Gateway Care Center, which is a nursing care facility located in New Jersey, has been engaged in a program that seeks to expand its hospital wing with the sole intention being towards ensuring that it can accommodate more bed and an intensive care unit (ICU). The facility has been providing long-term health care services to its patients and incorporates a physical therapy clinic. Currently, the nursing home has a bed capacity of 52, which surpasses the demand from the local community; thus, creating the need for the expansion program. At its current status, it is clear that the Gateway Care Center is experiencing significant challenges in seeking to capitalize on the current demands for long-term care. In the current program, the facility aims to expand its bed capacity to approximately 120 beds, which would include two ICU beds to serve some of the critically ill patients.
A review of Gateway’s mission, vision, and goals indicates that it strives towards ensuring that it would be able to improve the quality of life for its residents, staff, and communities through providing that the quality of health care services is advanced. From this perspective, what is clear is that the facility's demand for the program conforms with its mission, vision, and goal considering that expansion of its bed capacity would mean that the facility would be able to serve a more significant population. That serves as a clear reflection of the need for having to set out a well-structured approach through which to try and understand the effectiveness of the facility’s expansion program. Ultimately, this will help in determining whether to maintain the program fully or whether it would be essential to merge it with other applications.
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Assessment
The following is an in-depth evaluation of the program focusing on the various factors that impact the feasibility and project development:
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Increasing the number of admissions. The program will be of great value towards ensuring that the facility increases the number of admissions by a margin of 30%; thus, ensuring that it can increase its profitability.
It is improving capacity for the facility to take up more patients as a way of improving the quality of life for the communities. A review of the description of the program indicates that it seeks to improve the standards of care that the facility aims to offer as a way of ensuring that it can capitalize on patient needs and wants.
It is establishing a well-structured health care delivery system. That can be seen from the fact that the facility will include an ICU unit to help in dealing with some of the critical health cases that it handles.
It is promoting value compared to the alternative. The construction of the new hospital wing would mean that the facility will focus much of its attention towards improving on value for its patients by creating a much more advanced platform for delivery of health care services.
Weaknesses
Financial implications of the program, as it is a program that requires a substantial financial investment. When embarking on any project, one of the critical aspects to consider is the financial implications that the project would have, as this would determine whether indeed the project is justified (Stanley, Malone, & Shields, 2016).
Opportunities
Expansion of health care services offered to its patients as a way of diversifying to help increase demand. The program will contribute towards increasing demand for care at the facility, reflecting on the fact that the facility will be well equipped to allow for enhanced service delivery.
Complacency in building the facility’s competitive capacity. The program seeks to ensure that the facility can rely on its competitive advantage, considering that it allows for a higher ability to compete against some of the more extensive facilities in the region.
Threats
Shifting construction costs that are likely to cause a fluctuation in the set budget for the program
Lack of trust with the construction companies and contractors involved in the project.
PEST Analysis
Political
The program is likely to face bureaucracy in the local government that would affect its ability to adhere to the set timeline. Another critical political factor that the program is expected to encounter is regulation and deregulation, considering that the expansion needs to conform with specific guidelines that define the structures in the health care industry. The program is likely to be highly regulated attributed to its overall nature concerning its approach towards creating a platform for improved health care service delivery.
Environmental
The program is likely to contribute to ecological degradation, taking into account that the management would need to make space that would be utilized as a part of the construction of the new wing. Another environment factor to consider is the lack of availability of renewable materials that would help minimize the impacts of the expansion to the environment. The use of renewable materials in construction projects may have a positive effect on reducing the environmental consequence of the plan (Hodgson, 2002).
Social
The main social factor that ought to be considered as part of the program is the attitude that the local community may have towards the expanded facility. While because the facility's expansion is occurring within the context of its ability to provide quality care, it is essential to consider the overall impact that this would have concerning the community's attitude. Another critical social factor to consider in defining the viability of the program is the opinions that may have been presented concerning this program. The views help in shaping the strategic direction a project is expected to take considering that the project is often likely to create a vital platform for acceptance (Ogilvie, Allen, Laryea, & Opare, 2003).
Technological
From a technological perspective, the first key factor that would most likely affect the program is 3D technology. The use of 3D technology is essential, as it helps in creating a model that would be used as a replica model; thus, allowing for ease in the determination of the critical areas of strengths and weaknesses (Lavoie‐Tremblay, Aubry, Cyr, Richer, Fortin‐Verreault, Fortin, & Marchionni, 2017). In this case, the use of 3D technology affects the completion of the program, as it reflects on a strategic approach through which to define the different aspects of the program. The second key factor that would affect the program is the construction technology adopted. The use of much more advanced construction technologies would mean that the construction of the hospital wing will be completed within a limited time while ensuring that the development meets the set standards. However, it is essential to consider the cost of the technology irrespective of its impacts on the project.
