Opioid Abuse: West Virginia's Crisis

Focus Group 

Opioid addiction and misuse is a national concern. President Trump declared it a national concern in the year 2017 after its misuse shot high by 30% in 45 states; Greater attention should be directed at The youths who have registered an increasing rate of Opioid abuse (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2017). West Virginia has the highest Opioid overdose and deaths resulting from its use. The death rate is as high as 43.4 per 100,000 people in 2016; the rate is higher than that of the entire nation which was at 13.3% in the same year.

Kotter’s Methodology 

Introduction of change is a complex process for organizations irrespective of their size and complexity. In many instances, change fail due to lack of adequate planning, inadequate assessment of cultural fit models, and a weak change implementation strategy (Rajan & Ganesan, 2017). Sufficient time should be dedicated to planning. Most successful change processes allocate 30% of the time to the planning phase (Rajan & Ganesan, 2017). Kotter’s change model offers an elaborate strategy that applies to the whole process of change. At every stage, from the creation of change urgency to the final step, anchoring the changes in corporate culture, organizations needs are taken care of (Rajan & Ganesan, 2017). Therefore it formed the best option for this case scenario. 

Policies: 42 CFR Part 2 and HIPAA 

The 42 CFR Part 2 provides regulations concerning the management of information of persons entering and accessing treatments related to Substance Use Disorder (SUD). The regulations demand confidentiality on all users information by prohibiting unauthorized, restricted access to patient information (Government Publishing Office, 2019 ).HIPAA also serves the same regulatory measures but in a different dimension. For instance, HIPAA places responsibility on the care providers of ensuring that client’s information is kept confidential, protected under-scrutinized transfer and obligations by business associates to protect health care data from any threat (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2013). Therefore, the information sharing system must ensure the security of user-patient information, through 100% compliance with the law, held by the hospital or under the other clinics. 

Implementation and stage 5 of Kotter’s model 

The implementation strategy is illustrated in figure 2 below. The process will face obstacles from environmental factors such as the external environment, organizational challenges, and complexities in the implementation process. Many challenges will arise from within the organization who are likely to bring up high levels of resistance to change. However, they are taken care of by Kotter’s first stage of creating the need for the change by comparing the current system with the established policies. An external audit can help in making the point for an inevitable change. The activity will involve improvement of the care delivery system which has a more significant impact on healthcare quality. The vital decision will inform the organization’s internal stakeholders to make changes in the system as it impacts the patients significantly (Fisher, Shortell & Savitz, 2016). 

References 

Fisher, E. S., Shortell, S. M., & Savitz, L. A. (2016). Implementation science: a potential catalyst for delivery system reform.  JAMA, 315 (4): 339-340. 

Government Publishing Office. (2019). Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Retrieved from https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?rgn=div5;node=42%3A1.0.1.1.2 

Nationa Institute of Drug Abuse. (2018). West Virginia Opioid Summary. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-summaries-by-state/west-virginia-opioid-summary 

Rajan, R., & Ganesan, R. (2017). A critical analysis of John P. Kotter's change management framework. Asian Journal of Research in Business Economics and Management, 7 (7): 181-203. 

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2013). Summary of the HIPAA Security Rule. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/security/laws-regulations/index.html 

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2017). Opioids and Adolescents. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-development/substance-use/drugs/opioids/index.html