Established in 1999, Banner Health Network is a non-profit health system operating across 6 Western and Mid-Western states and running 28 hospitals plus various other specialized facilities while employing over 50,000 people. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, the organization was founded in 1999 after the merging of Lutheran Health Systems and Samaritan Health system. The organization’s primary mission is to cater for patient’s basic medical costs, emergency healthcare costs, rehabilitation, pharmacies, and long-term care among other services. Banner’s operations are based on the integration of new health care models, insurance plans and physicians. In addition, Banner Health covers for specialized treatment such as heart and bone marrow transplants as well as life-threatening conditions such as spinal injuries. In the year ending December 2018, Banner’s revenues stood at $8.5 billion (Ellison, 2020).
Readiness to Meet Healthcare Needs
Banner’s primary focus is the provision of safe and quality care. The organization has committed significant amounts of money to improve the quality of care and put in place stringent measures aimed at arresting identification errors which are an impediment in the delivery of quality services. Banner’s mission is “To make a difference in people’s lives through excellent patient care” (Banner Health, 2014). The organization has been able to improve service delivery through coordinated services and collaborations with other medical and research institutions. In addition, the organization established the cross-facility employees with the primary task of gathering new knowledge and integrating it to fit the organization’s needs (Armbrister, 2012).
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Banner Health has consistently been able to identify functional areas requiring improvement. There measures have been essential in sustaining performance. Additionally, Banner Health has continuously kept up with technological advancements in the medical field. As we move into the next decade, the upward trajectory in innovation is bound to go up. With good research team, strong employee back up, and the financial muscle to adopt new technologies, Banner Health appears well place going to the future. Healthcare needs are dynamic and vary from person to person; ensuring continued success into the future requires adapting to these changes, making continuous improvements, and establishing an efficient network concerned with improving the community well-being.
Strategic Plan
As the healthcare industry grows, it is important for an organization to put in place strategies and measures necessary to adapting to the new needs of the populace and those of the organization. A strategic plan that corresponds to the organization’s core principles is therefore necessary. The strategic plan is based defining, designing, and implementing evidence-based practices and designing new infrastructure for managing the health of the populace.
Network Growth
Establishing strategic partnerships aimed at complementing or supporting the organization’s health management vision will result in expanded interests and relationships necessary for the Network’s growth. Partnerships are more cost effective in comparison to mergers and acquisition, bring on bring on board shared interests, and are easier to implement thus becoming part of a larger network.
Nurse Staffing
Improve the current nurse to patient ratio from 1:3 to 1:2 with the goal of reducing the burden on nurses which will equally improve the quality of care. Improve the Banner simulator system in order to ensure the nurses are at par with the new technological advancements and are medically updated to the advancing future in healthcare.
Resource Management
Enhance quality resource management through designing reliable workflow and roles, develop necessary tools for efficient resource utilization, develop and implement clear communication channels, and enhance monitoring.
Patient Satisfaction
Banner Health Network has over time been known for its high patient satisfaction levels. Patient satisfaction will be enhance through provision of online tools allowing patients better personal care, personalizing treatment to fit every patient’s needs, and easing of patient’s access to information.
Current Issues within the Organizational Culture
Banner’s facilities are spread across six states, as such, adopting a single standard policy suitable for all the facilities is challenging. This stems from the fact that each facility is operating within different sociocultural factors based on geographical location. The sociocultural factors have an impact on the effective delivery of medical services. As such, certain policies are likely to only suit a specific region in one state but bring about even more challenges in a different facility in another state. Overcoming this barrier requires the integration of culture driven polices with the strategic plan. This includes prioritization of the patients and the identification of management themes corresponding to the needs and interests of the people. Other key elements for the successful implementation of the strategic plan include: clearly communication the organization’s vision, developing effective leadership, enhancing measurable accountability, and sustaining success.
Implementation Model
Strategy Map
As an implementation tool, a strategy map provides clear communication regarding a strategic plan for the purpose of attaining high-level business goals. This is a key tool in bridging the gap between strategy formulation and strategy implementation. Strategy maps show the cause-and-effect relations between an organization’s critical success factors. A strategy map is an essential tool in the development of an organization’s performance measurement system (Lauslahti and Alhola, 2003). Implementing a strategic plan is made simpler by the ability to visualize the plan and the determination of the key elements. A strategy map is therefore an important managerial tool in supporting strategy implementation.
References
Alhola, K., & Lauslahti, S. (2003). Balanced Scorecard kannattavuuden johtamisen välineenä. Tilisanomat , 2 (2003), 39-45.
Armbrister, M. (2012). Just what is Banner Health Planning? Northern Colorado Business Report 18(4)p2B-8B
Ellison, A. (2020). Banner Health's annual operating income sinks 31%: Banner Health saw revenues increase last year, but the Phoenix-based health system ended 2018 with lower operating income than in the year prior, according to audited financial documents released March 25. Retrieved 29 February 2020, from https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/banner-health-s-annual-operating- income-sinks-31.html
