Leadership Practice Newsletter[WLOs: 1, 2, 3] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3]
Prior to beginning work on this assignment, read Chapter 21 from the textbook Heath Information Management; Concepts, Principles, and Practice, and Chapter 3 from the textbook New Leadership for Today’s Health Care Professional: Concepts and Cases.
Newsletter Introduction
In Weeks 1 through 4, you’ll produce a newsletter that covers the content discussed in each assignment. The purpose of the newsletter is to provide advice for health care leaders on how to apply the skills and concepts to similar scenarios that arise in the workplace. For each part of the assignment,
- Create an article that addresses each prompt.
- Frame your articles as if you are writing to leaders in your organization.
- Review the Writing Center resource Considering Audience Links to an external site.for information on how to do this.
- You can create a newsletter using a tool or your choosing, such as Canvas, or use the Newsletter Template Download Newsletter Template.
- You can also add images or figures that are formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s resource Table, Images, and Appendices Links to an external site..
- You can find images from the websites: Unsplash Links to an external site.and Pexels Links to an external site..
- These websites provide free images without attribution or commercial or non-commercial licenses. However, it is important to follow all copyright laws. You can find information on these laws by visiting the webpages Copyright Basics Links to an external site.and What is Copyright?Links to an external site.
For the assignment, you must use a minimum of three to four scholarly or credible sources that are formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center. You can learn more by reviewing the resources Formatting Your References List Links to an external site.and APA: Citing Within Your Paper Links to an external site..
Part 1 – Introduction and Scenario
The focus of this assignment is to identify and analyze leadership practices at an imaginary health system. You are an essential member of the management team involved in the scenario described below:
Lake View Hospital is a 25-bed critical access hospital located in rural Minnesota. Lake View’s director of primary care and specialty services, and the president, who also serves as CEO, identified a need to restructure their physician and advanced practice provider (APP) coverage model to improve physician and APP recruitment (providers), to ensure provider retention, and to better serve their patients and the community. Changes related to health care reform, a survey of patients’ expectations of services, and the expectations of new providers looking to practice in a rural setting all factored into their decision to explore the need to make significant changes in their delivery models. Several complex challenges were identified early on and were discussed with their provider partners. They engaged in brainstorming, scenario planning, and other productive conversations on what changes they should work toward and why they should try to make them. All these changes happened during a relatively short period of time and after a long period of providing services at the status quo.
Summary of Changes Implemented include the following:
- Provider contracts and recruitment. They restructured their provider contracts across the medical clinic to align with the organization’s strategic plan and to better serve their patients. The goal was to be transparent with the providers and create standard contract models for current providers and for the providers they were working hard to recruit. These changes were achieved through collaboration between administrators, consisting of Lake View’s president and CEO, director of primary care and specialty services, director of finance, and their team of eight providers at the time. They also modified their provider recruitment strategy to take more ownership of the process internally at Lake View, and to connect with more providers across the state to share what they were working on at Lake View. They had many challenges to work through with their current providers to maintain internal equity, and to respect current employment terms, past agreements, and compliance requirements.
- Physician call obligations. Prior to this recent restructuring, Lake View’s physicians covered hospital call 24-7 and 365 days on a rotating basis. This was taking a toll on their long-term physicians after decades of covering this obligation and was seen as a burden by the newer physicians who were beginning their careers and starting their families. New physicians who were being recruited by Lake View also saw this call obligation as a negative to joining Lake View’s practice in contrast to some of the outpatient-only practices available in the region. The administration team and physician team again worked collaboratively on how to best solve this dilemma during internal team meetings and offsite retreats, and they discussed the issue with individuals. Their goal was to eliminate overnight hospital call, but still ensure the appropriate call coverage to operate and grow the inpatient services that their patients were requesting. They evaluated and considered many different creative and innovative coverage models (e.g., hospitalist program, telemedicine, contracts, etc.) before all deciding on their current call coverage model. They had to work closely with their emergency department physicians throughout the process to ensure success with their newly agreed upon model. They decided on a model in which the primary care physicians cover calls from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. seven days a week, and the emergency department (ED) physicians cover the ED and inpatient unit from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. They implemented a successful communication and handoff process from the ED physician to the primary care physician to ensure seamless patient care and quality. The change was identified as a significant factor in successfully recruiting two high-quality and sought-after physicians looking to sign with an organization in the Lake View region.
Article 1
For the scenario above,
- Summarize the case study, including describing the leadership practices Lake View used to promote innovation.
- Describe the techniques used to reduce resistance to change for each of the problems listed above.
- Measure lessons learned by Lake View and propose a valid conclusion.
Part 2 – Introduction and Scenario
“Diversity,” “cultural awareness,” and “culturally competent care” are terms used regularly in today’s world. Cultural differences are a factor in management and are often a factor in resolving or creating issues.
