BHE320 Case Study

Essay Instructions:

1. Please read: Lee, S.Y. & Alexander, J.A. (1999). Managing hospitals in turbulent times: do organizational changes improve hospital survival? Health Serv Res. October; 34(4): 923–946. http://www(dot)ncbi(dot)nlm(dot)nih(dot)gov/pmc/articles/PMC1089049/ Article Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To examine (1) the degree to which organizational changes affected hospital survival; (2) whether core and peripheral organizational changes affected hospital survival differently; and (3) how simultaneous organizational changes affected hospital survival. DATA SOURCES: AHA Hospital Surveys, the Area Resource File, and the AHA Hospital Guides, Part B: Multihospital Systems. STUDY DESIGN: The study employed a longitudinal panel design. We followed changes in all community hospitals in the continental United States from 1981 through 1994. The dependent variable, hospital closure, was examined as a function of multiple changes in a hospital's core and peripheral structures as well as the hospital's organizational and environmental characteristics. Cox regression models were used to test the expectations that core changes increased closure risk while peripheral changes decreased such risk, and that simultaneous core and peripheral changes would lead to higher risk of closure. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Results indicated more peripheral than core changes in community hospitals. Overall, findings contradicted our expectations. Change in specialty, a core change, was beneficial for hospitals, because it reduced closure risk. The two most frequent peripheral changes, downsizing and leadership change, were positively associated with closure. Simultaneous organizational changes displayed a similar pattern: multiple core changes reduced closure risk, while multiple peripheral changes increased the risk. These patterns held regardless of the level of uncertainty in hospital environments. CONCLUSIONS: Organizational changes are not all beneficial for hospitals, suggesting that hospital leaders should be both cautious and selective in their efforts to turn their hospitals around. 2. The author discusses core changes and peripheral changes with regard to hospital re-organization. In your own words, please discuss why peripheral changes can be detrimental to hospital sustainability. Within your answer please include a discussion on the limitations of this study which could influence the outcomes. 3. Please describe the significance of this study in terms of it's contribution to management in healthcare. Make sure you discuss the findings' potential impact on organizational change decisions for healthcare organizations. For example: What might be considerations for organizational change in a community-based hospital? That is only one example. Try to think of others. Make sure to justify your response and discussion with supporting references.

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BHE320 CASE STUDY
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(10th, February, 2011)
Case Study
Introduction
In the recent past most hospitals have been experiencing all time high rates of occupancy exceeding ninety percent but that has gradually changed in the current time leading to a reduction of up to fifty present which has forced hospitals administrators to downsize its staff hence reduction in the number of staff.
Peripheral changes can be very detrimental to the sustainability of a hospital because of various reasons. Some of the peripheral changes include downsizing and change in leadership. There are various reasons which downsizing affects sustainably of a hospital especially with considerations on the effects it has on the surviving staff. Downsizing can be done through the processes of attrition, early retirement, relocation as well as through layoffs. These process has had a detrimental effect on the sustainability pf the hospitals for instance relocation are mostly not taken a positive experience by the staff hence resulting to devastating and feeling of grief and anxiety amongst the affected staff(Lee & Alexander, 1999).
One of the limitations of this study which could influence the outcomes of the result is the opportunities that come with increasing or reducing the variables by considering the effects of current trends and lifestyles. Another limitation is the fact that the study included set of common organizational changes which by no means compromise the comprehensive set of changes that are experienced by the community hospitals hence its findings may not accurately generalize the changes that that take place in the organizational level for instance changes like physical hospital joint venture acquisition or merger and management of contracts which were not examined during the study. If these variables include the outcome of the results will be different from what was obtained initially.
Finally, the study assessed the various specific organizational consequences att...

Updated on January 26, 2024

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