Hospital

The prevalence of blindness in Nigeria according to the national survey done in 2009 is 1.05%. Preventable blindness is a prevalent problem particularly in southern Nigeria with a population of 63 million. There are about 4 million people in Nigeria with seeing difficulties and approximately 180, 000 become blind annually. 75% of the eye problems are curable, however about 54% of the population lives at or below the poverty line and thus not in a position to afford expensive eye care (Abdul 2009, pp. 20-22).

Description

Jatry Eye Centre is the largest provider of eye care in the country through its network of 3 tertiary, 7 secondary, 2 mini-hospitals (12 in all) and 25 primary outreach/eye care clinics. All its eye care centers are equipped with reliable state of the art eye care facilities and staffed with professional health workers and paramedics. In the past few years of its existence, Jatry eye centre has treated more than 12 million patients in OPD and performed about 1.2 million major and 1.3 minor eye surgeries in Nigeria (Mohindra et al 2008, p. 345).

Future development trends

• Increased HIV complications together with a normal increase of glaucoma and cataracts in the next 15 years. This will mean more budgets for cataracts-advanced primary screening system might increase cataract patients-more cataract surgery with intraocular lens implant-reduced cataract backlog.
• Advanced screening for:
• Glaucoma
• Cataract
• Telemedicine and Tele-ophthalmology
• Training for cataract surgeon and training for CSO and ophthalmic health workers.
• Prioritization
• Any advances in cataract, childhood blindness, corneal blindness, and glaucoma.
• Partial blindness in southern Nigeria.
• Quality of care

Jatry eye centre is founded on the basis of quality services to people of Nigeria, particularly southern Nigeria.

Shortcoming and limitations:

• Absence of qualified ophthalmic surgeon.
• Cataract backlog-long waiting list of patients.
• Absence of adequate and reliable secondary clinics.
• Absence of community-based service rotation program– to strengthen secondary and primary eye care.
• Eye care staff.
• Committed ophthalmic staff.
• Materials: Ophthalmic micro-surgery equipment, ophthalmic drugs, intraocular lenses, and other disposable eye care materials.
• Maximizing available IT eye program.
• Eye care services

The eye care services in Jatry Eye Centre are grouped into primary and secondary services;

Primary eye care services include:

• Vision screening
• Squints, amblyopic, and refraction screening
• Glaucoma, diabetic, hypertensive retinopathy, and cataract screening
• Planned intraocular pressure check and visual field
• Secondary eye care services include:
• Planned cataract surgery which includes intraocular transfer
• Planned Trauma and glaucoma surgeries
• Planned Amblyopia and Strabismus treatment
• Yag capsulotomy
• Underlying magic

Jatry Eye Centre embraces uniqueness and quality of service. In this way the eye centre is expected to maintain a leading end in the industry.

• The quality- in Jatry Eye Centre quality is achieved through engagement of qualified ophthalmologists, ophthalmic nurses, optometrist and care assistants utilizing state of the art eye technologies that will assist in the delivery of quality eye services. On the other hand, planning will be carried in advance and since the service is only for eye care, there will be more emphasizes, low variability and comparatively increased efficiency.
• Uniqueness-the eye centre plans to offer a suture less cataract surgery. This is purely a unique service. Studies showed that only 25% of the population in Nigeria is able to access eye care services. The rest, either do not have the buying power or the infrastructure does not favor them. Therefore, this service will be of its kind in Nigeria. On the other hand, the cost is within common man reach since it is only ¼ of the cost of the incumbents.
• Competitors

Jatry Eye Centre’s competitors include:

• Privately owned eye clinics-because the geographical site of the eye centre will be in the sub-urban and rural area, there will be no immediate threats, locally. Most of the eye centers in Nigeria are located within the urban areas and are hundreds of miles away. This will give Jatry eye centre an opportunity to capitalize on rural and also sub-urban regions of the country.
• The government owned hospitals-in Nigeria most of the state owned hospitals lack specialized eye care services. This places the eye centre in a better position in competing for the available market.
• Substitutes-some crude traditional procedures such as use of concoctions, couching, herbs and other self- prescribed medicinal eye drops that can only buy time, however cannot provide a permanent solution to eye problem.
• Competitive advantage

The competitive advantage of the eye centre lies in its strengths and barriers to enter the industry. Below are the strengths and barriers to entry of Jatry Eye Centre;

Strengths

• New technique- Jatry eye centre aims at presenting a new approach to eye care services.
• Technology-the eye centre embraces the technology of suture less surgery which is more efficient compared to traditional methods.
• Low fixed cost-fixed cost of operation in rural and sub-urban areas is about 8 times that of urban areas.
• High quality-the centre embarks on accurate diagnosis, fast customer response, and excellent patient satisfaction. The eye centre also offers free follow-up and it is more accessible to customers.
• Competitors-in rural and sub-urban regions there are few competitors.
• Barriers to entry
• Affordable price-due to high variable cost, it is difficult to offer eye services at a lower price. But the eye centre will use the low fixed cost as a stepping stone and offer its services at low price.
• Quality service-the industry does not offer incentives towards promoting high quality among private practitioners.
• Subsidy-government owned hospitals enjoy subsidies on medical equipments and medicine.
• Free screening of diabetes and hypertension.
• Promotion-regular and planned campaigns present a problem in educating the public.
• Growth plan

The growth plan of the centre is a mix of the following:

• Jatry Eye Centre plans to expand and capture different parts of Nigeria.
• The eye centre is actively seeking to enter into contracts with corporate institutions, state, federal and local government-owned hospitals to take care of their eye patients.
• On the other hand, the centre is planning to integrate their services by launching their own lenses manufacturing laboratory which will produce optical and intraocular lenses in commercial quantities.
• International eye services-the eye centre is planning to go international and provide services in neighboring countries like Cameroun, Togo, and Benin.
• Capacity-the centre plans to increase bed capacity so as to accommodate more patients.

