Introduction
Strategic healthcare management is vital in modern healthcare. It helps providers to make informed decisions about resource allocation and adaptability to dynamic healthcare systems, yielding effective, efficient, satisfactory, and cost-saving patient care. It also promotes maximum utilization of resources and anticipation and planning for changes. Such strategies are vital to healthcare providers to remain competitive and relevant to the highly competitive and dynamic healthcare system.
Through an interview with a Chief Nursing Officer, this paper aims to empower students pursuing MHA 536, a strategic healthcare management course, to gain real-world insight into the trends and application of strategic management. Such information will help them to understand how theoretical knowledge applies in practical situations. It will also promote the development of interpersonal skills, such as effective and professional communication, that will help them in networking. They should also understand challenges and opportunities in strategic healthcare management and the appropriate solving methods or skills.
Description of Organization
The interviewee was a Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) working in a non-profit long-term care facility, specifically dealing with patients who need ongoing care and personal assistance over a long period. It majorly serves older adults and patients with chronic diseases. The facility is medium-sized and only serves the locality and the neighborhood; it offers services such as nursing care, occupation and physical therapy, and social activities.
Background the Executive
After introducing himself and stipulating the working position, the interview immediately started. The first question was an inquiry about his educational background. The interviewee elaborated that his first certification was a bachelor’s degree in nursing. He then added NCLEX certification and an Illinois Board of Nursing Registered Nurse license. Later, after 13 years of working in different places and departments, he returned to school to get a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in leadership and strategic change. He then worked for about five years before qualifying for the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) position. He revealed that his primary drive to pursue leadership, specifically in strategic management, was his worry about the increasing patient number that resulted in a strain on healthcare resources such as the nurse workforce.
The interview confirmed that he is a transformational leader. He applauded his leadership style, ascertaining that it promotes a collaborative and supportive work environment, which is essential in long-term nursing due to the increased diversity of patient problems (Sandoval et al., 2018). The CNO also insisted that transformational leadership inspires workers by sharing a common vision and mutually setting objectives. As a result, it demands less supervision. He also pointed out that, unlike motivated workers, inspired workers are self-motivated to work but not motivated due to external gifts. He clarified that the transformational leadership style addresses the needs of all healthcare stakeholders, including patients, families, and nurses.
Role of Strategic Management
The CNO pointed out and that one of the roles of strategic management is enhancing resource utilization through various strategies. His two main management strategies were financial viability and operational efficiency. He explained that most of the clients in the nursing home rely on Medicaid for reimbursement; thus, the management gets a small amount of revenue from private clients with other payment alternatives other than Medicaid. Since Medicaid reimbursement is fixed at around $ 206 a day, yet the daily operations surpass that amount by far, the facility must have an excellent financial viability plan to sustain its services. He also confirmed that he practices operation efficiency, which aids in saving through optimal utilization of resources, especially expertise such as physical therapists. He also revealed the high burnout rates among nurses working in nursing homes prompted him to develop skillful supply chain and staff management strategies to enhance a sustainable supply of workforce and other resources.
The CNO also elaborated that the nature of the financial supply for long-term care facilities is highly dynamic since it relies on grants and other well-wishers. Thus, he and his team developed a three years strategic plan. However, he elaborated that they evaluate the plan quarterly due to fluctuating finances.
During project planning, the CNO revealed that the initial step of developing a strategic plan is conducting a needs assessment which helps to identify the areas that need improvement. It involves analysis of financial performance, resident satisfaction, staff turnover, and other metrics that rate the viability of their projected interventions. The next step is developing appropriate initiatives that address the critical improvement areas; a selected committee does this. During the development, the team ensures it has incorporated the relevant ideas and advice from other stakeholders such as the staff, patients, families, community partners, and investors. The plan will then be approved and forwarded to the board of directors. After approval, the implementation phase starts.
Due to the increasing competition from other healthcare facilities, the CNO admits to implementing market opportunity analysis where, in collaboration with the planning team, they conduct market analysis, where segment markets, and evaluate competitions and channels of referral (Swenson et al., 2018). In the process, they identify target markets that exhibit high demand and then develop marketing strategies for those specific markets.
