The Struggle of a Safety Net Hospital

For this assignment, read “The Struggle of a Safety Net Hospital” case in the course text. Identification of strategic competitive situations is important for a health organization to effectively sustain operations over the long-term. Environmental factors impact the effectiveness and efficiency of any healthcare business. Businesses must continually assess the strategic leverage they have over other area businesses; thus, the identification of environmental factors is essential for the development of a successful strategic plan. This assignment provides an understanding of the varying nature of competition in the healthcare industry.

Instructions

You will write a 5–6-page paper in current APA format that addresses the case questions presented in the assignment. Your paper must be supplemented with research from your textbook, and at least 5 scholarly, peer reviewed sources published in the last 5 years. Note: A minimum of 5 scholarly, peer-reviewed references must be used that support your responses in the paper in addition to the textbook.

Use of scholarly sources is an expected attribute of academic university course work. Being able to distinguish between journals and magazines (non-scholarly sources) is important since content in a journal is considered more authoritative than a magazine. Peer-reviewed journals are considered the most authoritative sources.

The authority and credibility evident in scholarly sources will contribute a great deal to the overall quality of your papers. The major advantage of citing peer-reviewed articles is that they provide a trusted form of knowledge; this trust is particularly important in your assignments when you need to support your statements with literature. Information presented in scholarly/peer reviewed sources is more reliable and trustworthy than information from non-scholarly sources. Using scholarly sources also means that you are using sources that are aimed at your readership level as a university student.

What is a scholarly source? Scholarly sources (also referred to as academic, peer-reviewed, or refereed sources) are written by experts in a particular field and serve to keep others up to date on the most recent research, findings, and news. These resources will provide the most substantial information for your research and papers. When a source has been peer-reviewed, it has undergone the review and scrutiny of a review board of colleagues in the author’s field.

Sources for Scholarly Resources. Look for publications from a professional organization. Use databases such as JSTOR that contain only scholarly sources. Additionally, use databases such as Academic Search Complete or other EBSCO databases that allow you to choose “peer-reviewed journals”. Use university libraries and apply ‘peer reviewed’ as a search criterion. Some examples of scholarly journals include International Journal for Quality in Health Care, New England Journal of Medicine, PLoS ONE, Educational Psychologist, and Health Services Research; books from University presses such as Oxford University Press and the University of California Press.

This is a paper, so your answers must not be numbered; thus, you must use titles and subheadings to guide the reader through the narrative. You may use other quality sources in addition to support your analysis. Proper grammar and spelling are required.

As you read the case perceive the difficulties of aligning strategic decisions with the organization’s mission; analyze the potential effects of increasing copays at a public hospital; and consider other strategic directions  that Wishard might select in the given market. In your paper include answers to the following questions and prompts:

What was Wishard’s competitive situation? Did Wishard have direct competitors? If so, in what areas did it compete?

Provide an evaluation of the environmental factors impacting the management of the organization.

What strategic leverage did Wishard have over the other area hospitals?

From a societal perspective, what problems occur by having a stand-alone public hospital with a primary mission of serving the indigent population?

What strategic steps would you recommend for Wishard?

Recommend at least 3 strategic planning initiatives for the organization which are supported by peer reviewed sources. Recommend strategies for 3 of the following categories that incorporate a financial analysis, human capital management, operational improvement, marketing, or legal/regulatory compliance plan.

Healthcare planning must account for probable government policy changes, technological advancements and economic trends that could significantly change an organization’s operations. Incorporate peer reviewed literature support and expand upon 3 of the following categorical examples (i. – v.) or provide strategic initiatives of your own:

Include at least 3 environmental factors in the analysis. Each factor discussed must include peer reviewed literature support. Environmental factors refer to external influences on a business that it has limited control over but that it must consider as part of strategic planning. Typical environmental factors addressed by organizations fit into four categories – social, legal, political and economic.

Note: Your assignment will be checked for originality via the Turnitin plagiarism tool.