Status and Time Line

• Market and sales analysis
• The target market-Jatry Eye Centre targets both rural and sub-urban regions in southern Nigeria, with an estimated market of 4 million people with eye problems. The market is segmented such that school going children (from 4-11) represent 25% and the adults (12 years) represent the rest.
• The financial value-the financial value of the eye centre is 120 million pounds. The centre is planning to capture a modest 6% of the entire market in rural and sub-urban areas. This will offer business revenue of about 6 million pounds within two years (Wiesel and Hubel 2006, pp. 1009-10).

Conclusion

From the above discussion, it is clear that there is a huge gap in the delivery of eye care services in the southern region of Nigeria. This has created a business opportunity in Nigeria and other surrounding countries.  Tapping into this business opportunity will not only provide revenue to the business but will also be of societal good.

Bibliography

1. Abdul, M 2009, Prevalence of Blindness & Visual impairment in Nigeria: National Blindness & Visual Impairment Survey, vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 20-36.
2. Wiesel, T & Hubel, D 2006, Single cell response in striate cortex of kittens deprived of vision in one eye: Neurophysiology Journal, vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 1003-17.
3. Mohindra I, Jacobson SG, Thomas J & Held R 2008, Development of amblyopia in children: medical journal, vol. 99, no. 7, pp.344-6.
4. Sight Savers International, The Nigeria national blindness & visual impairment survey 2005-2007, retrieved from, http://www.sightsavers.org/about_Nigeria%20blindness%20survey.pdf on 7 June, 2010

 The food service industry (catering industry in British English) encompasses those places, institutions and companies that provide meals eaten away from home. This industry includes restaurants, schools and hospital cafeterias, catering operations, and many other formats, including ‘on-premises’ and ‘off-premises’ caterings (Bharathiar University, 2008). It may involve few processes before the food is ready to be served to the consumer.

It is important to understand the flow of food through a foodservice system in order to determine the system. Food flows through ten possible processes such as menu planning purchasing, receiving, storing, preparing, cooking, holding, serving, cooling and reheating. But then, not all of these processes applicable for all type of food service system (University of Mississippi, 2008). Hospital food service may practise either one type of the food service system. These are conventional, centralized (commissary), ready-prepared or assembly-serve (Unklesbay et al. 1977). The background of this study is based on hospital food service which practice centralized system. Food production plays a critical role in meeting objectives of the foodservice of the department and satisfying the expectations of customers or patients. This system is responsible for translating the menu into food in the required quantities. The nutrition value, flavors, and appearance of foods are vital tools for restoring or maintaining the health of patients and in satisfying the needs.

Muda is a Japanese word which means waste (Bob Emiliani, 2002). In lean management, it listed seven wastes to be eliminated for quality improvement, cost and speed of any organisations regardless of either it is food producer, car manufacturer or even in the office. Overproduction occurs when more products was produced than is required at that time by customer. Production of large batches is common practice that leads to this muda. Overproduction is considered the worst muda because it hides and/or generates all the others.

Overproduction leads to excess inventory, which then requires the expenditure of resources on storage space and preservation, activities that do not benefit the customer (Bob Emiliani, 2002). Study of the trend of customer number is beneficial, in order to minimize overproduction. Just In Time practice or Made-To-Order practise shall be installed in any foodservice provider since food are very susceptible to get spoiled and fresh foods are shorter shelf life. From the past study of overproduction, less researchers associating trend of number of consumer and verproduction. Their main concern are towards overproduction and wastage associated with nutrient deficiency especially in hospital food service industry. According to Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (2010), data captured from the study of trends could be use to target intervention and improvement practice from the perspective of overproduction. After ten years of experience in hospital food service, Besta Corporation Sdn Bhd had found that study of trends of in-patients numbers is upmost in order to minimize overproduction.

There is a pattern of in-patient number from Monday to Sunday. It depends on when the specialist or referral clinics are operated. The day of operation is different from one hospital to another. It had been found that, when those clinics operated, there is high numbers of admission, and when towards the weekend when clinics are closed, the patient number will drop due to discharge and less admission. If the trend is not properly identified, is certainly causing overproduction of foods in the hospital’s main kitchen.

This proposal aims to study the importance of identifying trend of in-patient number and factors affecting to overproduction in outsource food service Ministry of Health (MOH) hospital operated by Besta Corporation Sdn Bhd in Klang Valley. To reflect the variety of trends of in-patient number and understand their implications for overproduction, I had selected three hospitals, which, for confidentiality reasons, I call Hospital 1, 2 and 3. These hospitals practising cook and serve system.

Most menu items are prepared primarily from basic ingredients on the day they are to be served. LITERATURE REVIEW According to the 9th Malaysian Plan, approximately 45% of the solid waste collection in Malaysia is from food wastage, as compared to 24% of plastic, and 7% of paper wastage (9th Malaysian Plan, 2006). In food preparation, there are production demands that need to be met with. However, it is almost impossible to meet the exact production demand at all times due to many factors which could not be calculated or determined, hence there will always be overproduction.