Implementation
While reflecting on the fact that the program is a crucial project for Gateway Care Center, it is essential for the management to ensure that it adopts effective strategies that would help in capitalizing on expected project success. The first strategy that would be recommended for the facility would be beginning with the end in mind. In this strategy, the main expectation is that project managers would seek to engage in a project with the focus being on the expected outcomes (Freire, Batista, & Martinez, 2016). In the case of this program, the manager would need to create both short and long-term goals that the program intends to achieve. Additionally, the program manager would also be expected to provide the management with an outline of how the program will accomplish each of these goals. The consequence of this strategy is that it will help in creating a positive mind that seeks to define expected project outcomes.
The second strategy that the management may need to adapt, as part of its engagement in the program, is monitoring with accountability. Communication is a crucial factor of consideration in project monitoring, as it helps in ensuring that the different parties involved in the project can follow the progress achieved within a given period (Waxman, 2017). In this case, the program manager would need to create an effective communication strategy that would incorporate the top-level management at the facility. The expectation is that the program manager would be able to communicate every aspect of the program, including some of the underlying challenges that it faces. Through communication, the top-level management would be in a strategic position through which to ensure that the short and long-term goals, as had been presented, are met adequately.
The third strategy that the management may need to adopt in its bid towards ensuring that the program achieves its intended objectives is that it must seek to build a high-performing team. Starting from the program manager, the team involved in the application must be highly qualified in the field, as this would mean that the possibility of success would increase significantly. Additionally, this would also mean that the team would work towards meeting the short and long-term goals while seeking to build on an informed approach through which to capitalize on the endless possibilities of program success. The team will be vetted to ensure that their understanding of the program meets the expectations while considering that this would serve as a determinant of whether they work towards the set goals and objectives.
Program Evaluation
Program evaluation is essential in seeking to determine whether indeed the program's objective aligns with the organization's mission, vision, and goals. Several fundamental evaluation techniques will be utilized in attempting to evaluate this program as it relates to its strategic expectations post-implementation. The first technique that will help in the evaluation of the program is summative evaluation. The summative assessment seeks to engage in an environment of a project as a whole while trying to provide suggestions on how the project may be improved (Kerzner, 2017). In this case, the use of summative evaluation will focus more on seeking to determine specific aspects of the program including its adherence to timeline, budgetary allocation, and its impact on the facility’s overall corporate positioning.
After the implementation of the program, it will be important to embark on a process through which to engage in a systematic evaluation of the project at different stages. At the end of each stage, the project will be evaluated to determine its adherence to the different aspects that seek to define the overall effectiveness of the project. For example, the use of summative evaluation will seek to determine whether the construction has been undertaken in adherence to the laid out guidelines. That will serve as a key determinant of whether indeed the project is moving in the right direction as it reflects on creating a standard approach through which to meet some of its strategic goals. Through summative assessment, it will be much easier for the management to determine whether to continue with the project as a stand-alone or whether to merge it with other projects being undertaken.
The second evaluation technique that will be considered as part of the evaluation of this program is outcome evaluation, which will specifically focus on the short-term impacts associated with the implementation of this program. Outcome evaluation is a strategic project evaluation approach used in seeking to determine whether the outcomes related to the project meet the needs of its target audience (Marchewka, 2016). In this case, the main expectation is that the program would seek to ensure that the attitude held by the local communities towards Gateway Care Center changes significantly. That can only be determined by evaluating their understanding of the project while seeking to understand how they perceive the new hospital wing that is being constructed concerning its impacts on the ability for the facility to provide the best quality of care for its patients.
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Conclusion
Gateway Care Center, which is a nursing care facility located in New Jersey, has been engaged in a program that seeks to expand its hospital wing with the sole intention being towards ensuring that it is able to accommodate more bed and an intensive care unit (ICU). A SWOT and PEST analysis of the program indicates that it is viable for the facility as it seeks to ensure that the facility is able to capitalize on the increasing demand for care. Based on the discussion, some of the key strategies that the facility would need to consider as part implementing the program include beginning with the end in mind, monitoring with accountability, and building a high-performing team. The adoption of these strategies would mean that the facility is well-positioned in seeking to ensure that it moves towards its strategic objectives.
References
Freire, E. M. R., Batista, R. C. R., & Martinez, M. R. (2016). Project management for hospital accreditation: a case study. Online Brazilian Journal of Nursing , 15 (1), 96-108.
Hodgson, D. (2002). Disciplining the professional: the case of project management. Journal of management studies , 39 (6), 803-821.
Kerzner, H. (2017). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling . John Wiley & Sons.
Lavoie‐Tremblay, M., Aubry, M., Cyr, G., Richer, M. C., Fortin‐Verreault, J. F., Fortin, C., & Marchionni, C. (2017). Innovation in health service management: Adoption of project management offices to support significant health care transformation. Journal of nursing management , 25 (8), 657-665.
Marchewka, J. T. (2016). Information technology project management: Providing measurable organizational value . John Wiley & Sons.
Ogilvie, L., Allen, M., Laryea, J., & Opare, M. (2003). Building capacity through a collaborative international nursing project. Journal of Nursing Scholarship , 35 (2), 113-118.
Stanley, D., Malone, L., & Shields, L. (2016). Project management supports the change process. Nursing Management , 47 (6), 52-55.
Waxman, K. T. (Ed.). (2017). Financial and business management for the doctor of nursing practice . Springer Publishing Company.
