The Ethics of Advertising for Health Care Services, Essay Example

Introduction

The development of a successful healthcare organization requires a critical level of focus to meet the required objectives. It is important to provide optimal service to patients and to deliver high quality care and treatment in a timely manner. This requires an organizational strategy that emphasizes a number of perspectives regarding the healthcare process and to focus on recovery and healing for sick patients and health promotion activities for children and adults across all age groups. Establishing a new healthcare organization requires a well-defined focus and an opportunity to examine different criteria to create a strategy that will encompass the level of diversity and motivation that is required to meet expectations to improve health and wellbeing. This process is essential to the development of a strategy that will encompass the most critical aspects of healthcare practice and aim to enhance the delivery of care to positively impact the patient population that is served. The overall effectiveness of the organization will largely depend on the strategy that is selected for implementation and how it impacts operations and the overall direction in which the organization will go. These factors require an organizational development approach that will satisfy the needs of the leadership team and aim to accommodate unmet needs within a community setting. The following discussion will address the creation of a healthcare organization in greater detail and will emphasize the importance of strategic development and how this will support operations and the strength of the vision and mission for the future. This process will consider the core competencies that are necessary to have a lasting impact on outcomes and will also reflect the challenges of identifying a strategy that will effectively suit the organization’s purpose and areas of focus. This process will enable the organization to achieve its goals and objectives from the ground up and to be cognizant of the primary issues that will have a lasting impact on outcomes.

Body

The proposed organization will aim to meet unmet healthcare needs within communities where needs are significant and where health promotion and disease prevention strategies are limited in many ways. These areas must reflect the importance of achieving a high level of innovation and support in managing unmet healthcare needs within a given community and in supporting a framework that will have a lasting impact on outcomes for local residents. It is important to develop a strategy that will encompass the overall direction of the organization towards improving quality of care and health promotion for the communities who will be served. This process will demonstrate the importance of understanding the needs of these residents and the type of organization that is necessary to accomplish the intended objectives with the resources that are available.

The proposed organization will aim to achieve the following objectives: 1) Provide community-based services and resources to local residents who require support with respect to healthcare needs and objectives, such as health promotion and disease prevention, using expert knowledge to work with residents to identify and address specific healthcare needs that are unmet and that pose a challenge to the community health profile. In order for the organization to achieve the desired level of success, it must provide a framework that includes experienced employees and contributors who will offer value and will support local residents with a variety of healthcare needs. It is expected that this process will enable the organization to reflect upon its primary objectives and to serve local residents effectively and without delays in order to accomplish the intended objectives. Most importantly, the organization must establish relationships with local community members in order to perform the following tasks: 1) To develop health promotion and disease prevention programs that target specific population groups within the local community; 2) To identify unmet needs and aim to accommodate these needs through individual and group-based programs; 3) To interact and communicate with local residents regarding the services that are offered; and 4) To provide services such as health screenings and basic direct patient care to manage health concerns that are not life-threatening and for which substantial specialty care is required. The organization will be named Community Health Partners.

At its inception, Community Health Partners (CHP) will be comprised of 12 employees who provide the following roles: 1) A President/CEO to offer expert knowledge and leadership in starting up the organization; 2) A financial manager to address important financial needs and expectations; 3) An operations manager to facilitate daily operations and overall functionality; 4) Two administrative support staff to aid managers and executive leadership; 5) Two full time registered nurses (RNs) to provide clinical guidance and expertise; 6) A full time nurse practitioner to provide advanced practice knowledge and educational outreach; 7) Three medical/nursing assistants to provide basic clinical testing for patients; and 8) a physician to provide expert clinical guidance and support on an as needed basis. This group of employees will work collaboratively in a team-based environment in order to accomplish the desired objectives and to support the overall structure and direction of the group as it moves forward in an organizational format. This process requires each employee to play a critical role from inception to the actual delivery of care and education to patients within the local community who will be served. These efforts must be cohesive in nature and must demonstrate a high level understanding of the primary objectives of the organization in order to achieve the desired results in an efficient, cost effective, and professional manner at all times. This process will also support a greater understanding of the different elements which will enable the organization to achieve a high level of success.

The development of a strategic plan to accomplish the objectives of the organization requires a number of critical elements that will convey the importance of high quality healthcare delivery and in serving a variety of unmet needs in the appropriate fashion. This process will also provide a basis for examining how to integrate these functions into the community so that communication and outreach will be effective at a consistent level. It is important to develop a strategy that will encompass the overall direction and focus of the organization so that it is able to capitalize on the strengths that its team provides and is able to move forward to achieve the intended outcomes.