Overproduction is the production of more food than that is needed for service, which generates extra costs because the salvage of excess food items is not always feasible (Gregoire, MB. , 2010; Flack, KE. , 1959). This, in turn, becomes food wastage, and is deposed of as thrash. Any action performed or product made that is not paid for by a client is waste (Buckner, 2011). This also results in the loss of income, especially for the cost of the food already prepared and yet company has to bear the cost and shrink the bottom line/net profit.

Therefore, leftover food must be handled diligently. Some food can be stored by refrigeration, and re-used at a later period, but some food will break down and deteriorate in quality. Due to these circumstances, guidelines with policies and procedures in handling the leftover food are prepared, well defined, and rigorously enforced in the food service sector. However, not all food items can be stored. Therefore, the only way to avoid food wastage and loss of income is to avoid overproduction in the first place.

In most food service sectors, the food service managers, or the outlet managers are responsible in calculating and formulating the amount of food to be prepared. Normally, meetings are held with the employees from the production units, and their recommendations are taken into consideration as well, in order to avoid overproduction. They are responsible in keeping production records to document the amount of food prepared, the amount of food served, and the amount leftover and disposed. Using information, future productions can be controlled and reduced.

For example, the LeanPath Company has designed a program called ValuWaste (LeanPath, 2009). This program includes the incorporation of their equipments used in the kitchen, as well as weighing the food prepared, food served, and food leftover at the end of each meal. These data are then processed according to an employee recognition program for recognizing reduction in waste efforts. Many other companies have developed their own food waste management programs, and this is definitely a very good way to increase their efficiency, as well as increase profits.

Importance of Data and Information Flow The word “information”, according to Ibaketo et al, (2003), comprises known knowledge, facts and ideas, data (analog or digital) that when given out or received make sense to both the sender and the receiver. The information could be written, spoken, gestured, drawn, coded, and pictorial or signals carried out over the air waves. According to Kalchschmidt, M. , 2007, collecting the information of in-patient number is beneficial, since it allows company to better analyze and understand the demand.

He claimed thus collecting a wide range of data allows company to provide functional area with an in-depth demand analysis that may help to reduce uncertainty with regard to future events and define action accordingly. This in turn, can impact on company’s cost thanks. Information is useful to the organization in assisting most forecasting procedures build on the premise. However, many firms do not keep adequate records, nor have they thought through a consistent approach to collect information (Fildes, R. , 2010).

The information flow shall be efficient and fast in order to generate accurate forecast. From the literature review, I can conclude that, there is a relationship between data and information and the forecasting process in order to minimize overproduction. Importance of Forecasting Process In literacy sense, forecasting means prediction. According to Kumar, A. , 1998, forecasting may be defined as a technique of translating past experience into prediction of things to come. It tries to evaluate the magnitude and significance of forces that will be affect future operating conditions in an enterprise.

Thus, demand forecasting, is an estimate of future demand. Most of the forecasts made in current operation practice in Besta Corporation Sdn Bhd overestimate demand. It is supported by Kumar, A. , 1998 claimed demand forecasting is essential for the old firms and new firms. It is much more important where the firm is engaged in large scale production and there is a long gestation period in production process. In such circumstances, an idea about future demand is necessary to avoid underproduction and overproduction.

Therefore it is possible to have a forecast that will provide enough food for all patients to get what they ordered but with an increased wastage or overproduction. There are three lengths of forecasts, which are short-term forecasts, medium-term forecasts and long-term forecasts. From my point of view, the short-term forecast is the most ideal in food service hospital management. It is involve a period up to twelve months. These are useful for determining sales quotas, inventory control, production schedules, budgeting and planning cash flows (Kumar, A. , 1998). Importance of Portion Control

Portion control is important throughout food production and meal service. It involves careful menu planning and purchasing procedures, as well as accurate measuring during food production and meal service (Iowa Department of Education, 2011). Controlling the size portions can control food costs (Lendal et al. , 2007). Inconsistent portion size might lead to overproduction, so it is essential to develop proper portioning standards that prevent excessive waste (Karen Malody, 2011). Portion control helps in managing more effectively by reducing waste and leftover of food.

Poor portion control causes overproduction. During food preparation, access to ingredients should be authorized and the amounts of ingredients taken should follow meal forecasting. Otherwise, more food ingredients are used for food preparation which leads to overproduction. The book written by Kumar, A. (1998) mentioned about the necessary of forecasting in quantity control. It shows the relationship between forecasting, portion control and overproduction. The other main cause of overproduction is in the ingredient control.

Ingredient control is the major component of quality and quantity control in the production subsystem, and a critical dimension of cost control throughout the food service system (Gregoire MB, 2010). The ingredient control is tied closely to the forecasting of the daily food production. In order to remedy this cause of overproduction, there should be a tighter control of the ingredients room, which has been dated to back in the late 1950s (Flack KE, 1959). This will restrict access to the ingredients by the cooks, or kitchen staff, and therefore allowing only the authorized amount of ingredients to be issued.

This will not only help control overproduction, but also reduce labour costs, as evidence in Dougherty (1984), where it was shown that in an operation without an ingredient room, production employees spend about a third of their time determining needs, obtaining supplies, and weighing and measuring ingredients. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Although there are many research conducted about overproduction in food service industry, but there are still lack of study on overproduction in relation to trend of consumer number especially pertaining to hospital food service.

