Summary
Maintaining an efficient administrative structure of a healthcare organization is a challenging process. The specified issue has become particularly complicated for the Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital, which has been expanding and, therefore, requires a change in its administrative approach. Currently, the organization’s mission, vision, and philosophy are geared toward improvement and patient-oriented care, which can be considered sufficient premises for change. However, the introduction of more effective communication channels will be needed to ensure that decision-making among managers and staff members aligns with the core standards of the hospital once THAMH expands.
Keywords: hospital, administrative structure, mission, and vision
Introduction
When evaluating a healthcare institution, one would typically seek the characteristics that reflect the efficacy of healthcare management and the performance of the staff in order to pass judgment. Indeed, issues such as the percentage of positive outcomes, the frequency of follow-ups, and the quality of care delivered to inpatients represent essential criteria for evaluating a healthcare facility. However, understanding the administrative framework in which the decision-making and core values are grounded is also central to deciding whether the hospital can be considered trustworthy and high-quality. Despite the presence of certain administrative issues, the Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital can be considered exceptionally efficient due to the strong values behind its mission and the adherence to robust ethical principles.
Examination
Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital (THAMH) is a well-known healthcare organization in the U.S. and one of Texas’s largest and most influential. THAMH Known as exceptionally high-performing, the healthcare organization in question is navigated with the help of a set of robust and patient-oriented ethical principles and standards. Remarkably, THAMH’s mission is fairly simple, being geared toward improving health rates and quality of life for community members “regardless of their ability to pay” (“Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital,” n.d.). Similarly, the organization’s vision centers on promoting improved health management and developing a healthy community: “Vision: To partner with you for a lifetime of health and well-being” (Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital, n.d.). The focus on collaboration is particularly remarkable since it prioritizes patient-nurse communication. Finally, the organization’s values, integrity, empathy, and collaboration, prove that THAMH has a sufficient ethical foundation for administrative decision-making (“Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital,” n.d). Overall, the organization seems to function based on essential ethical principles that are typically actively promoted in healthcare.
The stakeholder- and, primarily, a patient-oriented approach that THAMH promotes in its mission, as well as the emphasis on partnership and ensuring continuous development articulated in THAMH’s mission, aligns with its current approach to administration. Specifically, the organization’s administrative functions include organizing and delivering essential healthcare services, as well as controlling their implementation and the quality thereof (Chletsos & Saiti, 2019). Furthermore, supervision of the hospital staff’s performance and the management of information within THAMH are included in the range of core administrative tasks (Galetsi et al., 2020). Finally, one should mention coordinating collaboration and communication with other relevant organizations with which THAMH partners in order to improve its performance and tend to the needs of its community members with greater efficacy (Galetsi et al., 2020). The specified functions reflect the organization’s commitment to its patients and other stakeholders and its focus on continuous learning and improvement.
Strengths and Limitations
Similar to any healthcare organization, THAMH implements its principles in a manner that is supposed to achieve the best outcomes yet is also constrained by several limitations. Enumerating the strengths that the THAMHs’ current administrative approach contains, one should give credit to the management of patient communication and patient relations within the organization. Specifically, THAMH has received multiple praises for its patient-oriented strategy. Due to its unwavering adherence to its policies concerning patients, THAMH has encouraged its staff to be attentive and caring toward each client individually, addressing specific needs thoroughly (Kennett-Hensel & Payne, 2018). As a result, the implementation of its mission and vision is impeccable in the THAMH setting.
Furthermore, the hospital administration should be credited for the emphasis on promoting collaboration with other healthcare organizations and services. The experience-sharing opportunities and the chance to acquire innovative technology are crucial for THAMH’s proper management of its administrative and healthcare-related tasks. Furthermore, the current policies stemming from the hospital’s mission, vision, and philosophy allow hiring competent experts and exploring new solutions concerning technology and evidence-based research (Augustsson et al., 2019). The specified outcomes are vital for exerting administrative control over change within the organization and directing it toward incremental innovation (Augustsson et al., 2019). Therefore, the current administrative approach toward managing and implementing the hospital’s core functions leads to THAMH’s continuous improvement.