For the organization, a strong leadership team and focus must be achieved at the highest possible level. Therefore, the President/CEO, Operations Manager, and Financial Manager must be able to communicate effectively in regards to a strategic vision that will enable the organization to stand out and to be effective in achieving its overall mission and vision to serve the surrounding community. This is an important reminder of the ability of the organization to fulfill its mission from the very beginning and to recognize how to utilize its strengths wisely to ensure that its employees are properly focused and attentive to the needs of the community in the appropriate manner. There must be a critical focus in place that will utilize the leadership team’s core strengths at an optimal level in order to ensure that all possible outcomes are achieved in a timely manner. The organization must fully demonstrate its ability to recognize its value to the local community and to be cognizant of changes that may impact the health and wellbeing of its members. In this context, the organizational leadership structure must be efficient in its efforts to produce the desired results and in realistically evaluating the health status of the community and how it will be served by the organization.

The primary stakeholders within and beyond the organization include the following: 1) The organizational leadership structure, including the President/CEO, Operations Manager, and Financial Manager, all of whom possess significant knowledge of healthcare practices and the state of the healthcare system to bring new ideas and potential success to the organization; and 2) Other employees, including clinical staff members, who will play a critical role in educating the general public regarding health promotion and disease prevention in order to accomplish the intended objectives. In addition, the organization must focus on its customers, or the patients who will be served by the alternatives that the organization has to offer. This will demonstrate the importance of placing a greater emphasis on the needs of the community and the overall direction that the organization will take with respect to its patients across all population groups. These individuals will be served in an effort to produce the intended results through high quality care and efficient customer service. The organization must place its focus on the overall direction in which it wants to go in delivering a model that is grounded in a level of professional excellence and knowledge that will facilitate the intended objectives in the desired manner.

In order to achieve the strategic objectives that have been identified, the organization must also emphasize a number of critical areas by using a SWOT analysis format so that the primary objectives are summarized in order to support the intended outcomes. The following paragraphs will address these elements to demonstrate an understanding of the different elements that influence the organization and its strategic focus and direction.

Strengths: The organization possesses a unique approach to healthcare practice that will have a lasting impact on outcomes and that will influence how it shares its focus with the surrounding community. The level of knowledge and expertise among employees is of critical importance in shaping the present status and future of the organization and its people. In addition, the organization is supported by sufficient capital to develop its ideas and to promote a strong and steadfast approach to healthcare delivery that will be effective in facilitating outcomes in a desirable manner. Most importantly, the organization will offer the community a wealth of resources in which to gain knowledge and education regarding healthcare topics of critical importance to local residents.

Weaknesses: Although the organization possesses a number of core strengths, the startup structure is somewhat minimal; therefore, it is likely that additional personnel will be required once the organization is up and running in an effort to achieve its maximum potential. As a result, it is important to evaluate the conditions under which the organization might be able to enhance its contribution to the community, but this will require additional capital and resources in order to manage these needs effectively. It is necessary to evaluate different perspectives in order to accomplish the desired objectives and to better understand the roles and responsibilities of each team member in order to achieve optimal value and contribution from each employee who works for the organization.

Opportunities: In response to the challenges associated with serving the community at the desired level, it is expected that the organization will aim to improve its position and focus through continuous innovation. This process will demonstrate that the organization is prepared to manage its responsibilities to the community in a positive manner and to be proactive in meeting the needs of local residents effectively. At the same time, the organization must develop methods to address how it allocates its resources and to be proactive in meeting the different needs of its key stakeholders. Innovation must serve as a critical factor in the development of a strategy to accommodate patients and to be effective in meeting patient care needs in a positive manner (Thakur, Hsu, & Fontenat, 2012). In addition, advertising must be a primary focus of the organization and must be ethically responsible and appropriate in meeting local needs at the desired level (Schenker, Arnold, & London, 2014).

Threats: Due to competitive forces within the healthcare industry, a new organization such as Community Health Partners may experience difficulties in finding its footing in order to ensure that it is able to support the needs of the local community. This process requires the organization to examine its role in the community on a realistic basis and to recognize where it might benefit from different tools and resources that will improve its competitive position. At the same time, it must be mindful of how it allocates different resources in order to improve its visibility and its use for local residents. These tools must demonstrate the importance of shaping the environment with an open mind and in evaluating the conditions under which there are significant opportunities for growth that will have a lasting impact on outcomes.

