Assignment 4: Board Presentation

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Assignment 1: Board Brief Part A- Framing the Problem/Opportunity

LaCita Dedeaux

JWI 599: Business Analytics and Capstone

Doctor Bruce Smith

October 19, 2020

BUSINESS ANALYTICS 2

Present a brief overview of market conditions

The healthcare market of the U.S. is categorized as one of the world's most expensive healthcare

systems. However, the U.S. healthcare market is not the most effective when compared with

international healthcare systems. Extensive challenges prevail in the U.S. healthcare system,

precisely due to cost, quality, and access to necessary healthcare facilities. The competitive

healthcare market makes healthcare access easier, offers a small disparity in care and quality, and

adaptability to the changing healthcare market environment. We here discuss the competitive

market for the VHA using the PESTEL framework. The Veterans Health Administration is the

nation's most extensive healthcare system, focusing on professional training, healthcare research,

and helping homeless veterans. The VHA has 348,389 employees and an annual budget of USD

85 billion. VHA is facilitating nearly about 1,074 outpatient sites and almost 170 medical

centers.

The St. Elizabeth Healthcare was established in 1861 to serve people with compassionate care

and is one of the top rivals and market competitor of the Veteran's Affairs. The foundation of At.

Elizabeth Healthcare was laid with one small hospital. It serves and facilitates five hospitals,

including St. Elizabeth Covington, St. Elizabeth Edgewood, St. Elizabeth Florence, St. Elizabeth

Ft. Thomas, and St. Elizabeth Grant. St. Elizabeth. These hospitals provide healthcare facilities

throughout Kentucky, specifically the Northern region. Diocese of Covington as the sponsor of

St. Elizabeth Healthcare, has provided more than $120 million for the community benefit. The

healthcare system now has a revenue of about $1.2 billion and 3240 employees.

BUSINESS ANALYTICS 3

SWOT of the Organization

Our organization’s strength lies within the fact that it is the largest integrated healthcare

organization in the U.S. It has patient-focused care and possesses integrated technology,

modernized efforts, and incorporates government support and budgeting. Whereas, the

organization's large size hinders it from including change faster and hence weakening the

organization's competitive scenario. Likewise, the organization also encounters the challenges in

providing access and facilitation to a large scattered sum of people. Inability to train the outside

providers from V/A, shortages of health providers, and budget cuts from the government put

challenges to the organization. Apart from these challenges and threats, it is also essential for the

organization to satisfy the customers or patients. Satisfying veterans requires necessary patient

feedback regarding the services and facilities provided by the healthcare organization. If the

organization fails to fulfill its potential customers, i.e., patients, it will face negative impacts and

generate less demand. With the evolution in the healthcare policies and competitive market costs,

care, and quality in healthcare, VHA is also facing substantial challenges. While talking about

the market scenario, one of the biggest challenges and threats experienced by healthcare systems

is the gap built between the patients and the system because of the lack of any organized way to

identify, convey and resolve the patient's complaints. To overcome issues like delays in

addressing the patient's complaint, patient advocacy programs are created in healthcare

organizations (S.Prestia, 2020).

Define an apparent problem or opportunity that addresses what is essential to the

organization meaningfully improve its competitive strength

BUSINESS ANALYTICS 4

While discussing and talking about the organization's threats and challenges, one of the issues

was observed and highlighted as patient advocacy. VHA's patient's advocacy program was

created to facilitate the veterans and resolving their concerns regarding complaints submitted to a

V/A medical facility by telephone, email, or in written form or person. This helps the

organization to improve the services offered by the V/A healthcare. But the main issue arises

when there is no adequate inquiry or even no advocate to resolve the patient’s complaint

(JOHNSON, 2019). The increasing turnover rate of patient advocates is offering another

stubborn threat and challenge to the organization's strength. The organization must regain and

retain the patient advocates at Veteran Administration to strengthen the organizational role in

facilitating and satisfying patients and reinforcing the efficiency and potential in the market's

competitive environment (Pearson, 2020).

Critical data and metrics you will study that are relevant to addressing the

problem/opportunity

Patient advocacy in healthcare is essential for the healthcare organization as it enables the

organization to overlook the market demand and explore what people need and requests for and

about the flaws and gaps within the organization's services. The key factors or metrics identified

in patient advocacy include the lack of cooperation between the organization's staff, care

beneficiaries, insufficient communication, and religious or cultural differences. Another major

factor that pertains to the availability of patient advocate is increases and continuous work

overload. These metrics follow either to the unavailability or high turnover rate of the patient

advocates or results in the advocate's lack of interest in the resolution and pursuance of the

patient's claim and complaints against the organization (Siakwa, 2019).

BUSINESS ANALYTICS 5

Stakeholders who will be involved in addressing the problem/opportunity

The primary stakeholders involved in addressing the problem/opportunity of retaining patient

advocates at Veteran Administration are patients who get directly affected by the increased

turnover rates of advocates, physicians, medical staff, pharmaceutical, and insurance

corporations. Last but not least, the stakeholder is government. All these stakeholders have their

stakes disregard the stakes of other stakeholders, but actually, they receive the impacts of the

organization's efficiency. They provide a clear check and insights into the organization's role and

help implement evaluation results to raise V/A's competitive strength.

Relevant information on previous experiences or findings related to this

problem/opportunity

Advocate Aurora desires for better wellbeing of more than 10 million people. And it is claimed

that to succeed; a healthcare organization needs to ensure patient satisfaction. For the sake of

patient's satisfaction, constant feedback, and long-term relationship development with the

patients are necessary (Thomas, 2019). The main idea behind the problem of turnover rates of

patient’s advocate at V/A is derived in the same context.

BUSINESS ANALYTICS 6

References:

JOHNSON, S. R. (2019). Patient advocates' role expands to meet healthcare's increasingly

complex demands. Modern Healthcare.

Pearson, S. D. (2020). Caring and cost: the challenge for physician advocacy. ACP journal.

S.Prestia, A. (2020). Losing Sight: The Importance of Nurse Leaders' Maintaining Patient and

Staff Advocacy. Elsevier.

Siakwa, M. (2019). Barriers to practicing patient advocacy in the healthcare setting.

ResearchGate.

Thomas, G. (2019). Diversity & Inclusion Impact report. Advocate Aurora.