Health Organization Case Study Essay Example

Introduction

Banner Health is a health organization that is non-profit and located in Phoenix Arizona State within the United States (Biswas, 2013). The health care organization operates a total of twenty-three institutions. The institutions under its watch include hospitals and specialized medical facilities. When compared to other organizations within Arizona, Banner Health is the second largest institution in terms of employees. The only other organization that has a bigger number of workers than Banner Health is Wal-Mart. Banner has over 35,000 employees spread across all its facilities. Among the services that Banner Health provides are emergency medical care, hospice, hospital care, outpatient surgery centers, and labs.
The organization also offers rehabilitation and home care services that can sometimes be long term. In the recent years, Banner introduced primary care physician services within its Arizona Medical Clinic and within Banner Medical Group outfits (Steiner & Miller, 2014). The Banner organization was established in the year 1999 through a merger strategy that brought together the Lutheran Health Systems within North Dakota. The merger also brought together all the Samaritan Health Systems within Phoenix in Arizona. In the year 2001, the Banner Health Group sold all its other outlets and remained with the one within Phoenix Arizona. The organization also operates an insurance scheme referred to as the Banner Medisun and has established a number of partnerships with well-known institutions.

Strategic Plan

Banner Health has developed a number of strategies that will see it become more productive and offer better services from the ones are has been offering (Yee, 2006). The primary strategy that Banner has adopted is the sale of all its other outlets to enable it concentrates on the one in Phoenix Arizona. Though critics would argue that this strategy reduces the spread of its services to other areas, Banner Health Organization did it to increase efficiency in its operations enabling it meets its customer needs. Another strategy that has been adopted by Banner Health is the formation of a partnership with other research institutions to advance healthcare within Arizona.
The most notable partnership that Banner Health has entered into is that with the University of Arizona Health Network (Wolf et al, 2011). The partnership is meant to create a health care network that covers the whole Arizona State. The partnership is beneficial to both institutions in different ways. The University of Arizona will see its academic medicine program undergo changes to come up with a new model that is more research based. Either, Banner Health will also see its operations become more efficient through advanced research initiatives that are expected to take place. The study will also see a number of curative and preventive medicines come up.
Banner has also reduced its costs through strategic supply plans that it has implemented. The program has seen the organization significantly reduce 41.5 dollars from its supply chain system that was otherwise going to waste (Wickramasinghe et al, 2005). This is a cost effective strategy that will see the organization save a lot of money that it can channel to other useful activities that will help it realize its objectives. The last strategy that Banner Health has adopted is focusing on a framework that touches on its professional nursing activities. Through this strategy, Banner has focused on enhancing the professional practices of nursing within its facilities. This is informed by the fact that professional nursing is critical in helping Banner Health deliver proper health care services within an environment that is safer.

Organization’s Readiness in Addressing Healthcare Needs in the Next Decade

Banner health organization has undertaken a number of initiatives in helping it ready itself in addressing various patient needs both currently and in the future (Biswas, 2013). The first step that the organization took in reading itself in meeting its customers’ needs is centralizing its services. The centralization was done by selling off all its other outlets in other parts of the United States and concentrating on the outlet at Phoenix Arizona. By concentrating on the outlet at Phoenix, Banner reduced organizational inefficiencies that are associated with operating different outlets situated at various stations. With an extremely professional work force at its disposal, Banner is capable of operating efficiently to deliver better services to its customers.
The organization also offers insurance services through its Banner Medisun that gives patients medical cover at a relatively cheaper price (Steiner & Miller, 2014). The Medicare Insurance Plan ensures that Banner Health patients get additional services to the primary services they seek. Another way in which Banner Health has prepared itself to address the needs of its patients is through research partnerships especially with the University of Arizona. This strategy will ensure that the health facility undertakes various research initiatives and come up with preventive or curative medicines for various ailments. These drugs will be used when addressing the medical needs of its customers. Either, the organization has also introduced physician and home based care for its patients. Through interactive online programs and group teamwork, Banner has prepared itself further to address the needs of its patients both currently and in the future.

Conclusion

The various initiatives put in place by Banner Health organization reveals a lot about its preparedness in addressing the needs of its patients. Since every organization must focus its operations towards satisfying its customers, Banner Health has not been left out. The organization has put in place a number of strategic plans that will see it address the arising issues in the course of its service delivery. Either, a number of improvements have also been witnessed in its normal operations that make the organization ready to address the various needs by its patients. It can, therefore, be said that the organization has become more customer focused than it was in the earlier days.

References

Biswas, R. (2013). Clinical Solutions And Medical Progress Through User-Driven Healthcare. Hershey, PA: Medical Information Science Reference.
Steiner, J., & Miller, R. D. (2014). Problems In Health Care Law: Challenges For The 21st Century. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Yee, R. (2006). Healthcare Spaces No. 3. New York: Visual Reference Publiactions.
Wolf, J. A., Hanson, H., & Moir, M. J. (2011). Organization Development In Health Care: High Impact Practices For A Complex And Changing Environment. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Pub.
Wickramasinghe, N., Gupta, J. N. D., & Sharma, S. K. (2005). Creating Knowledge-Based Healthcare Organizations. Hershey Penns: Idea Group Pub.