution.
As a result, the officers seek administrative clarifications from the board through the Chairman and CEO. This ensures they respect the authority of the Chairman and CEO. Moreover, the junior officers and departmental heads receive directions from their respective supervisors and coordinators. Efficiency at work is one of the shared values that connect all individuals involved in HCA. The institution requires all personnel to embrace efficiency in every duty they perform.
Furthermore, its employees practice professionalism at work. Thus, they perform every task in accordance with the set rules and regulations. It is evident that teamwork is a quality present in HCA’s employees, whereby they work together to ensure they provide consummate services to clients. In this institution, each employee is accountable for the actions and decisions he undertakes. This ensures they perform their work with care and concentration to avoid mistakes[3].
In achieving its purpose, the institution offers various services in healthcare. In order to attain these, there are practices that must be undertaken. The first one is the management of patient account services, which enables it keep records about its patients. Additionally, the supply chain services ensure the institution acquires all the tools, machinery, personnel and drugs it requires for its daily operation.
The other practice is the management of the payroll services through its payroll center. This helps in the payment of hospital bills by patients seeking its services. It is noteworthy that, in HCA, the board of governors remains the highest ranked office.
This board conveys administrative decisions to the institution employees through the Chairman and CEO who passes it to his juniors. The Senior Vice Chairman in charge of finance ensures the implementation of these decisions. Moreover, he has a direct link with the CEO, with whom he discusses various institutional issues. It is evident that the departmental heads convey medical decisions to the personnel in their respective departments.
Most importantly, employees act upon these decisions in accordance to the instructions provided. Employees in HCA departments include medical professionals who formulate laws and policies enacted in the corporation. In addition, there are also subordinate staffs such as financial clerks, receptionists, and cleaners who ensure the corporation performs its duties adequately[4].
Execution of these inherent powers takes place through a number of ways that are both formal and informal. It is evident that incase the board has a significant administrative decision to make, it arranges for a formal meeting with the CEO. This gives him a chance to react to these decisions before they reach the employees.
The execution of administrative decisions can take place through notifications placed in the institutions weekly bulletins. Such decisions are minor, and thus employees can access them at their own time. It is evident that each employee receives the bulletins on a weekly basis. At HCA, internal memos convey formal departmental decisions, which are mainly medical related.
Thus, the employees in these departments come across them on their office notice boards or desks. Additionally, departmental notices placed on announcement boards can convey these decisions. On the contrary, those involved can make decisions informally through office sermons and corridor notifications[5].
HCA is legally responsible for the quality of healthcare its hospitals offer patients by ensuring it abide by all laws. This means that it has to adhere to the rules and regulations set up, in managing all its hospitals. It is noteworthy that the governing body provides HCA with all approved standards of professional practice and patient care.
Thus, any violations result into severe punishment of the institution in accordance to the set laws. Another law governing the institution involves its shares whereby, the corporation prohibits the issuing of more than one hundred and twenty five million shares of common stock at $.01 each. In addition, the board acting on a majority vote may alter the organizations by laws. Most importantly, HCA has adhered to all these policies and laws; thus, it performs its functions efficiently[6].
At HCA, success results from adherence to its mission and values. Thus, success means improving human life through deliverance of excellent and cost effective healthcare. Moreover, success at HCA means advancing the care given to patients by enacting measures that support their care providers. It also determines its success by ensuring patient safety during treatment and other healthcare sessions. Most importantly, success means positive response by patients to the healthcare services it offers.
On the contrary, HCA defines failure as not adhering to its mission and values. This mainly refers to the provision of poor medical care to patients who seek its services. The other definition of failure at HCA is the delivering of low quality and expensive healthcare in the community. Most importantly, failure at HCA refers to poor or no response by patients to the services the corporation provides[7].
The institution is successful in meeting its goals as it has managed to deliver exceptional and reasonably priced services to clients. Thus, patients have so far been contented with the healthcare services that HCA offers. It is noteworthy that the institution has succeeded because it has established community-based programs that help the society with healthcare issues they are facing. Moreover, caregivers and all other staff enjoy the appropriate working conditions at the institution.
Hence, they have committed themselves to serving the clients efficiently. The institution has also succeeded as it has won various awards such as fortune award and national patient safety foundation. These awards clearly portray the extent to which the institutions excellent work is evident in the provision of healthcare services. Additionally, it is successful because the health facilities it operates have registered large number of clients recently[8].
One of the effects of HCA’s core practices is that it has enabled the average American and English citizens to access medical care. This is through the achievement of its goals. It is a fact that different community based programs it has initiated has helped the community stay fee from illness.
These programs include the provision of healthcare education and training of needy groups. These groups include pregnant women, the elderly, and individuals with extraordinary illnesses like cancer and HIV aids. Additionally, HCA has provided employment to the individuals coordinating these programs. These include those offering teaching services to the people[9].
The institution adapt to challenges promptly as it has put in place recovery and alternative programs, which help in overcoming such situations. It is evident that the institution is currently advancing its backup programs to ensure they are effective when need arises.
Furthermore, HCA overcomes challenges in treatment procedures brought about by newly emerging diseases. This is through regular training of their medical staff on the trends of newly emerging diseases. As a result, they attain the skills to counter these diseases. Moreover, management challenges are subject to consultation with administration experts who advises HCA board on what measures to take (HCA).
If I were the leader, I would introduce annual employee training programs. Here, they would undergo training on additional services provided by the institution. This will facilitate efficient services to the clients’ even with the absence of concerned employees. As one, can easily stand-in for a colleague.
Additionally, I would start a community outreach program in all HCA hospitals in a bid to reduce the number of outpatients flocking the hospitals. In these programs, the community will undergo training on health issues. Furthermore, those who are unwell will receive treatment from mobile doctors. Thus, only severe cases receive additional treatment at the health facilities.
The other step I would take as the leader of HCA is to collaborate with other hospitals on services that HCA facilities do not offer. This will reduce the moving of patients from one hospital to another. Another step I will take, as the leader of the institution is to ensure the unions address my employees’ needs.
Works Cited
Hospital Corporation of America (HCA). Hospital Corporation of America. 2011. Web.
Rodengen, Jeffrey. The legend of HCA: Hospital Corporation of America. Florida, FL: Write Stuff Enterprises, 2003. Print.
Footnotes
- Hospital Corporation of America (HCA). Hospital Corporation of America .2011. Web.
- Hospital Corporation of America (HCA). Hospital Corporation of America .2011. Web.
- Hospital Corporation of America (HCA). Hospital Corporation of America .2011. Web.
- Rodengen, Jeffrey. The legend of HCA: Hospital Corporation of America. (Florida, FL: Write Stuff Enterprises, 2003), 13.
- Rodengen, Jeffrey. The legend of HCA: Hospital Corporation of America. (Florida, FL: Write Stuff Enterprises, 2003), 20.
- Hospital Corporation of America (HCA). Hospital Corporation of America .2011. Web.
- Rodengen, Jeffrey. The legend of HCA: Hospital Corporation of America. (Florida, FL: Write Stuff Enterprises, 2003), 29
- Hospital Corporation of America (HCA). Hospital Corporation of America .2011. Web.
- Rodengen, Jeffrey. The legend of HCA: Hospital Corporation of America. (Florida, FL: Write Stuff Enterprises, 2003), 24.