Despite a Manager’s best efforts, sometimes an employee will fail to meet the requirements of their position. This poor performance can be caused by a number of factors including but not limited to personal relationship issues, lack of communication or training, or disengagement with their role in the organization.
When an employee’s performance consistently does not meet expectations, it is the manager’s job to help get the employee back on track. This is often achieved through the use of a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP).
Review the scenario below, and complete the first six steps of the PIP process based on the scenario provided. The steps have been provided below for your reference.
Scenario
Rasmussen Hospital and Clinics has recently been concerned about the lag in coding time for the services throughout the enterprise. Your Chief Financial Officer (CFO) has expressed the required coding turnaround time should be four days for inpatient services and a two-day turnaround for clinic services.
You are an HIM Manager and one of your coders that has worked for you for three years recently started coming in late on a regular basis and is not completing his expected coding quota. The problem has been occurring for almost two months now and other employees are starting to complain. The employee is going through a divorce and a bitter custody battle.
Write a 3 page paper, completing the first six steps of a PIP for your employee.
Be sure to address the following in your paper:
PIP Process Steps
- Define the problem. Determine if the problem is a performance problem or a behavior problem.
- Define the duties or behaviors where improvement is required.
- Establish the priorities of the duties.
- What are the possible consequences of errors associated with these duties?
- How frequently are these duties performed?
- How do they relate when compared with other duties?
- Identify the standards upon which performance will be measured for each of the duties identified.
- Establish short-range and long-range goals and timetables for accomplishing change in the performance/behavior with the employee.
- Develop an action plan.
- What will the manager do to help the employee accomplish the goals within the desired time frame?
- What will the employee do to facilitate improvement of the product or process?
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
The Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is a tool used by managers to help employees who are not meeting the expectations of their position. This plan is designed to identify the root cause of the employee’s poor performance and develop a strategy to improve the employee’s performance. In this scenario, a coder in a hospital is not meeting the required coding turnaround time due to personal issues. As a manager, it is your responsibility to develop a PIP for this employee to get them back on track.
1. Define the problem. Determine if the problem is a performance problem or a behavior problem.
The employee in question is coming in late on a regular basis and is not completing the expected coding quota. The problem has been occurring for almost two months. It is a performance problem.
2. Define the duties or behaviors where improvement is required.
Improvement is required in the employee’s attendance and coding productivity.
3. Establish the priorities of the duties.
The priority duties are coding for inpatient services with a four-day turnaround time and coding for clinic services with a two-day turnaround time. Errors in coding for inpatient services can result in financial loss for the hospital and delayed patient care. Both duties are performed on a daily basis. These duties are essential to the hospital’s revenue cycle.
4. Identify the standards upon which performance will be measured for each of the duties identified.
The performance of the employee will be measured based on the number of coding tasks completed accurately and on time. The employee’s attendance will also be monitored for improvement.
5. Establish short-range and long-range goals and timetables for accomplishing change in the performance/behavior with the employee.
Short-range goals for the employee include improving attendance and completing the required coding quota within the four-day and two-day turnaround times respectively. Long-range goals include maintaining improved attendance and consistently meeting the required coding turnaround times. The timetables for achieving these goals will be reviewed on a weekly basis.
6. Develop an action plan.
The manager will meet with the employee to discuss the PIP and set these short- and long-range goals. The manager will provide the employee with additional training resources to improve their coding productivity and will work with the employee to address any personal issues that may be affecting their performance. The employee will be responsible for attending all scheduled shifts and completing the required coding quota within the designated timeframe.
Conclusion:
Developing a PIP is an important tool for managers to use when addressing poor performance in employees. Defining the problem, establishing priorities, identifying standards, and setting goals are all critical steps to designing a successful performance improvement plan. By working together with employees in a proactive and supportive manner, managers can help employees achieve their goals and improve their overall performance.
