Monroe County Hospital Case Study

Question One

In the spirit of tremendous improvements, Monroe County Hospital embarked on a journey towards high performance. Sponsored by the hospital’s CEO, the project was initiated at the begging of 2019 and ended in December 2019. During the project, several stages were involved to improve the general performance of the hospital. The first stage was the definition of the problem (Chasitie et al., 2021). Among the major issues stated include increased wait times, low ED volume, and an increase in the number of patients who left without treatment (LWOT). These decreased patients’ access to care within the community and unfavorably affected the hospital’s revenues. The next stage was to measure the current state of performance. The team chose patient satisfaction scores and monthly LWOT rates as the main indicators of performance. They had a target of achieving higher patient satisfaction scores and fewer LWOT rates every month. From the measurements, the hospital’s LWOT scores only met the 47% goal and patient satisfaction scores met only 20% of the goal.

The third stage was to analyze the data. A high-level process map was used to analyze the current state while SIPOC was used to identify the inputs, suppliers, outputs, process, and customers of the ED process. The fourth stage was to improve the noted issues which involved engaging the physicians in the emergency department to conclude an operational assessment associated with the flow of the department. The last stage is to control the improvements and changes through data tracking, internal audits, and direct communication strategies.

Question 2

Connecting operational improvements with long-term business strategy will help the hospital to come up with an effective plan that will ensure the organization is focused on the actions and issues at hand. It also allows the project managers to manage and think strategically, to formulate action plans and objectives that mesh with their goals. Nonetheless, linking the improvements to strategies allows them to continually measure results from the performance process and find out where changes are needed (Yuliansyah, Gurd & Mohamed, 2017). Without operational improvements, operations can continue without achieving measurable results. Operational improvements help in guiding the implemented strategies in a direction that will lead to meaningful results. successfully linking the two aspects is a prerequisite to effective project performance. Nonetheless, linking improvements and strategies can assist in pinpointing areas with issues and focusing on actions that will lead to the best impact on the overall performance of the project. This will enable the project managers to communicate performance expectations and what is needed for effective achievements.

Question 3

Organization numbers indicate how well an organization is performing and assessing organizational performance is critical in strategic management. I agree that leaders must measure, know and track their organization’s numbers to understand the metrics along which they can gauge their organization. Most leaders measure and monitor numbers such as stock prices, profits, and sales to gain an understanding of how well their organizations are competitive in the market and predict future results (Taouab & Issor, 2019). They are also needed to analyze if the organization is doing well in performance. Different referents and measures can be used to measure how the organization is functioning. While measuring an organization’s numbers leaders can create performance targets for their organizations. Measuring and monitoring organization numbers also helps leaders to measure performance on various levels such as individual-level performance, team level, and structural level performances. This will also help them compare their performances with other organizations and come up with effective strategies to become more competitive.

References

Chasitie, W., Casey, F., Lorraine, S., Hershel, K., & Casey, B. (2021). Case Study. Industrial and Systems Engineering at Work; Norcross, 53(5), 48-51.

Taouab, O., & Issor, Z. (2019). Firm performance: Definition and measurement models. European Scientific Journal, 15(1), 93-106.

Yuliansyah, Y., Gurd, B., & Mohamed, N. (2017). The significance of business strategy in improving organizational performance. Humanomics 33(1), 56-74.