Address the “Patient Aligned Care Teams” case study on page 64 of your New Leadership for Today’s Health Care Professional: Concepts and Cases textbook.
Article 2
Address the following in the newsletter:
- Summarize the case study.
- Determine two reasons why health care leaders need to become culturally competent and inclusive.
- Assess the success of the diversity program presented in the “Patient Aligned Care Teams” case study.
Upload your Project to Folio
It is recommended that you upload your completed newsletter to Folio. For information on how to set-up and use your Folio account, check out the Folio webpage in the Student Support Center.
The Leadership Newsletter paper
- Must be three to four double-spaced pages in length (not including references pages) and formatted according to APA Style Links to an external site.as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA Formatting for Microsoft Word Links to an external site.resource.
- Must include a separate title page with the following:
- Title of the newsletter in bold font
- Student’s name
- Course name and number
- Instructor’s name
- Must include month and day and week number in the header of the newsletter.
- If you use the Newsletter Template, the header has already been created. Fill in the necessary information.
- Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice Links to an external site.resource for additional guidance.
- Must include an introduction paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to summarize the concepts discussed in each article.
- For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions Links to an external site.refer to the Writing Center resource.
- Must use at least three to four scholarly or credible sources in addition to the course text.
- The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources Links to an external site.table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source.
- To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, view Quick and Easy Library Research Links to an external site.tutorial, which introduces the University of Arizona Global Campus Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.
- Must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your Paper Links to an external site.guide.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center. See the APA: Formatting Your References List Links to an external site.resource in the Writing Center for specifications.
Carefully review the Grading Rubric Links to an external site. for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.
Expert Solution Preview
Article 1
Lake View Hospital, a critical access hospital in rural Minnesota, was facing challenges related to physician and advanced practice provider (APP) recruitment and retention, as well as patient and community satisfaction. They identified the need for restructuring their provider coverage model and engaged in brainstorming and scenario planning sessions to explore potential changes. Collaborative efforts between administrators and providers led to the establishment of transparent provider contracts and standard recruitment strategies. To address the burden of 24-7 hospital call obligation, they evaluated and considered various coverage models and decided on a model where the primary care physicians cover calls from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. seven days a week, and the emergency department physicians cover the ED and inpatient unit from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. This change significantly contributed to the successful recruitment of high-quality physicians.
Leadership practices employed by Lake View included collaboration and brainstorming to explore potential solutions, transparency, and the establishment of standard models for provider contracts and recruitment. Furthermore, they demonstrated adaptability and creativity by considering various coverage models and evaluating their effectiveness. Communication was also a critical skill utilized by Lake View when implementing changes that involved coordination between different providers.
Resistance to change was addressed through the engagement and participation of providers in the brainstorming and scenario planning sessions. Providers were also involved in the development of transparent standard contract models to ensure internal equity and compliance with past agreements. The successful recruitment of high-quality physicians and the elimination of the burden of 24-7 hospital call obligation were also significant victories that demonstrated the benefits of making changes.
Lessons learned include the importance of collaboration and adaptability in finding viable solutions to organizational challenges. Furthermore, transparency and effective communication are critical skills necessary to successfully implement changes. A valid conclusion is that leadership practices that promote collaboration, transparency, creativity, communication, and adaptability are essential in the healthcare environment to find solutions to challenges and promote innovation.
Article 2
The “Patient Aligned Care Teams” case study on page 64 of the New Leadership for Today’s Health Care Professional: Concepts and Cases textbook focused on the success of implementing a diversity program at the Durham VA Medical Center. The program aimed to provide culturally competent care through the use of patient-aligned care teams (PACTs) consisting of a primary care physician, registered nurse care manager, licensed practical nurse or health technician, and administrative clerk. Patients were assigned to a PACT based on their preferences and clinical requirements, and team members underwent training in cultural diversity, communication, and understanding of patients’ preferences.
Healthcare leaders need to become culturally competent and inclusive for several reasons. Firstly, diverse patient populations have unique cultural and linguistic needs that require specialized care to ensure appropriate diagnosis and treatment. Secondly, cultural sensitivity and inclusivity promote trust and comfort between patients and their providers, which ultimately results in increased patient satisfaction and adherence to treatment plans. Finally, culturally competent care reduces healthcare disparities and improves overall health outcomes.
The diversity program presented in the case study was deemed successful as it showed a significant improvement in patient satisfaction scores, clinic no-show rates, and continuity of care. Culturally competent care and understanding patient preferences also led to better care coordination, improved communication between patients and their providers, and an increase in patient engagement in their care. The implementation of PACTs also led to better care outcomes and reduced healthcare costs due to the emphasis on preventive care.
In conclusion, healthcare leaders need to be culturally competent and inclusive to address the unique needs of diverse patient populations and promote better health outcomes. Culturally competent care, like the one implemented by Durham VA Medical Center, can improve patient satisfaction, health outcomes, and reduce healthcare disparities.
