Healthcare Organization Evaluation: Banner Health

Healthcare Organization Evaluation: Banner Health
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Healthcare Organization Evaluation: Banner Health
Organizational readiness for change is an important factor in healthcare. According to Storkholm, et al. (2019), an organization’s readiness for change can have a great impact on how organizations adapt to change and the kind of initiatives they undertake to facilitate change. The purpose of this paper is to assess Banner Health’s organization readiness. Specifically, the paper will examine how well prepared the organization is to meet the healthcare needs of Americans in the coming decade. Also, the paper will prepare a strategic plan to enhance effective nurse staffing, network growth, patient satisfaction, and resource management and identify organization-specific issues that may affect the strategic plan. Finally, the paper will propose a theory that could be used to facilitate the strategic plan implementation.
Description of Banner Health
Banner Health is an American, nonprofit healthcare organization headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, but is operational in five other states namely Colorado, Nebraska, California, Wyoming, and Nevada (Banner Health, 2021). It is one of the largest non-profit healthcare systems in the country, employing more than 50, 000 healthcare workers serving in about 30 hospitals. The organization’s mission is “making health care easier, so life can be better (Banner Health, 2021).” Over the years, it has been able to stay true to its mission by providing healthcare not only in urban areas but also in rural areas. In many cases, Banner Health usually is the only provider of inpatient services in rural areas (Ba). In addition, the organization has embraced telehealth to make access to healthcare easier, true to its mission statement. Almost every doctor and providers associated with the organization provide telehealth (Banner Health, n.d.). This has made life a bit easier for patients, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic because they have been able to receive healthcare safely in their homes, thus minimizing the risk of infection. As a non-profit organization, it provides charity care for the uninsured and supports research activities and professional education in healthcare (Banner Health, 2021). Over the years, the organization has provided specialized and comprehensive care to the communities it serves.
Banner Health’s Overall Organizational Readiness
The coming decade will be characterized by changes in how patients approach healthcare, among other issues. Organizations will also be forced to adapt to meet the changing needs of healthcare. One of the core changes expected in the decade is health consumerism. Already, patients are knowledgeable and want to be in control of their health and healthcare decisions (Weil, 2019). This shift is referred to as consumerism and is expected to drive healthcare, especially in the future. To accommodate this shift, which is expected to be more radical in the next decade, healthcare organizations need to adapt by becoming more patient-centered. Banner understands this shift and is ready for it. It signed a 30-year agreement with the University of Arizona after merging with the University of Arizona Health Network. According to Loria (2016), this merger could allow Banner to become a more consumer-focused organization because it will address the changing needs of patients not only at the organizational level but at the academic level by influencing how medicine is taught and researched. Also, the next decade will be characterized by a high number of chronically ill patients. According to Holman, (2020), over 50% of Americans have chronic diseases, a fact that has affected the healthcare system. This number is expected to rise in the next decade due to a high prevalence of chronic diseases among children as well as an aging population (Hayes & Gillian, 2020). Banner is ready to address the needs of chronically ill patients by establishing networks for specialty care that covers areas such as oncology, neurology, and cardiology, among others (Banner Health, 2019). It also has a well-established telehealth system (Banner Health, n.d.) which facilitates the management of chronic conditions.
Strategic Plan
This strategic plan addresses four key issues; nurse staffing, network growth, patient satisfaction, and resource management.
1 Nurse Staffing
Nurse staffing is a critical issue because it influences patient safety. Banner has had issues relating to nurse short staffing. About 70% of the first 10 reviews on Indeed (n.d.) indicate that nurses are short-staffed. This can be addressed by establishing effective nurse supply and retention policies within the organization (Bridges et al., 2019).
2 Network Growth
Banner has about 30 hospitals countrywide and is already expanding its networks through mergers. It was actually created through a merger of two health systems (Banner Health, n.d.). In addition to mergers, the organization can expand through the acquisition of hospitals. It can use this strategy t...