The aim of the research is to study the trend of in-patient number and how it will contribute to overproduction of meal in outsourced hospital food service operated by Besta Corporation Sdn Bhd as supported by Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (2010). If no further action taken, inaccuracy of forecasting, inefficiency of information flow and inconsistency of portion control prolong and overproduction remain unresolved. Overproduction cause producing waste, increasing of cost and affect the profit earned. Profit is essential for the survival and growth of business enterprise (Shenoy, D. 2011). Therefore, analysing census of in-patient number and data collection of overproduce meal, assist in executing the research. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Main objective: To study the trend of in-patient number in outsourced food service Ministry of Health hospital operated by Besta Corporation Sdn Bhd in Klang Valley. Specific objective: 1. To tabulate the data of time of in-patient meal order send to kitchen department. 2. To tabulate and analyse the data of in-patient meal orders from Nursing Department in each hospital involve. 3.

To measure the number of serving overproduced at the tray line for each main menu item listed in menu cycle after serving time. 4. To identify the difference between the forecasted meal order for production and actual number of serving served for each of the main menu item listed in menu cycle. Inclusion criteria All the normal and therapeutic menu items listed in the three hospital menu cycle. Exclusion Criteria Children menu, vegetarian menu, western menu and any ala carte order will be excluded. Reducing overproduce meal allows organisation to save some money on commodities, labour, energy and disposal costs (LeanPath, 2008).

Furthermore, by reducing waste, it helps the environment through reduce significant carbon emission and landfill disposal. According to Fildes et al. (2009), improved demand forecasting accuracy can lead to significant monetary savings, greater competitiveness, enhanced channel relationships and consumer satisfaction. These statement made by the researchers show how important is controlling overproduction in the financial aspect of the organisation. Portion control is one of the essential controls in production of food in quantity (Gregoire, 2010).

This is to ensure that all patients receive the same quantity and quality of food, because they are all equal paying customers. In order to ensure this, the first step to be taken is to standardize all serving utensils, like plates, cups, spoons and ladles. These utensils should be then taken into consideration while planning the standardized recipes. Normally, these serving utensils are given their respective numbers, according to their serving capabilities, for example, a level measure of a number 8 disher yields eight servings per quart, with each portion measuring about ? cup (Gregoire, 2010).

Therefore, each individual dish must have their own serving utensils, with a proper number, and method of serving. Only then, consistency in food serving and portioning be maintained. Often, instead of numbers, some kitchen also uses colour codes for their serving utensils, which is a method that was developed by Vollrath Company. By doing so, if the portioning requires two cups of rice, the manager can instruct the employee to use the blue ladle to serve the rice (Gregoire, 2010). THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND HYPOTHESIS Dependent variable: Overproduction of in-patient meal Independent variables: 1.

Information flow in-patient meal order from Nursing Department 2. Forecasting of in-patient meals order 3. Portion control of in-patient meal at the assembly line Hypothesis: 1. The faster the information flow of the in-patient meal data, the lower possibility of overproduction 2. The larger the different between forecasted in-patient meal order and the actual serving of meal, the bigger number of overproduce meal occur 3. The larger number of left over meal after assembly line, the higher possibility of overproduction RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Generally, there are three types of research designs.

For the purpose of this study, descriptive research is selected due to it is designed to obtain data (Hair, 2007). Under the classification of cross-sectional, data are collected at a given point in time and summarized statistically. First is data of in-patient meal order from Dietary System will be collected and tabulated in Microsoft Excel and SPSS in order to identify the trend of the in-patient number. The Dietary System is already in placed in each of these three selected hospitals as the hospitals operated through intranet system or it is called Total Hospital Information System, THIS, namely Hospital 1,2 and 3.

Plus the time that the meals order indented to Kitchen Department. Second is collect and tabulate the data of forecasted in-patient meal number using Microsoft Excel and SPSS as well. Third is data collection on number of overproduced in-patient meal through these methods: 1. Visual estimation/counting After finish the serving time at ward level, the total pieces of meat, poultry or fish are counted and recorded. Those items mentioned are pre-cut and can be quantified as one piece. 2. Weighing of food item

After finish the serving time at ward level, for those dishes which could not be quantified into pieces or slices such as vegetables, weighing method was used to record the amount remaining. The instruments use in this study is aluminium strainer, digital food weighing scale, and food container, basting spoon, household measuring tool: rice bowl that can contain 200grams of rice. Data Analysis Descriptive statistics is used to obtain understanding of data collected. Data of trend of in-patient number will be presented in histogram, whereas, data of number of overproduced in-patient meal will be presented in bar chart.

She works with me at Trihedral in Cincinnati, OH, as an Insurance Coordinator. Also, she is a University of Phoenix graduate class of 2012. I work very close with Tomcat Goodwin in the Insurance Verification department, as an Outpatient Surgery Financial Counselor Rep II. In my paper will discuss my interview I had with her. During the interview, she described her primary responsibility, her career path and did her college education prepare for her current job. She will discuss her length of employment at Trihedral , and identify the customer she assist.

She gave me information for education requirements to become an Insurance Coordinator, and grow in the health care field. Lastly, she explained how she interacts with others in their environment. To become a Health care Insurance Coordinator formal education along with well versed knowledge on various health insurance policies. Tomcat G (2014) suggests that an individual needs to be current on different health care policy, so they can coordinate the patient’s benefits. The Insurance Coordinator has several responsibilities for assisting patients, health insurance companies, and various departments within the company.

