Developing a Strategic Plan

Developing a Strategic Plan

Unmet needs, mission, vision, and values of local health care providers

and the emergency department was developed to provide care to patients with chronic illness, injuries, or acute disease manifestation. This was important in enhancing medication and ease pain for the patients. However, the overcrowding pandemic has led to unmet needs, such as timely and quality medical services for the patients. This is caused by a lack of follow up leading to recurring of ailment. Such causes the patient to seek medication after the deterioration of their health. Overcrowding has led to delay in the provision of the required care since the facility cannot handle the looming cases of readmission of patients in ED. The overcrowding pandemic in ED is mainly in rural areas, and the patients affected are above the age of 65 (Forbes & Brad, 2012). The mission of the local health care is to provide trusted quality health and services to patients of all ages. The mission is supported by the vision, which entails the provision of specialized care aimed at improving the wellbeing of society. Health care values are to provide timely services to patients. However, due to overcrowding, the aforesaid has not been realized.

Background analysis and evidence from the literature

According to statistics, the cases of patients visiting the ED for readmission cases have been snowballing. For instance, between 1993 and 2003, it established that the number of patients in need of emergency care increased from 90.3 million to 113.9 million. Despite an increase in the ER patients, the facilities providing the services decreased by 703. This led to the influx of patients to hospitals, which provided the service leading to adverse cases of overcrowding. As such, it is anticipated that the claims of readmission in the next ten years will increase by 17% (Shu et al., 2012).

ER readmission has led to overcrowding in hospitals. According to Traxler, Dunaye & American Hospital Association (2017), most of the hospitals’ facilities such as beds are not enough due to a large number of readmissions. This has led to the sharing of beds among the emergency department patients prompting a reduction in support services. Readmissions have led to an increase in costs incurred in medical care. For example, Shu et al. (2012) outline that in US, the cost incurred for readmission was $41 billion in 2014 alone.

The strategic goal for reduction in readmission to ED

Previously, clinical decision units were used in holding patients who needed emergency readmission. This was intended to facilitate decision-making in the most appropriate way of dealing with them. As such, the contemporary health care facilities ought to develop strategic goal which can be used to deal with ER readmission. The strategic goal which can be utilized is the use of the REDD model (readmission, emergency department, or death) (Porter-O’Grady & Malloch, 2017). The model is used in predicting patients who may face adverse effects after discharge. This can be done through leveraging of data for the discharged patients and use it to get information concerning health problems. The physicians can use data obtained to foster interventions among the patients to reduce issues that may lead to readmissions.

Nonetheless, health care can also use Transitional Care Unit (TCU). It is a skilled nursing facility used in helping patients who have just been discharged from the ED to another level of care, such as a home. It helps in optimizing the quality of health of the patients since it allows the patient to be taken care of by a team of professions. TCU team consists of social workers, therapists, physicians, among other specialists. The patient’s progress is monitored frequently, and this helps in the prevention of recurrent ailments. Consequently, it reduces cases of readmissions since the patient leaves TCU when one is stable.

ReferencesTop of Form

Top of Form

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Bottom of Form

Bottom of Form

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Forbes, Brad. p. (2012). Healthcare Forecast: Increasing clouds with a chance of dramatic improvement.Retrrieved from; https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradpeters/2012/02/16/healthcare-forecast-increasing-clouds-with-a-chance-of-dramatic-improvement/#76965edb126d

Porter-O’Grady, T., & Malloch, K. (2017). Managing for success in health care. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby.

Shu, C. C., Lin, Y. F., Hsu, N. C., & Ko, W. J. (January 01, 2012). Risk factors for 30-day readmission in general medical patients admitted from the emergency department: a single centre study. Internal Medicine Journal, 42, 6, 677-82.

Traxler, H., Dunaye, T. M., & American Hospital Association  (U.S.). (2017). Emerging patterns in transitional care. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Center for Health Services Research and Health Care Technology Assessment.