Management in the Nursing Home, Research Paper Example

The Current State of QI

Presently, there are several quality improvement initiatives in place within the organization. Survey inquiries, the use of information technology, and benchmarking are current quality improvement measures that can be used to generate a more comprehensive understanding of the factors that should be improved in daily practice (Buhr et al., 2006). It was found that these programs were successful due to the ability of program implementers to motivate the health care team and encourage them to become actively involved in the quality improvement program. The organizational and operational structure was a necessary component of this success because it is apparent that the strong leadership that took control of these initiatives encouraged employees to become involved. Thus, supervisors motivated their workers to become involved, which created a sense of urgency in the health care institution. It is necessary to consider that this quality improvement program is a constantly evolving process. Since there is always new data to evaluate, it will remain necessary for best practices to change on the basis of new information trends (Hughes, 2008). Thus, quality improvement is an ongoing process. Although the proposed methods have been able to contribute to positive change within the organization, it will remain essential to continue these evaluations in practice. It is expected that continuous quality improvement will help the health care institution grow in terms of efficacy over the next several months and years.

Achievement of Objectives

The organization will be able to achieve its objectives over the long term by first determining how the collected data could be used to set and refine new goals. This information can then be used in a manner that allows the team to create interventions that could be tested within the organization to create change that may reflect the accomplishment of these goals. By applying an understanding of the needs of the organization to practice consistently, members of staff will be able to find new ways to modify practices in a manner that allows for the conservation of monetary and physical resources, in addition to improved outcomes. To do so, it is important to apply a conventional understanding of health care, in addition to the notion that modern health care systems are more efficiently run using business principles (Gering et al., 2005). Thus, lean practices should serve as a guiding force for these efforts, while evidence-based practice and field knowledge can be used to better refine them. Overall, it is necessary to emphasize the importance of data because once a trend it detected, an intervention can be applied to determine how this trend could be positively or negatively impacted.

Challenges in Health Care Quality Improvement

There are several challenges that pertain to the future of health care quality improvement. In particular, legislation dictating health care practice is constantly changing. As a result, health care organizations must remain up to date about what these laws mean for their personal practices. As health care professionals acquire a greater degree of responsibility, allocating physical resources and personnel becomes more challenging (Varkey et al., 2007). Thus, it is beneficial to apply an understanding of current best practices to the resolution of developing problems. While it is challenging to predict what nuances will occur in the field, having a comprehensive knowledge of current laws and practices, and then applying these skills to the resolution of a new problem is helpful in the long run.

Effect of Quality Improvement on Operational and Financial Performance

Overall, quality improvement is directly related to enhancements with regards to operational and financial performance. By reducing waste, the organization will be able to maximize profits due to a reduction of expenditures (Spath, 2014). This will allow for reinvestment into the health care organization to hire more employees or invest in more technological developments, which will in turn lead to higher quality, and the generation of more profit. Technology investment is a beneficial quality improvement initiative because it will allow patients to receive screenings and tests more quickly, reducing the patient turnover time. If more patients can be seen is a shorter amount of time, the hospital will become more profitable, and the care that patients receive will improve as well. Ultimately, it is apparent that quality improvement is beneficial for all stakeholders, the hospital employees and the patients, because care quality and profitability will be at an all time high.

References

Buhr GT, White HK. (2006). Management in the nursing home: a pilot study. J Am Med Dir Assoc, 7:246–53.

Gering J, Schmitt B, Coe. (2005). Taking a patient safety approach to an integration of   two hospitals. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf, 31(5):258–66.

Hughes RG. (2008). Tools and Strategies for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety. In:Hughes RG, editor. Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US).

Spath, P. (2014). Introduction to healthcare quality management (2nd ed.). Chicago, IL:Health Administration Press.

Varkey P, Peller K, Resar RK. (2007). Basics of quality improvement in health   care. Mayo Clinic Proc, 82(6):735–9.