1–2 pages, not including a title or reference page
Healing Hands Hospital is an acute care community hospital that serves a suburban community outside of a large city with two competing large academic medical centers. Both Healing Hands Hospital and the academic medical centers have a long history of service to the region, but their business and fundamental practices are different. Your manager, Ms. Woods, Healing Hands’ Chief Operating Officer (COO), is part of the task force working on the strategic plan for the hospital and needs to understand the fundamental practices of these academic medical centers.
You have been tasked with providing this information for Ms. Woods in a 1–2-page paper that discusses the similarities and differences between academic medical centers and acute care community hospitals. Your paper should include similarities and differences regarding the following:
- Mission, goals, and objectives
- Staffing and management structure
- Reimbursement model
Be sure to document your references using APA format.
Scenario
Throughout this course, you will provide information and analysis using a fictitious community hospital, Healing Hands, located in a suburban community about 15 miles outside of a major metropolitan area. Each week, you will complete specific assignments, and in the final weeks of this course, you will provide a final report detailing your findings.
The following scenario will be utilized throughout this course to assist you in completing each week’s assignment:
Healing Hands Hospital is an acute care community hospital in a suburb 15 miles outside of a large metropolitan city. The hospital, which was founded over 50 years ago, is dedicated to serving the local community consisting of working professionals, families and retired individuals. It has 320 beds and is comprised of a group of 500 physicians. The hospital has in-patient services for short-stay acute care patients; an in-patient mental health unit; an ambulatory surgical clinic; and specialized units in cancer, maternal and child services, orthopedics, and cardiac care. Healing Hands Hospital serves a community of approximately 500,000.
Mr. Jeff Magone, the new Chief Executive Officer of Healing Hands Hospital recognizes that an important trend in healthcare delivery that is linked to reimbursement is accountable care and integrated delivery models. He has set the goal for the hospital to remain financially viable and increase services and quality of care available to the community served by Healing Hands Hospital. To accomplish this goal, Mr. Magone realizes that there are several options to consider such as:
- Addition of outpatient services including urgent care centers and affiliations with more local physician practices,
- Merging with another community hospital in a neighboring suburb, or
- Affiliating with one of the two large academic medical centers in the city.
Mr. Magone and the hospital Board of Directors have discussed the options and they realize that some changes need to be made to not only maintain and improve the high quality of patient care for which Healing Hands is recognized but also to ensure future financial stability in the changing healthcare industry.
Mr. Magone and the Healing Hands Hospital Board of Directors have created a “Future of Healing Hands” Task Force, and as a Director of Operations, you have been asked to participate on the Task Force and provide support through research, analysis and reports to the Task Force as they evaluate options to meet the goals outlined by Mr. Magone. You will work with your supervisor, the Chief Operating Officer, Ms. Woods, as well as the Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Johnson, and provide research and analysis. Community leaders will also be part of the Task Force providing recommendations and input from the community served by Healing Hands Hospital. Mr. Magone realizes that developing outpatient services, urgent care clinics, affiliations with medical practices or merging with an academic medical center will also require upgrades to the electronic health record system (EHRs) and other computer systems. Therefore you will also work with the hospital’s Chief Information Officer to determine if current systems such as the EHRs and Clinical Decision Support Systems are scalable or need to be replaced.
Mr. Magone has made it clear that patient needs and future financial stability are driving the project. He wants to ensure that Healing Hands Hospital stays current with reimbursement and quality care models and remains financially sound through reimbursement by Medicare and other health insurance plans. Leadership at Healing Hands also recognizes that strong relations with the community and the Healing Hands staff will be imperative to success.
Expert Solution Preview
Academic medical centers and acute care community hospitals share some similarities in their mission, goals, and objectives. Both institutions aim to provide quality patient care and improve the health of their respective populations. However, academic medical centers have an additional objective of advancing medical education and research. These institutions typically have affiliations with medical schools and research centers which provide an opportunity for students to learn from experienced physicians and researchers.
Regarding staffing and management structure, academic medical centers typically have a hierarchical structure with separate departments for each specialty. Health professionals in these institutions tend to have a higher level of education and expertise. Acute care community hospitals, on the other hand, have a more streamlined structure with fewer specialized departments. The health professionals working in these institutions can have a range of educational backgrounds.
In terms of reimbursement models, academic medical centers receive funding from various sources such as government grants, private donations, and industry partnerships. These institutions often have a higher reimbursement rate for services than acute care community hospitals. Community hospitals primarily rely on insurance reimbursement, patient payments, and government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
In conclusion, academic medical centers and acute care community hospitals have some similarities and differences in their mission, objectives, staffing, and reimbursement models. Healing Hands Hospital, as an acute care community hospital, should carefully consider the similarities and differences when evaluating options to meet the goals outlined by the hospital’s CEO and Board of Directors.