Tomcat G. (2014) says, “As an Insurance Coordinator you will be responsible for assisting patients in dealing with the health insurance claims. It’s your job to contact insurance companies and patients regarding outstanding balances. The person must be initiative to resolve and research billing issues. ” Tomcat daily routine consists of preparing administrative and functional reports for our manager. She prepares invoices on behalf of the department manager. Finally, job duties include receiving incoming calls, and making outbound calls to other divisions.

She has to have good communication skills. Growing up Tomcat always had a passion of helping others. As a little girl she planned to be a fire fighter, but she got older she found a passion for the healthcare field. When her grandmother become ill and she discovered the lack of health care coverage her grandmother had. During her grandmother illness, Tomcat came across a few people and seeing the passion they had in their eyes to help others. Tomcat wanted that same feeling, while working with the community. After her grandmother passed away, she decided to go o school and study healthcare.

Tomcat wasn’t interested in being a physicians or nurse; she wanted a road less traveled. She knew she wanted to do something in healthcare, but what she didn’t know. After, several conversations with her Academic advisor, Tomcat knew she was making the best decision of life. Tomcat gradated from the University Of Phoenix 2012, with BBS in Healthcare Admit Management. She is currently working on her MBA at the University of Phoenix. Her long term goal is to be the director of Oral Surgery. Tomcat G feels that University of Phoenix prepared for the lath care industry.

Her education prepared different promotions at Trihedral. Tomcat encouraged me to return back to school, and complete my degree. Tomcat has worked at Trihedral for 8 years and within these years she has been promoted 4 times to higher levels in the company. The department she works in goes beyond the job requirement. We help family members manage emotional and financial challenges of caring for their family members or loved ones. To be in this department the employee must have sympathy and compassion towards the customer. The employee customer will change day o day based on the employee is working.

At times my customer may be the health insurance company; am calling them to verify coverage and co payments for the patient. A few calls later my customer maybe the claims department, and other various departments. Tomcat feels that working in health care you were different hats to get the job done correctly. Tomcat thrives on being a leader in patient satisfaction through excellence and quality care to any customer. Trihedral is physicians, hospitals, and communities working together to help people live better. Trihedral is located in Cincinnati, OH.

Operational efficacy in any institution is essential to the success of the organizational goals and objectives. Healthcare institutions encounter an increasing challenge in proper utilization of resources, improving care and lowering costs. The reduction of bottlenecks and the implementation of solutions that facilitate efficient elucidations to major challenges allow any business to prosper. However, In Long term acute care (LATA) hospital facilities for seniors, the assertion Is easier said than done.

Successful action management is not a ‘one time’ event. Our Lady of the Lake demands rational ND accurate decision-making. The capturing, evaluating and improving data is the first phase on the path to prosperity. This research paper examines the fundamental aspects of operational management in an L TACT hospital setting. Our Lady of the Lake is focused on how events will be planned and organized to advertise the hospital and ensure that the community embraces all of the services.

Our Lady of The Lake Hospital explores how advertising will be done to increase the publicity of the facility. In conclusion, it explores the purchasing and inventory processes that the Hospital ill need in order for its success. Operation management is focused in dealing with facts to streamline future performance of an organization. Therefore, it is imperative to capitalize on the sizes and accuracy of data collected.

The tools that are essential for improving the operation of L TACT are contained in the data collected. The management of the analyzed data is essential in supporting quality decision-making. Inherently, data is determined by the numbers and figures collected. In each series of numbers lies a specific pattern. The recognition of the trends in these series enables one to exploit hem in improving the day-to-day operations of the facility (Russell & Taylor, 2010).

The critical phases of ensuring effective operation management in L TACT hospitals include: Setting the objective Identifying the inherent and potential risks Defining success criteria in terms of benchmarks Assessing risks involved in meeting the set success criteria Producing the action plan and setting the timeline Implementing the action plan Monitoring and reviewing the outcomes of the plan The increasingly competitive healthcare industry requires facility management to improve hospital and health systems through the incorporation of innovative operation management strategies utilized in other successful industries such as manufacturing plants and factory floors to get ahead of competition and gain market share through the provision of high quality health services. The Kamikaze Technique will be utilized to ensure success in the facility. The technique is widely and successfully used in the manufacturing industry.

The approach will comprise of the analysis of the client’s experience from start to finish. This will be a continuous process where relevant and appropriate alterations will be initiated to improve all service aspects. The process starts from the design of the facility, through the organization of surgical supplies and planning of Mrs., to the movement of clients. As the operations gradually improve, the facility will save 3. 5 percent per patient annually. The efficacy improvements will enable the hospital serve 40 percent more clients in the next five years. The move will allow the company to circumvent more than $30 million in capital expenditure.

Therefore positioning the hospital to have sufficient funds for further expansion. Planning and organizing events New businesses require marketing regarding their existence, the offering of alternatives, improved services compared to the existing ones and consumer awareness. Community events are among the events that have previously proved successful in engaging the community to ensure that they can identify with an organization. The events that involve patients and their family members are essential in demonstrating the potential of a L TACT facility. Considering that Our Lady of the Lake hospital in this research paper is new, it is essential to demonstrate to the public the potential of the services and the staff.

Initially, in order to reach a wide customer base, the hospital will engage the services of an advertising agency to forums for adults where they can freely interact with the hospital staff. The marketing department will use the opportunity to promote the services offered by the facility. For children, the events will include plays that will keep them engaged as the adults are given information about the hospital and the new services that will be offered. It is imperative to develop a strategy that will ensure attracting a huge customer base. In this regard, the hospital will offer free long-term service for the first three patients in each of these events.

