Healthcare Resources Allocating Healthcare Resources

Allocation of Healthcare Resources

It may seem that the resources that a healthcare organization has at its disposal is contained in a very small list, but for proper allocation of total resources every possible thing has to be considered. Resources refers not only to the money that a business has on hand, but the people, buildings, land, recruitment of people, retention and finances. An organization is the sum of all of its parts and must operate within the framework of those resources. How those resources are allocated is an important function of the control of the organization also. This essay will discuss the resource acquisition and allocation processes in a healthcare organization with specific emphasis regarding those processes in allocating financial, operating, capital, human, recruitment, and retention resources.

Resource Acquisition and Allocation

In one aspect a healthcare organization is no different from any other organization depending on type. Healthcare businesses can be either for profit or nonprofit organizations and these two types have different internal functions, but, as far as the basic functions of the organization are concerned, it does not matter whether this is a healthcare concern or a company that trades in any type of service or widget. The basic financial accounting, and other aspects of resource allocation are the same.

Acquisition of resources is a process that requires that the organization is always looking for ways to improve its processes. This means that since acquisition is the initial step in obtaining the resource, the many ways that this can be accomplished need to be examined. Healthcare organizations are generally limited as to operational funds. Thus, the officers of the organization need to discover the most cost effective means of acquiring resources and in the acquisition they need to find the most cost effective resources that will meet their needs.

One example is the process of acquiring human resources to staff the organization. The text (Longest & Darr, 2008) describes the process required for acquiring these human resources. First, the organization must have a method of profiling that has been predetermined. "The strategic plan, anticipated demand for services,...

The second step is estimating the staffing that will be required in the future. Next the organization must inventory the talent that they currently have available to them through the people already employed. From the known information and an estimate of what will be needed, managers can then forecast the need for staff. The final step in this process is planning for how the organization will meet future staffing needs (Longest & Darr, 2008, 433-435). The organization follows a similar plan to acquire other resources (physical, human, financial) that it will also need. A plan for the acquisition of resources is an essential aspect of any organization.
Allocation of those resources is also a part of the plan. After the resource, no matter what that entails, is acquired then it needs to be sent to the area of greatest need within the organization. Looking at human resources again, if there is a shortage of CNAs to adequately staff a section or shift in a nursing home, then the plan for acquisition should be quickly able to fill that need. Again, whatever the need there should be a plan in place to fill it. The next sections of the paper look at specific resources within a healthcare organization to determine how they are allocated.

Financial Resources

Financial resources can come from many different sources and are needed to maintain the health of the organization. It has been said that the job of a business is to make money. While this statement is true to some extent (though not of primary concern for a nonprofit), a healthcare organization may set its priorities differently. Finances are a means to an end within the organization and they serve as a help to meet the ultimate goals of the organization.

Most healthcare organizations acquire capital through insurance payments and through the payments made by individuals. Health insurance organizations have requirements that must be met and scheduled payouts for specific services. This allows the organization to plan for financial return that they will receive based on past procedures. Other organizations rely on acquisition of financial resources through government agencies. Depending on the…