Health Care Utilization Nursing Home Administration

University of Phoenix April 14, 2014 As an Administrator of our local nursing home it has come to my attention that we have been bought out by a national group. With this change being made there will unfortunately be displacement of some of our residents. This paper will describe both the advantages and disadvantages of using different types of media for communication. It will also describe the effects of HAIFA on these types of communication.

As the administrator I would be what some call the collaborator during this conflict/situation. As the collaborator I will try to meet the needs of both parties, see the conflict as a neutral, listen to the needs, and view all that are involved as equals during the changes (Cheeseboard, O’Connor, & Iris, , 2010) . I will team up with communication specialist during this time to help our clients reduce their uncertainties, bridge boundaries, provide social support and also help build skills. Another part of my plan will be to work with the media.

It is important to understand that as a part of our mission in this organization we need to keep people informed about any and all changes that could occur. It is also important to know and understand that both health care and media organizations will benefit if they can learn to work together (Cheeseboard, O’Connor, & Iris, 2010). Being visible in the media is not only good for business but also it will boost the morale of the people both within the organization and the individuals who use the organization. When dealing with the media there are both advantages and disadvantages.

When it comes to the advantages the electronic form of communication is top priority. For instance electronic communication benefits individuals across the world unlike traditional immunization that is mostly based around small communities. Electronic and social media communication brings information via television, conversations, graphics, charts and even interactive software (Palmyra, 2012). Another advantage is that conversations can be visual as well as textual. This can help with communication between individuals who might be hearing impaired or even from a different cultural background.

Now we all know where there are advantages there will also be disadvantages. When we talk about disadvantages the main issue is security and privacy of the individuals involved. When it comes to electronic or social media communication we have to be careful that our computers don’t become hacked or even contract viruses. Also with the volume of data being so large and transmission of this data being so fast there becomes a barrier of difficulty with absorbing, processing, and even understanding of the data.

This also causes a problem of providing the proper and necessary feedback (Palmyra, 2012). Another disadvantage is that there could be a possibility of the information that is being processed to become lost. Now that we have talked about the advantages and disadvantages of hose types of communication we can now focus on HAIFA and how it pertains to all of this. HAIFA is the Health Insurance Accountability Act and is used to help protect patients by giving those rights over the use of any and/or all of their medical information (Longer, 2006).

This Act also provides patients with certain limitations on who can have access to their information. In my situation many of the patients that have to be relocated have not approved the release of their information. Because of this there will be some hurtles, but according to HAIFA there can be some PHI protected health information) that can be disclosed (Longer, 2006). Some examples are information for treatment. Information for payment of treatment, and information for performance of health care operations.

This can include but is not limited to general administration, financial and some legal aspects required operating a health care institution. This is the disclosure that I would use in this situation to help in the relocation process of the individuals who will no longer be with us here. In conclusion as the administrator it is my duty to abide by HAIFA and only disclose information that is necessary to maintain the facility. It is also my duty to insure that everything runs smoothly through the transition and that everyone is happy in the long run.