Others that will attend the events will be given free one-time service and consequently requested to make follow-up visits to the facility (Punk, 2013). Planning and coordinating advertising for visibility The emergence of many hospitals requires that the institutions invest significantly on advertising to promote the services offered and attract clients. Intrinsically, few hospitals do not advertise their services particularly those that offer services unavailable in other hospitals such as cardiac and neurological services. In financing advertising, hospital managements require implementing a variety of best raciest to ensure the success of the strategy (Russell & Taylor, 2010).

These strategies will be utilized to ensure the success of the L TACT facility. The facility will embrace retail advertising. This strategy requires taking the promotions to where the potential clients are located. Prior to camping in these locations, the hospital will place adverts in the local newsprint, social media, bill boards and television. The adverts will only be meant to catch the attention of the public about a forthcoming exhibition in selected shopping malls building one on one relationships with community members. The actual demonstrations will be inducted in the exhibition stands in a variety of the selected shopping malls, parks and streets.

The approach will allow clients see the available products while marketing staff will explain the services, and the physicians and clinical officers will answer questions (Carcinoma, 2013). The marketing division will target holidays and condition-cognizance months to promote the technology, services and medical staff. The holiday-based promotion is projected to expand. The hospital will therefore have the opportunity to engage clients, relatives and medical staff in a constructive way. At the same time, the managements will attract media coverage. Considering the wide target market, the management will require increasing the marketing manpower (Moan, Kumar & Superhumanly, 2013). Additionally, it is imperative to be discriminatory when selecting the advertising and promotion efforts.

For instance, it is economical to label the pharmacy bags of the hospital. Passersby are likely to notice the hospital’s logo on the bag when carried by a patient. They will become inquisitive about the new hospital in their backyard and people tend to remember images the more they see them. To properly encode a memory, you must first be paying attention. Since you cannot pay attention to everything all the time, most of what you encounter every day is simply filtered out, and only a few stimuli pass into your conscious awareness. Purchasing and inventory The first step towards the effective operational management is the purchase of of processing devices and servers.

The Health Information Technology (HIT) will cater to the rest of the software to run an efficient operational management system. There is a wide range of inventory materials that require to be purchased for maintaining patients’ records. However, considering the contemporary level of technological advancements, it is imperative to embrace emerging technologies to ensure competitiveness in the healthcare industry. Among the technologies that will be utilized in the facility to facilitate operational management include Electronic Health Records (ERR), Electronic Medical Records (EMMER), Personal Health Records (PAR) and Health Information Technology (HIT). To successfully purchase and implement the technologies, there will be a process involving the mapping of chart data.

This process aligns contemporary used data components with the features of the ERR. In order to maximize the reimbursements of the HIT, the conversion process will be leaned and the workflow will be reviewed to establish any opportunities for improving the processes. The digitizing of all the hospital records will simplify and prompt access of any information that facilitate the efficient delivery of services. These technologies will be integrated with accounting packages that will enable the evaluation of the hospital’s financial performance while reflecting the impact of other technologies aimed at streamlining service delivery (Russell & Taylor, 2010).

The Arena BOOM Control assists organizations in managing bills of materials (MM). It also helps in controlling the equines change process while sharing product and service information with suppliers and providers. Using such a strategy in the L TACT facility will ensure that the right products are generated, patients get the right service, schedules are met and costs are controlled. Implementing solutions using an operational lens, the facility will receive extra- and well-earned-visibility in addition to the attention received through advertising. The package is essential for monitoring resource utilization. References Carcinoma, A. (2013). Strategies for hospital advertising success.

Healthcare Industry Overview Grid University of Phoenix Susie Hughes HCS 235 August 1, 2011 Ms. Frutchey Healthcare Industry Overview Grid Complete the Health Care Industry Overview Grid that is located below. There are many areas within the health care that are options for career placement or advancement. Research different fields within the industry, such as pharmaceutical/drug, health information systems, and long-term care/gerontology, and fill in each box to contain information regarding the health care industry.

There is an example that is already started to help with the process, but ensure you include adequate information to support your findings. Use a minimum of three references to support your information. This assignment is due in Week Three. Industry| Career Explanation| Industry Examples| Role of Health Care Personnel| Manufacturing (Equipment/Supplies)| Offers a wide selection of medical equipment and supplies, from home-health products to examination room products to fit the every individual’s health care needs.

Professionals, organizations, and associations may find quality and affordable medical equipment and supplies for clinics, hospitals, nursing facilities and home health environments. | Surgical/medical instrumentsOrthopedic, prostheticsAppliance/suppliesDental equipmentx-ray apparatusrelated irradiation equipmenthospital beds stethoscopesBlood pressure cuffsWound care supplies| Biomedical Equipment Technician- Maintains adjusts, calibrate and repair a wide variety of electronic electromechanical and hydraulic equipment used in hospitals and other medical environments.

Medical Supply Representative- Engages in selling and marketing of healthcare products, supplies and equipment. Medical Equipment Delivery Driver- A individual that picks up and delivers medical supplies and equipment. (www. bls. gov)| Pharmaceutical/Drug | Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing industry develops and produces a variety of medicinal and other health-related products that save the lives of millions of people from various diseases and permits many people from suffering from illness to recover to lead productive lives (www. ls. gov). | Develops/produce, and markets medicine approved by the FDAAre allowed to deal with generic/brand named drugs and medical devicesAntibioticsTranquilizersOver-the-counter drugsVitaminsVaccinesSerumsMedicinal Chemicals| Chemist- Searches for new knowledge about chemicals and use it to improve the quality of life. Molecular Biologist- Work in government, hospitals, collegiate institutions and pharmaceutical companies, performing molecular test to understand disease.

