Healthcare administration: key concepts and issues

Healthcare Administration

The family is the earliest source of an individual's moral beliefs and principles (Dunn & Woodard, 2003). Essentially, children are not born with a set of moral principles -- they acquire a sense of what is wrong/right by observing how others react to their behavior. As a child, for instance, I was forbidden, right from my formative years, from taking something that belonged to someone else without their consent. The rule became instinctive, such that I considered the forbidden behavior wrong, and had to look out to see if I was being observed before engaging in the same. On a similar note, children learn by example - by observing the behavior of their parents or adults close to them, and are predisposed to take on their beliefs and principles (Dunn & Woodard, 2003). As they grow and interact with a larger section of the community, the society - school, peers, and friends - begins to shape their beliefs.

Later on, when a child is old enough to make sense of their values and the principles of morality, the state takes over and strengthens the values and beliefs learnt through childhood. The law shapes their conduct by permitting some behaviors and prohibiting others; and enforcing the same through punishment.

Religion has also played a key role in the development of my beliefs as an individual. Religion usually has a clear-cut list of do's and don'ts by which its adherents abide (Dunn & Woodard, 2003). Christianity, for instance, teaches a system of do's and don'ts based on maintaining a relationship with the Most High; a set of principles that surpasses the selfish instincts of society, such that one is obliged to behave justly towards others so as to please God and maintain a positive relationship with Him.

Discussion Question Two

In a situation of falling revenues, it would be prudent for an executive manager to understand the organization's financial operations so as to identify potential areas of cost-savings within the supply chain. Such an understanding would assist in the drafting of a workable budget that would enable the organization realize margins without compromising the quality of care. Additionally, it would assist in the effective identification of areas in which resources need to be invested so that change is executed effectively, and the organization is able to compete in the dynamic healthcare landscape.

Faced with such a scenario, I would adopt a process-based approach focused on controlling administrative costs through process restructuring/redesign, without affecting the quality of care. One of the strategies I would adopt is a holistic restructuring of the processes of care delivery with the aim of minimizing waste, manual processes, and redundant work; and ensuring that employee capacities are fully utilized (Bailey, 2012). A holistic approach would ensure that the high costs of restructuring in one department are offset by lower costs in another.

Additionally, it would be important to standardize the processes involved in the delivery of care so as to minimize the unnecessary costs incurred in unwarranted stay lengths and redundant diagnostic processes; and to effectively implement the replacement of high-cost surgical supplies, implants, and diagnostic testing equipment with cheaper equipment of equivalent quality (Bailey, 2012). Job-matching and cross-training could be employed as a means of tightening labor cost management processes and ensuring a flexible workforce, with employees matched to staff levels that best utilize their capacities (Bailey, 2012).

Discussion Question Three

Adolescence can essentially be described as a period of rapid physical development and emotional/cognitive immaturity. Most adults misunderstand this fact and very often base their expectations on the physical aspect, thereby treating adolescents as adults. The American Psychological Association (APA, 2002) points out that despite their rapidly-developing physical factor, "most adolescents still need guidance from adults to develop their potential for rational decision-making" (p. 11).