Strategic Management and Patient Outcomes, Coursework Example

Introduction

The United States Veterans Administration supports the greater health and wellbeing of veterans throughout the country and who have returned from the line of duty in other countries. This organization is largely bureaucratic in nature and possesses a high level of government influence; therefore, it operates somewhat differently from many other healthcare organizations. Nonetheless, it aims to provide a high level of support and service to the nation’s veterans throughout their lives and continues to expand in scope and practice in order to accomplish the desired objectives. The primary mission of the Veterans Administration is to provide high quality healthcare services and resources to the veteran population and to be effective communicators in order to improve the health of these individuals over time (VAMHCS Nursing, n.d.). The Veterans Administration also supports a set of core values that include integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, and excellence, better known as ICARE (Veterans Administration, 2014). In this context, the organization represents an opportunity to examine the different constructs of the Veterans Administration and how it aims to provide high quality healthcare to all veterans who are currently active and who are also retired (Veterans Administration, 2014).

Analysis

The primary mission of the Veterans Administration is based upon the words of President Abraham Lincoln to care for those who “have borne the battle,” thereby enabling veterans to obtain high quality healthcare to meet their needs (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2014). The organization continues to focus on its level of care and treatment through its activities towards veterans, and strives to maintain excellence in its facilities so that veterans reap the benefits of care and treatment through this system (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2014). Therefore, it is important to identify the resources and values that the organization supports in order to fulfill its mission and long-term vision for its treatment population.

The Veterans Administration is a highly integrated system with a largely bureaucratic presence, particularly since it is managed by the United States federal government. The organization was founded in 1930 and has continuously expanded its level of quality care and customer service to accommodate the needs of its large veteran population (Perlin, Kolodner, & Roswell, 2004). As a bureaucratic institution, the Veterans Administration has faced critical problems since its inception, and currently faces a wrath of controversy for its actions towards many veterans in some of its hospitals; however, the mission and vision represent an entirely different focus and attention towards improving the lives of veterans who require care and treatment.

Since veterans possess many obstacles and challenges during and after their experiences in the military, it is of critical importance that the organization is largely focused on treating its affected population through efforts to promote high quality care and treatment on a continuous basis (Perlin, Kolodner, & Roswell, 2004). The organization continues to expand its core technologies to promote advanced healthcare treatments for veterans, while also focusing on high quality care through the promotion of organizational change to meet demand (Perlin et.al, 2004). In this context, it is observed that the organization is largely represented by its efforts to promote greater quality of care, while also considering the issues that may arise with respect to effective treatment for the veteran population (Perlin et.al, 2004).

The Veterans Administration must continue to emphasize its level of quality in order to accomplish its desired objectives and to provide its patients with the best possible opportunities to make a full recovery and to achieve greater psychological wellbeing. Therefore, quality of care must remain a strong focus area for the VA and its ability to promote person-centered care and focus on the patient’s needs above all else (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2014). In this capacity, there are considerable challenges in place that impact organizational outcomes and that represent a new set of issues that the organization must address, including the development of successful relationships between VA healthcare providers and patients in order to accomplish a set of mutually beneficial objectives (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2014). It is expected that the organization will continue to expand its role and to provide a high level of focus and support for the needs of its patients and in achieving success in its efforts to promote change and progress throughout the organization at all levels, particularly those that directly impact patient care (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2014).

Conclusion

As a bureaucratic organization, the Veterans Administration faces many uphill battles that require continuous attention and focus. From a macro level, the organization has a rigid governing structure that requires continuous evaluation and improvement, and at the micro level, the organization’s specific departments must emphasize high quality care and treatment to meet the needs of its patients in an effective manner. Therefore, a comprehensive strategy is required in order to accomplish these mutual objectives and to demonstrate organizational competency and effectiveness. With recent controversy surrounding the Veterans Administration, it is of critical importance that these issues are addressed in a timely manner and that they support a long-term approach to improving quality and in achieving excellence in patient care across all areas. Veterans require a high level of specialized care; therefore, this objective must be met in order to accomplish the objectives that are essential to improve the health and wellbeing of the veteran population throughout the United States.

References

Perlin, J.B., Kolodner, R.M., & Roswell, R.H. (2004). The Veterans Health Administration: quality, value, accountability, and information as transforming strategies for patient-centered care. American Journal of Managed Care, 10(11 pt 2), 828-836.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (2014). Centering care around you. Retrieved from http://www.va.gov/qualityofcare/new-approach/centering-care.asp

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (2014). About VA. Retrieved from http://www.va.gov/about_va/mission.asp