However, the framework that THAMH has been implementing has several limitations. For instance, the fact that controlling an increasingly large organization is gradually becoming quite difficult should be seen as a significant impediment. Specifically, due to the consistent rise in the number of staff members and patients, THAMH needs to revisit its leadership approach by changing it toward a more laissez-faire framework. Thus, individual staff members will gain more independence in the making patient- and care-related decisions, which will advance the process of providing care (Kennett-Hensel & Payne, 2018). Furthermore, it has been reported that the organization has been experiencing issues with team management, which can also be seen as an extension of the leadership problem described above (“Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital,” n.d.). Nonetheless, improvements are expected to occur with the introduction of a more effective and functional leadership approach, specifically in relation to governance and decision-making.
Care Delivery System
In turn, the care delivery system within the organization deserves closer attention. Currently being seen as moderately satisfactory, the care delivery system still needs adjustments due to problems in tending to all needs of the target population. Specifically, several patients have reported poor healthcare services, particularly in relation to surgery and further recovery (“Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital,” n.d.). The described issues suggest that there might be a problem in managing information within the hospital and administering the relevant treatments to patients. Therefore, the concerns regarding the management of data, specifically its sharing, transfer, and processing, need to be resolved as an administrative issue. Specifically, changes in the existing data management infrastructure must be made with the introduction of more effective tools.
Furthermore, compliance with the established standards of EHR implementation must be checked constantly. It is no secret that many healthcare experts have been having issues adjusting to the EHR system and working within it (Kao et al., 2020). Several studies show that the specified problems have been noticed in the administrative framework of numerous healthcare facilities (Kao et al., 2020). Therefore, to enhance the care delivery system within the organization, one must revisit the implementation of the EHR standards within the hospital setting. Specifically, healthcare experts’ adherence to the EHR requirements and the respective principles of data management must be evaluated. Furthermore, tools for personal communication between healthcare staff members must be incorporated into the THAMH system. With the introduction of hands-off communication devices into the target setting, administrative processes will be carried out with greater speed and dexterity.
Outcomes and Measurements
It is presumed that the introduction of an administrative approach that will encourage a more flexible standard for decision-making will lead to better administration of core tasks. In addition, the focus on the coordination of staff members’ actions so that they could align with the core goals of the hospital and its mission and vision will be required. The focus on quality management and improved cooperation, along with the promotion of collaboration with other organizations, will have to be approached from the perspective of improved communication. Specifically, the organization will need to introduce additional communication channels that will allow better data management.
To assess the efficacy of the proposed change, one will need to determine the levels of the hospital’s performance in regard to task implementation. Specifically, compliance with the set action plan and the objectives associated with managing public health issues, introducing innovative health management solutions, and collaborating with other healthcare facilities will need to be assessed. The extent to which the existing goals set for the THAMH are completed will serve as the main measurement criterion for determining the success and overall efficacy of the selected administration strategy. Despite being a minor adjustment, the offered solution is expected to lead to a noticeable change in the quality of administrative management of THAMH.
Conclusion
While Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital’s approach cannot be considered flawless due to communication concerns, the organization’s value system, as well as its mission, vision, and corporate philosophy, provides the fundament for the effective management of patients’ needs. Granted that the complexity of the hospital’s structure may imply difficulties in managing the core administrative processes, a robust ethical framework for decision-making based on THAMH’s mission and vision allows for high performance quality. Thus, the safety and well-being of THAMH’s patients remain a priority, with core strategies geared toward improving clients’ experience and quality of life. Overall, THAMH’s administrative approach can be considered successful in maintaining the principles of patients’ beneficence, safety, and autonomy.
References
Augustsson, H., Churruca, K., & Braithwaite, J. (2019). Re-energizing the way we manage change in healthcare: the case for soft systems methodology and its application to evidence-based practice. BMC health services research, 19(1), 1-11.
Chletsos, M., & Saiti, A. (2019). Strategic management and economics in health care. Springer.
Galetsi, P., Katsaliaki, K., & Kumar, S. (2020). Big data analytics in the health sector: Theoretical framework, techniques and prospects.International Journal of Information Management, 50, 206-216.
Kao, D. P., Trinkley, K. E., & Lin, C. T. (2020). Heart failure management innovation enabled by electronic health records.Heart Failure, 8(3), 223-233.
Kennett-Hensel, P. A., & Payne, D. M. (2018). Guiding principles for ethical change management.Journal of Business and Management, 24(2), 19-45.
Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital. (n.d.). Guidestar.org.
Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital. (n.d.). Welcome. TexasHealth.org.