On teamwork, the CNO insisted that team collaboration is an essential initiative in long-term care facilities due to the diversified nature of patient conditions. He pointed out that he tailored his leadership strategy to promote collaboration to promote operational efficiency. The CNO admitted that throughout his experience in the healthcare industry, he found team collaboration to be highly effective in nursing homes, and they have always contributed to improved patient outcomes.
When building teams for different tasks within the facility, the CNO confirmed that he unites team members by sharing clear goals and expectations. During this time, he ensured that he defined the roles of each team member and provided them with relevant resources. He also admitted that open communication is vital for ensuring every member is active in the team. He also admitted that he has always been a role model by exhibiting the desired attitudes and behaviors. It involved practical and interpersonal communication, a strong work ethic, being ready to learn from team members, and spearheading collaboration. He also noted that other initiatives that promote active team involvement are recognition, offering feedback, and flexibility in strategies to meet team members’ needs.
When asked to comment on the role of strategic management in challenges that leaders face in healthcare, he noted that the two main issues in the direction of nursing homes are staff recruitment and retention due to the problematic nature of the work and the relatively low pay. Furthermore, budget management is required because more revenue must be generated. However, he pointed out that those issues could be solved by employing strategic management techniques effectively, such as leveraging technology for cost savings, like telehealth, conducting an accurate needs assessment, and managing and motivating employees effectively.
During hiring, the CNO revealed that the first thing he looks at is the clinical expertise of the employee. That entails the certifications and the experience of working. He also investigates whether the candidate is empathetic, compassionate, have good communication skills, and is a team player. Due to the challenging nature of the work, he also evaluates the reliability and dependability of the candidate. He also considers the scope of understanding and application of ethics and integrity. These qualities are necessary for nursing homes to ensure high-quality care, develop healthy relationships with families and coworkers, cooperate with interdisciplinary teams, adapt to changing conditions, and deliver ethically sensitive care.
Recommendations for Future Careerists
One of the critical pieces of advice from the CNO to strategic management students about leadership was that “leaders are not born; they are made.” Therefore, any students aspiring to pursue any leadership position in the future should be ready to be made. Making in this context is multifaceted; it implies studying to master leadership tactics relevant to the student’s career. The current healthcare system is fast-paced, incorporating new technologies and giving rise to new problems. As a result, the students should take a personal initiative to ensure they are updated with the change. Such information will increase their understanding of the latest trends in the healthcare industry. He also insisted on only having theoretical knowledge without applying it. Therefore, he challenges students to be very keen when practicing, and they should always be ready to learn.
The interviewee also pointed out that leaders are role models; he revealed that there is no way a leader will be “preaching water but drinking wine.” He also insisted that a good leader should have good interpersonal skills, be accountable, be a critical thinker, and be emotionally intelligent. However, he pointed out that all those skills cannot be acquired through theoretical work; they need to practice, interact with other leaders and conduct personal research.
Summary
A chief nursing officer in a nursing care facility was the interviewee in this paper. He had over 13 years of service in nursing; his leadership style was transformational. Throughout the interview, he reflected on his personal and professional experience to appraise the role of teamwork, the challenges of strategic management in nursing homes, and hiring hacks in nursing care facilities. He also reflected on his journey to a leadership position. He advised students on critical areas in which they should be keen to have a successful career in strategic management or any related field. He commented that those pursuing strategic planning careers should be good critical thinkers, effective communicators, and good planners. He also revealed that they should be culturally competent and have skills in making data-driven decisions (Brauer & Wiersema, 2018).
References
Sandoval, B. E., Bell, J., Khatri, P., & Robinson, P. J. (2018). Toward a unified integration approach: uniting diverse primary care strategies under the primary care behavioral health (PCBH) model. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 25(2), 187-196.
Cantor, V. J. M., & Poh, K. L. (2018). Integrated analysis of healthcare efficiency: a systematic review. Journal of medical systems, 42, 1-23.
Swenson, E. R., Bastian, N. D., & Nembhard, H. B. (2018). Healthcare market segmentation and data mining: A systematic review. Health marketing quarterly, 35(3), 186-208.
Brauer, M., & Wiersema, M. (2018). Analyzing analyst research: A review of past coverage and recommendations for future research. Journal of Management, 44(1), 218-248.
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