Change is part of the game. Leaders both set vision and navigate the, sometimes, murky waters of change. Effective leadership requires you to harness both the minds and hearts of employees to enable change to occur and take root in the company’s culture.
For this assignment, you will identify one change management need within your company or from a company you previously worked for and plan a change initiative.
Business Brief (2-3 pages) Identify a needed organizational change and utilize Kotter’s eight-stage framework. This should be written in a professional format (font size 10-12, one-inch margins double spaced, and use of headings and subheadings). Remember to include a cover page that has all appropriate course, assignment, date, and name information.
1. Provide a brief background of the company, industry, and culture.
2. Identify the problem you want to address and why it is important.
3. Describe your change initiative according to Kotter’s eight stage framework.
Operation Management of ERMI Inc.
Introduction
ERMI Inc. is a leading medical device company in USA with specialization in treating patients falling under outlier category (Papotto, & Mills, 2012). These kinds of patients have severe motion loss thus the company partners with physicians, physical and occupational therapists and other healthcare professionals to provide medical services to such patients (Papotto, & Mills, 2012). ERMI Inc. does research, develop, manufacture and market its healthcare services to patients across the United States.
The operations of the company are tallied with its need to help patients get back to their normal way of life as before occurrences of injuries or surgeries (Papotto, & Mills, 2012). Such target complies with the company’s mission that focuses purely on patient’s improvement. ERMI Inc. greatly serves people with severe motion loss and those who have failed conventional therapy by enabling them to get back to their motion (Papotto, & Mills, 2012).
ERMI Inc. Company as known in the medical sector remains consistent and cost-effective care in delivery of medical services to people (Branch, 2013). It as well ensures high quality services accompanied with challenging healthcare situations to physicians for rewarding career opportunities (Branch, 2013). The success of the company does originate from its dedicated physicians, offering of services in an extensive manner and international academic medical center backing.
The organization of ERMI Inc. management
ERMI Inc. Company has a competent administrative and medical staff that offers objective and all round leadership to its operation. The leadership of ERMI Inc. has indicated steadfast and adaptive system realistic to patients’ demands with a larger percentage of motion retention.
ERMI Inc. has a defined leadership with potential leaders with vast leadership experience in medical sector from the president of the company to executive administrator (Branch, 2013). The president and Chief medical officer has experience and skills in emergency medicine residency, board certification in emergency medicine and has performed under such similar healthcare for a long period. Dr. Richard Wadas also serves as the Associate Regional Medical Director for Emergency Medical Services Institute.
Next in the rank is the Assistance Medical Officer who also performs as the Compliance Officer. Dr. Richard Hearth has information and knowledge on emergency medical services and has completed his study on internal medical residency (Branch, 2013). The Chief of Hospitalist service for ERMI Inc. serves also as the Co-Medical Director of the Hospitalist Program at another hospital.
The Chief of urgent Care Service and Executive Director conceal the top most leadership of the ERMI Inc. Company (Branch, 2013). The executive director is responsible in providing harmonized and collective leadership qualities to all stakeholders to ensure track maintenance while providing services to patients.
The services offered at ERMI Inc.
ERMI Inc. provides services to patients in a cost effective manner with appropriate staffing physicians (Branch, 2013). It keeps operation and overhead costs low as well as offering more resources to physician thus improved patient care. The management strategies applied by the company improve the quality of care, reduce costs and ensure optimization of revenue.
Staffing of physicians
ERMI Inc. recruits qualified physicians with high quality background on healthcare services. Its recruiting and retention program is comprehensive and leads to a recognized improvements in staffing and service delivery to patients (Branch, 2013). ERMI Inc. commits significant resources on physician recruitment that covers advertisements on journals, internet, and displays at national emergency medicine and medicine meetings as well as substantial databases (Branch, 2013). Also the company provides floater physicians to offer high quality services on short notices to fill unexpected vacancies in the organization depending on the demand rise.
Floater physicians have required experiences and knowledge of ERMI philosophy that motivate provision of high quality solution in situations of staffing challenges contributed by physician disabilities, relocation or retirement (Branch, 2013). To successfully attain the market demand, ERMI put mechanism that ensures balanced physician workloads and maintain a low patient to physician ratio.
The success of ERMI Inc. originates contributively from both the medical directors and physicians who are committed to serve in various committees such as medical executive, risk management, patient safety, disaster management, critical care and education.