Director of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Operations- Responsible for the FDA compliant manufacturing of clinical supplies and commercial product. Operations also include packing, shipping and receiving materials. (www. bls. gov)| Health Information Systems| Deals with resources, devices, and required methods to store, retrieve,s assemble patients’ health information including medical history, symptoms, examination results, diagnostic tests, treatment methods, and all other healthcare provider services.

Technicians organize and manage health information data by ensuring its quality, accuracy, accessibility, and security. (www. bls. gov)| EMR-electronic medical recordEHR- electronic health recordsMaster Patient IndexPatient SchedulingBilling/Claim Process(Chin, 2010)| Health Information Management System Technician- Handles databases, planning for information system, identifies existing/future information requirements and expands health policy. Medical Coder- Assigns codes to special medical procedures and services for billing private/public insurance companies.

Registered Health Information Administrator-Responsible for the upkeep of patient’s records in a hospital or other health care facility. (Hill, 2010)| Long-Term Care/Gerontology| * Long-Term Care/Gerontology is an area of health care that deals with, and examines the aging population. | * Home Health care facilitiesNursing HomesAssisted Living CommunitiesRetirement HomesRehabilitationHospiceMental/Substance Abuse Facilities| Bio gerontologist- Studies the physical and biological affects of aging.

Long-Term Care Nurse- Tend to the physical and emotional needs of the aging or chronically ill. | References Bureau of Labor Statstics. Occupational Handbook 2010-11 Edition. (2011). Retrieved from http://www. bls. gov Chin, D. (2010). Types of Health Information Sytem. Retrieved from http://www. ehow. comlist_6860442_types_health_information_systems. html Hill, J. (2010). Career in Health Information Systems. Retrieved from http://www. ehow. com/list_7221980_careers_health_information_systems. html

Europe there was the Saxons, the Vikings and the franks, these were the three sides of conflict. Europe was filled with violence, illiterate people, superstition and no medical knowledge. They still believed that disease was caused by evil spirits or god(s).. The Islamic empire can reveal a respect for knowledge from all cultures; this made it significant. In their hospitals and pharmacies they would let anyone practice as a doctor. Also they would let anyone be a patient no matter what culture, country or religion. This reveals that the Islamic empire was religiously tolerant.

It also is remarkable as the scholars were the first people to build hospitals with different wards for different illnesses. The scholars also collected knowledge from all countries and religions because it didn’t what race you are, if you have new knowledge it was valuable. They collected knowledge from India, china, Greece, Italy, all over the empire: in fact it would take someone a whole year to go from one side of the empire to the other. This shows that they were willing to give up at least a year of their time to collect knowledge.

Medieval Baghdad should be remembered for the contribution it made to our lives today. The scholars discoveries in medicine are still relevant today as they were the first people to do complicated surgeries. This includes cesareans and eye surgeries. What was remarkable was the fact that they had a 60% success rate on the eye surgeries. Our knowledge of medicinal practices would not be advanced if it were not for them. The scholars gathered information like a new way of writing numbers. This meant that they could write all the numbers from O to infinity with only 10 humbly.

The person who did this was called AAA-Swarming. In fact we would not have any computerized technology without the numbers O or 1. This resulted in change as they found a whole new way Of writing numbers which actually made calculations easier. The layout of the city of Baghdad which had double walls and only certain places that you could enter inspired the design of the castles in Europe. Our castle would not the same in any way, shape or form if it were not for the architects designing the city of Baghdad.

Also they would not have defended s well if it were not for them either. The reason we do not remember Baghdad for what it used to be is because there is no record of the books they wrote or that they collected the knowledge. Baghdad lost power over its empire as the smaller caliphs decided that they did not want to know more about science, math or astronomy. People called the Mongols destroyed the library which had held all of the books and knowledge that they had spent so long collecting.

Health tour is a good way for people to cure their disease or maintain their health. It is becoming more and more popular and playing an important role in tourism industry As it known to all, Asia has many resource for health tour, such as the nature environment and the experience of health care. India and China are famous places for health care. But Health tourism is more booming in Europe than in Asia. Why? Asian health tourism also should be promoted.

The purpose of this essay is to analysis the definition of health tourism and the advantages and obstacles of promoting health tourism across Asia. Definition of “health tourism” Health tourism is also called Medical tourism ? medical travel and global health care. It is a term to describe the rapidly-growing practice of travelling to get health care. And, It is an commercial action that some sellers deliberately promoting its health-care services and facilities to attract tourists. Such as Most of the natural therapeutic resorts, as well as the spa resorts, offer the possibility of combining your visit with a range of holistic treatments.

This kind of treatment includes water therapy, Ayurvedic medicine, and conventional massages. And most of the therapeutic resorts are hotels offering special vacation packages that include treatments and pampering, as well as board and lodging. The advantages and obstacles of promoting health tourism across Asia Advantages: Firstly, from the angle of the economy, it includes price dominance? physical infrastructures and market economics. Asian countries have many resources for health tourism and adequate labor that can provide comparable medical tourist services at lower prices.

