Strategic Alternatives Project - 4125 Words

Strategic Alternatives Project (Other (Not Listed) Sample) Content: NameInstructorTaskDateExecutive Summary Due to increased competition and fast changing technology, health care firms are facing more pressure to improve their product development performance portfolio. The American healthcare sector has been undergoing reforms for a number of years. The sector has been under sweeping economic and political review by the United States government. Despite all the innovation and services provided by the hospital, reports have emerged that the heath care competition among practitioners in the United States is increasingly becoming zero-sum based. This situation has made healthcare practitioners to engage actively in dividing value rather than creating it. With One Call Transfer Center, the patient can be connected to a representative who takes care of all the work. Bringing the process under One Call Transfer Center will involve the provision of a comprehensive round-the-clock services for women and their babies under an in-house One Call Transfer Center, which will serve as a centralized entry point for transfers into The Womans Hospital of Texas and other system hospitals. The implementation of a strategy occurs over a series of steps. The managers task is to mobilize resources and assign staff. In this coordinated system intended to provide emergency care, critically ill mothers and their babies will be transported to the hospital, which is properly staffed, equipped, and with the necessary experience needed to provide health care. The implementation of this alternative will offer referring hospitals and physicians easy access to the hospitals top quality surgical and medical services. Processes are intended to make transfers proceed swiftly through this process. Strategic Alternatives ProjectIssues and Outlook Profile Product design is an important strategic business function that when managed well can assist a business to gain competitive advantage. However, the management of this important aspect remains a major challenge. The multiplicity of product development projects in the product development portfolio of a firm is among the challenges of managing new product development. In light of increased competition and rapidly developing technology, market firms are facing enormous pressure to improve their product development performance portfolio (Analoui and Azhdar 169). The one-size-fits-all approach to product design has failed to recognize the diversity of tasks within the product development portfolio of a firm and may lead to inefficient and ineffective use of the firms investment in the development of new products. For this reason, it is not astounding that businesses continue to report declining productivity in their research and development (RD) and an increased rate of failure of new products. The macro environment analysis traditionally constitutes the initial step of strategic analysis. The macro environment analysis aims to identify potential threats and opportunities to t he healthcare industry as a whole and which are outside the control of the specific industry. The American healthcare sector has been undergoing reforms for a number of years. The sector has been under sweeping economic and political review by the United States government. The purpose of this outlook is to implement steadily market competition within the healthcare industry (Lindberg, Alexander and Lars 140). It is anticipated that increased market competition will reduce the costs related to healthcare. These reforms have corresponded with the essential changes concerning budgeting, financial, and reimbursement within the American healthcare sector. Nonetheless, the transition from supply driven to a market system through the introduction of managed competition by the government in the form of performance-based finance systems is the most important change the healthcare sector has to deal with. From an international point of view, performance-based finance systems have shown their worth. With respect to the cure sector, Diagnosis Treatment Combinations (hereafter referred to as DTCs) are the tools to achieve performance-based and demand-driven services and products. DTCs are defined as the set of interventions and activities of medical specialists and hospitals that result from the initial consultation and diagnosis in the hospital. However, the objective of the new system is not to alter the previous social position of the various organizations. Traditionally not-for-profit hospitals are facing a profit motive to remain afloat and continue running their business. The development of a free market structure with respect to the cure sector has occasioned an increase in the risk profiles of organizations. Competition between businesses has acted as a mechanism of increasing value to patients across the healthcare industry. Competition ensures that better services are products are provided to customers in a manner that satisfies their needs. The healthcare costs in the U.S. endure to be an important concern for consumers. Numerous and complex challenges exist in managing such costs, as well as the provision of a better healthcare system. The Affordable Care Act together with the prospects for increased innovation and consumer choice have increased the significance of the efforts. Competition in the healthcare industry involves one or a number of elements, including quality, price, superior services or products, and convenience (Dewar 71). Nonetheless, competition may also be based upon innovation and technology. The Womans Hospital of Texas specializes in womens health. It offers services to all women, whether expectant with a child or undergoing menopause. An important role of health care competition is the potential of providing a method for abridging health care costs. Competition reduces inefficiencies that may lead to high operational costs that are ultimately passed on to patients through high delivery and health service costs. Despit e all the innovation and services provided by the hospital, reports have emerged that the heath care competition among practitioners in the United States is increasingly becoming zero-sum based. This situation has made healthcare practitioners to engage actively in dividing value rather than creating it. In some instances, this kind of competition leads to erosion of value through needless costs. The nurses and doctors at The Womans Hospital of Texas only practice women oriented health care, which makes them the most skilled and qualified team in Houston. Some of the services provided that gives the hospital a competitive edge over other hospitals is the range of services provided for women such as maternity care, breast care, labor and delivery, gynecology, and infertility. Most of Houstons top infertility physicians practice with the hospital. In addition, the hospitals high risk perinatal maternity care provides continuous monitoring of baby and mother, giving the baby a stable e nvironment in the Uterus. The leadership structure at The Womans Hospital of Texas comprises of a board that is headed by the President and CEO who is assisted by other board members. The hospital has succeeded in the provision of unparalleled health services for Texas women, as well as their babies. The U.S. News and World Report recognized The Womans Hospital of Texas in its list of top hospitals. The hospital also has accreditation from the Joint Commission. Development of Strategic Alternatives and Options With a single phone number, the patient can be connected to a representative who takes care of all the work. The representatives are tasked with arranging physician-to-physician consultations to evaluate and discuss the patient condition before acceptance. In addition, the representatives coordinate and facilitate the most appropriate transfer in the form of ground or air transportation via helicopter. The benefits of using one call transfer center is that it eases the admin istrative burden from hospital staff and physicians, offers better communication between providers, increases responsiveness and control on patients being transferred, enables access to comprehensive and correct documentation, and reduces concerns regarding multiple calls. Additionally, it improves internal coordination and accountability and serves referring hospitals and physicians better. With the round-the-clock one call transfer center at the Womans Hospital of Texas, a streamlined process for admission and transfer of patients for all referring physicians and hospitals is assured. One Call service will ensure the transfer and admission of patients, both non-urgent and urgent, with a single phone call. Calling will link the referring physicians or hospitals to an experienced transfer coordinator tasked with ensuring the prompt and efficient transfer or admission of a patient. One Call staff will be in charge of the entire transfer process, which includes bed placements, specia lty physician consultation, patient transport, physician-to-physician communication, as well as other requirements for the transfer. The aim is to ensure well-organized continuity of care, keeping all the concerned parties informed, and ensuring a positive experience for patients and their relations. In the event that a hospital or a physician calls a hospital unit directly to request an admission or a transfer of a patient, one call is the most efficient and fastest way to arrange a transfer. Because it is never a policy of the hospital to delay a transfer, patients can be accepted directly, although One Call services present a better option.Strategic Alternative 1: Outsource to Third Party Outsourcing refers to subcontracting or seeking resources outside the organizational arrangement for part or whole of the call center tasks. The decision to outsource...