Satisfaction of patient
Patient satisfaction forms the basis of ERMI Inc. operation and it works closely with partner hospitals to provide improvement on patient satisfaction (Wilson, & Kelly, 2015). Improved patient satisfaction becomes realistic through educative, monitoring and feedback reliance programs. ERMI Inc. medical directors ensure a maximum review on patients’ complaints and coordinate with partner hospitals to solve such complaints in a quicker reaction. ERMI Inc. has annual education conferences that offer physicians with patient satisfaction education.
Quality improvement initiatives
For the past periods, ERMI Inc. has remained a leader in the Physician Quality Reporting System. Every physician working in ERMI gets updated on the quality reports monthly in reference to individual performance throughout the period of report. The physician quality report makes part of a physician incentive plan.
To effectively attain the standards, ERMI Inc. works in close relationship with partner hospitals to ensure increment of its core measure scores initiatives as well as pay-for-performance initiatives (Wilson, & Kelly, 2015). In addition, medical directors and physicians in ERMI Inc. have enough experience dealing towards performance improvement projects that involve a wide range of initiatives. The initiatives such as LEAN and patient throughout helps the hospital to improve employment opportunities as well as tailoring a custom approach related to individual hospitals.
Medical and legal services
To deal with medical and legal issues equally without a discriminative sense that can lag behind the ERMI Inc. performance, it has a comprehensive risk management programs. The program covers all aspects of emergency and hospital medicine (Branch, 2013). ERMI as well provides its physicians with high quality occurrence malpractice insurance cover. Due to its size and composition, ERMI Inc. has enjoyed a low insurance cover costs that helps in facilitating patient care (Uhl, & Jacobs, 2012). The existence of expertise in EMTALA, HIPAA, compliance and other significant areas have ensured that the highest quality patient care is realized.
Documentation services
ERMI has established a comprehensive system for documentation for efficient optimization and compliance (Wilson, & Kelly, 2015). Such documentation enables physicians to receive monthly feedbacks on their performances as well as indication of individual performance metrics.
The billing and coding areas also have expertise helping in optimal collections. ERMI economy of scale provides billing and coding costs at a lower cost that leaves more resources unused directed to direct patient care (Wilson, & Kelly, 2015). In addition, ERMI works closely with partner hospitals to attain proper documentation thus facility optimality at collections or coding.
Facility planning
ERMI Inc. helps other hospitals to design new and appropriate emergency departments as well as renovate new existing emergency departments. The company uses its collective expertise to help partner hospital design emergency departments to promote patient flow, ergonomic efficiency and improved patient care.
Operations and processes provided at ERMI Inc.
In ERMI Inc. healthcare center, patients suffering from motion loss get treatment and operations through various devices relevant to prevent and treat joint stiffness, and contractures including physical therapy, serial casting, and continuous passive motions and stretching devices (Wilson, & Kelly, 2015).
Mechanical stretching devices
Low load prolonged duration stretch devices (LLPS) allow for resisted active and passive motion at a limited range (Wilson, & Kelly, 2015). These devices maintain a prescribed level of tension through incorporation of springs. Under low-load, prolonged duration stretch, ERMI Inc. has Dynasplint system, Ultra flex, Pro-glide dynamic ROM devices as well as Advance Dynamic devices.
Static progressive devices also falls under stretch devices that hold the joint in a set position while permits for manual modification of the angle of a joint and as well can allow the active motion with no resistance (Wilson, & Kelly, 2015). While using the device, it does no exert stress on tissue and allows for a limited range of passive and active motion; however, the motion does not provide an elastic traction due to its freeness. Within the Static progressive devices ERMI Inc. has the following devices; Joint Active System, Static Progressive Stretch devices and Joint Active System pronation device.
The other devices found in ERMI Inc. are the Patient- actuated stretch (PASS) devices. These devices provide a low to high level load to the joint using pneumatic systems adjustable by a patient. Pneumatic systems are both extensionators and flexionators in nature (Branch et al., 2014). PASS devices include; ERMI Knee Extensionator, ERMI Knee/Ankle Flexionator, ERMI Shoulder Flexionator and ERMI Elbow Extensionator.
Devices for knees, ankles, elbows and shoulders
The Low-load prolonged duration stretch devices such as Dynasplint system and static progressive stretch devices such as Joint active system are reasonable used for knee, elbow, or finger (Uhl, & Jacobs, 2012).
