Let It Pour

Introduction

There are "numerous" issues facing Faith Community Hospital. Staff and management have confused their religious beliefs with work. It is clear that the meaning of the mission statement has not been explained to every employee, and as a result, the hospital has run into many problems. Key areas that need to be fixed include finances (although non-profit, bills still need to be paid); the mission statement, operating procedures, evaluation/feedback processes, and communications.

Problem Statement

This assignment was difficult in the sense that there was more than one problem. With that in mind, I developed the following problem statement "Inefficient Operations Diminish Quality Health Care"

Analogy

One of my favorite analogies revolves around ant and elephants. Both are creatures of nature, and the example I use in situations where "attention to detail" may be lacking. The way I like to use the analogy is as follows, "You will always be able to see the elephant, but it is the ants that will eat you alive!"

The hospital is much like the elephant and represents the center of this case. It's big, visible and its mission is relatively easy to understand. Generally speaking, hospitals take care of people who are sick or injured. The ants can be viewed as the countless procedures that go into running the hospital. The attention to detail paid on everything from standard operating procedures, to type of training provided, to how personal performance is evaluated, determine in the end, the quality of care Faith Community Hospital provides its patients.

In the world of nature, ants are small, look disorganized, and are hard to see. Within the hospital, there are many procedures and operations that contribute to providing quality health care. Although finances, the mission statement, and the evaluation of performance are all part of hospital operations, they are initiatives that occur at different times and places. These loosely coordinated initiatives contribute to the "bigger" picture, and result in the efficient operation of the hospital. While these ants won't hurt you individually, put a few together, and you will have a much bigger problem on your hands!

Possible Solutions

1. Change the mission statement. Currant one lacks goals, and clear direction

2. Create a patients bill of rights

3. Allow staff, patients, and other stakeholders to sit on board of directors

4. Evaluate efficiency and develop new operating guidelines

5. Create a communications link with the insurance companies, community leaders, and media

6. Have more staff and town hall meetings to facilitate