The organization must also begin its evolution with a strong and focused mission and vision statement that encompasses its primary focus on providing quality and value to the community members who will be served (Lee, 2012). This process will demonstrate the importance of shaping the organization in a positive light and in supporting a framework that will gauge its level of performance against the primary measures of quality that are typically identified (Lee, 2012). These factors must provide an opportunity to examine the different areas where patients will be served in a positive manner in order to improve health promotion activities and to also demonstrate that disease prevention is a critical priority for the organization. This process will provide a level of support and resources that will emphasize quality and efficiency in the efforts that are made and will also demonstrate that the focus of the organization is appropriate and timely in addressing healthcare needs in a viable manner.

The primary goals of the organization are as follows: 1) To fulfill unmet needs with respect to health promotion and disease prevention; and 2) To educate the general public regarding health concerns that impact their daily lives. This will be achieved through the following measurable objectives: 1) The number of persons who visit the facility and receive health screenings and also direct patient care; and 2) The number of persons who participate in different types of education classes that may support improved health and wellbeing. These objectives will support the overall direction and focus of the organization and aim to evaluate these objectives by using tools to measure outcomes as a means of improving overall performance as necessary.

In order to accomplish the intended goals and objectives for the organization, a number of budgetary items are essential, including the following: 1) Staff salaries; 2) Fringe benefits to include health insurance for employees; 3) General supplies and equipment to include computers and medical necessities; 4) Office space to include patient rooms, a general waiting area, an educational room, and an administrative support section; and 5) Ongoing technical support to manage technical needs as they arise. Each of these tools will support the overall direction of the organization and its focus on primary care objectives. The proposed development plan will transpire over a 12-month period at which time the process will be further evaluated to determine its status. Final approval for the plan will be determined by the members of the leadership team, including the President/CEO, financial manager, and operations manager.

It is expected that on a bi-weekly basis, the primary leadership structure will meet and discuss any issues that might have arisen and will evaluate the status of the organization’s development at this time. This process will demonstrate the importance of understanding the nature of the organization and its primary focus on creating new objectives or modifying existing objectives in accordance with the needs that have been identified within the community setting. This process will also provide routine updates to the remainder of the team and will support and encourage the development of new approaches that will impact the organization and its key stakeholders as the project moves forward. It is important to identify the key variables that may be impacted by a change in scope and purpose, and also support a greater understanding of the different elements which will have a lasting impact on the organization and the people who will be served.

At all stages of the process, communication must be timely and appropriate in order to provide updates and to share information that is pertinent to the entire group and its overall focus. This process requires organizational leaders to examine their priorities with respect to communication, as well as their leadership vision, in order to determine how to make the most valuable contribution to the organization and to the people who are served (Eckert, West, Altman, Steward, & Pasmore, 2014). These factors will demonstrate the value of understanding the overall focus of the organization and how its leadership team will establish the tone for the work that will be performed. This process is instrumental in the development of the organization and will provide further evidence of the ability of effective leadership to have a strong voice in the development of new ideas to accommodate patients and to be successful in addressing the needs of the community in a positive manner. This process is critical to the overall direction and focus of the organization and how it aims to be proactive in accommodating unmet needs within the community setting.

Conclusion

The proposed organization known as Community Health Partners represents a viable opportunity to examine the different constructs of care and treatment that impact patient quality of life within the community setting. Since healthcare needs are a critical priority, these efforts must demonstrate the importance of developing new ideas that will have a lasting impact on outcomes and will provide a basis for examining how healthcare practice might be more effective from a community-based approach. It is necessary for the organization to be proactive in meeting the needs of the patient population within the community and to recognize its core strengths in order to accomplish the intended objectives, while also aiming to better understand how the community will respond to a new organization without an established reputation within the community. This process is essential to the discovery of new insights that will have a positive impact on outcomes and that will support expanding health promotion activities and aim to promote disease prevention among community members. The organization must focus on its core strengths and aim to minimize its weaknesses and lack of visibility so that local residents are served in a positive manner without significant challenges that could impact the organization and its team. This process is ongoing and requires an effective understanding of the development of the organization and the community that will be served in a positive manner.

References

Eckert, R., West, M., Altman, D., Steward, K., & Pasmore, B. (2014). Delivering a Collective

Leadership Strategy for Health Care. Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, NC.

Lee, D. (2012). Implementation of quality programs in health care organizations. Service Business, 6(3), 387-404.

Schenker, Y., Arnold, R. M., & London, A. J. (2014). The ethics of advertising for health care services. The American Journal of Bioethics, 14(3), 34-43.

Thakur, R., Hsu, S. H., & Fontenot, G. (2012). Innovation in healthcare: Issues and future trends. Journal of Business Research, 65(4), 562-569.