EMRI Treatment Protocol
In EMRI devices are engineered and designed with a consideration similar for mimic of the intensity and duration balanced by a physical therapist, however, the same intensity is managed under a patient’s control (Branch et al., 2014). A patient gets motivated due to a possibility of controlling and managing the treatment him/herself. The device as well allows patients to use it at their respective homes as an adjunct to physical therapy (Wilson, & Kelly, 2015).
The general treatment protocol of ERMI balances the three key factors that cover the following illustrations;
· A patient has to stretch at a high intensity for 10 minutes, take a rest for 10 minutes and the stretch again for 10 minutes.
· A patient has to repeat the above instruction for two more times during the day to attain the target of 60 minutes per day.
· A patient can break it up into smaller time periods if necessary. For an instance a patient can stretch for 5 minutes, rest for 5 minutes and the stretch for 5 minutes again. Then need to repeat the step in the day 5 times to meet the 60 minutes target requirement in a day.
The treatment protocol however, always depends on a treating physician and therapist’s guidelines.
Devices used to treat clinicians
ERMI uses mechanical joint stretching devices to treat clinicians with problems in making expected gains in motion with conventional treatment therapy. As well clinicians with a motion failure through exercise, manual therapy or other conservative treatments can get treatment at ERMI Inc. Mechanical joint stretching devices includes; Low load prolonged duration stretch devices (LLPS), Static progressive devices and Patient- actuated stretch (PASS) devices (Uhl, & Jacobs, 2012).
Solutions for treatment failure
Patients with treatment failures are taken through devices developed by an orthopedic physician. Through physical rehabilitation at their homes patients are provided with mechanical joint stretching devices for elbows, knees, ankle, shoulder and great toe joints (Uhl, & Jacobs, 2012). These devices are meant for outlier cases mostly those patients with 5-10% severe arthrofibrosis, adhesive capsilities (Branch et al., 2014).
Such patients are taken through a high intensity stretch under a sustained interval, more controlled condition, without traumatizing the patient and with no patient guiding. For effective work, a physician prescription as well as a physical therapist recommendation has to be followed by a patient (Branch et al., 2014).
Proven results for the ERMI Inc.
ERMI Inc. proven clinical results demonstrates a high scores of motion and patient outcome scores compared to low intensity devices provided by other hospitals. The ERMI Knee Flexionater illustrates a significant greater gain to patients with motion problems (Wilson, & Kelly, 2015).
ERMI devices demonstrate range of motion and outcome scores that have improved significantly on a group of frozen shoulder patients who got treatment through the high intensity ERMI Shoulder Flexionater (Wilson, & Kelly, 2015).
Conclusion
The management of ERMI Inc. has performed effectively well to offer objective and result oriented services to patients with motion challenges. Development of ERMI devices with high intensity as compared to other devices provided by other hospitals illustrates effectiveness of the leadership of ERMI Inc. The management has delivered high quality, cost effective services with high patient concerns.
General comment of the processes and operations of the ERMI
The processes underlined by physicians and physician therapists in regard to improvement from motion problem in ankle, shoulder, wrist or finger with a target of 60 minutes stretch per day contribute immensely on the effective concept of the defined processes (Branch, 2013). The company enjoys well-coordinated operations that have boosted improvement among patients on their conditions that require mechanical joint stretches.
References
Branch, T. P., Sattler, A., Branch, E. K., & Jacobs, C. A. (2014). U.S. Patent No. 8,840,570.
Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Branch, T. P., Sattler, A., Branch, E. K., & Jacobs, C. A. (2014). U.S. Patent Application No.
14/462,634.
Branch, T. P. (2013). U.S. Patent No. 8,361,002. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office.
Branch, T. P., Stinton, S. K., Madden, T. C., Dittmar, E., DeJarnette, N. K., & Shary, T. (2013).
U.S. Patent Application No. 14/029,780.
Branch, T. P. (2013). U.S. Patent Application No. 13/838,308.
Papotto, B. A., & Mills, T. (2012). Treatment of severe flexion deficits following total knee
arthroplasty: a randomized clinical trial. Orthopaedic Nursing, 31(1), 29-34.
Uhl, T. L., & Jacobs, C. A. (2012). Torque Measures of Common Therapies for the Treatment of
Loss of Knee Flexion. Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach, 4(2), 101-106.
Wilson, K., & Kelly, T. L. (2015). U.S. Patent No. 9,119,542. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office.
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