For example, China is becoming a destination for Westerners who want to take advantage of stem cell treatments . Hong Kong offered A wide range of health care services. It has 12 private hospitals and 39 public hospitals in 2006, providing 3124 and 27755 beds respectively. India is known in particular for heart surgery, hip resurfacing and other areas of advanced medicine. The government and private hospital groups are committed to the goal of making India a leader in the industry. The industry’s main appeal is low-cost treatment.

Singapore has a dozen hospitals and health centers with JCI accreditation. In 2000, The World Health Organization ranked Singapore’s health care system sixth best in the world, the highest ranked system in Asia . Patients from developed countries such as the United States and the UK are also beginning to choose Singapore as their medical travel destination for relatively affordable health care services in a clean cosmopolitan city. Water, Waste management, Telecommunications, Power Transport, Money and Banking are all the physical infrastructures.

Thailand, one of the countries in Asia, for 5 years, staring in 2005, the Thailand government plants to invest US$41 billion, or 26 percent of GDP in infrastructure such as electricity, transportation, housing, irrigation, health and education. Market economy is very important to the development of health tourism. Health tourism as a commercial transaction must be develop in a free market. Economic globalization is a trends in modern society. It is the same in Asia. The Asian Financial Crisis in July 1997 is enough to prove it. Medical tourism is a growing segment of Thailand’s tourism and health-care sectors.

In 2005, one Bangkok hospital took in 150,000 treatment seekers from abroad. In 2006, medical tourism was projected to earn the country 36. 4 billion baht. Secondly, from the angle of the policy, health tourism needs developed political and legal institutions. It consists of political environment? legal system ? low, order and the provision of a safe environment. China is country who pay more attention to the social health system especially to the poor. So the legal system to protect the health care agency. It is good for health tourism. Thirdly, from the angle of the society, it includes Domestic research and development ? he influence of high-tech medicine and traditional healing? Tourist appeal? Human capital. It is known to all that Asia has many resources of health-care, like the Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda. So it can be used to the domestic research and development. We are in a technology society now, technology is the impetus of health industry. New products should be produce with technology. By developing the technology to promote the health tourism is an important strategy. The most important thing is that some Asian countries combine the high-tech medicine and traditional healing , so that traditional experience and technology can be combine.

The reputation of Asian medicine is high, tourists appeal to travelling to Asian to get health care. Because some methods is close to nature and its side-effect is least. So it is attractive. Finally, human capital is also a important thing to develop health tourism. Westerners go overseas to countries such as China and India not because it is cheap, but because it is highly educated. The skill and educated is the productivity to health industry. Countries that have more human capital, especially human capital appropriate for the medical tourism industry are at an advantage over those who that do not.

And it is one of the advantages in Asia. Obstacles: Firstly, there are many international regulations in the world. Patent is very important to economy. And it also very important for a company , it can be looked as productivity. If new products created by a company can not be protect, there will be many fake products and the competition of this company will be reduced. Western countries pay much attention to the patent, even some of them will look it as the life of the economy. You know that patent is not be much accounted in many Asian countries. Some health-care products can not be protected well.

It lead to some sellers can not make much money. So the passion of them will be reduced. It will affect the development of the health tourism. Secondly, international standard and accreditation or credentialing is also a obstacle for health tourism to develop. Although it is globalization nowadays, there are still many problems about accreditation or credentialing. If someone want to go aboard, maybe it is not easy for some countries. The process may be vey confused. The standard of international is not in a high level since the developing standard is different for many countries.

Maybe it is very convenient between European countries, but not the same in other countries like in Asia. So sometimes travel to other countries for health travel is not an easy thing to many people. Thirdly, public and private health insurance in source countries increase the portability of health tourism. I think health traveling is an kind of consumption, if it need more people to consume it, it must have some policy to ensure it. So that people will not be afraid of fear. Most of the Asian countries are not very poor, farmers occupy most in the total population. The heath insurance of health-care has been less developed.

These countries always pay more attention to their economy and policy. Many Asian countries have been the colony in the history. At that time, they have no economic sovereignty. So the standard of their economy is not in a high level. Absolutely, it is worse than western countries. So both public and pravite health insurance in sourse countries in Asia is in shortage. This may obstruct the development of health tourism. Fourthly, legal resourse and protection of patients is also very important. All the patients must be respected by the whole society. Be respected by others and every one be look as equal is also one of the human rights.

If someone who travel for health to an Asian country, he or she shouldn’t be discriminated. I have heard a news said that a man who has a strange disease and he travel to Thailand to cure this disease. Few days later he was known by many people. He got exposure by the journalists in Thailand. I think it is not good for him and his wellness. And it is not the humanism. The value system is different in different countries. But all we should do is protect the patients as much as we can. Since the standard of legalization is not high, the government must lay down some laws to protect the health tourism in Asia.

In European, the regulation system is very strong. Fifthly, entry requirements and transportation is a problem in Asia. Because the economy is not strong in Asia, the infrastructure is not enough and without high quality. Without transportation, the communication will be less. Tourists from other countries can not get Asia for health tourism and the resource from different areas and not be exchange. So, to promote the health travel, traffic system must be improve and perfect. Or else, it will obstruct the promoting of the health tourism. Conclusion In this essay, I talk about something about health tourism.

It include the definition and the advantages and obstacles it promoting in Asia. If we want to develop the health tourism in Asia, we must make the most of it and change the obstacles to advantages, so that it can be well-developed.

Reference:

1. http://www. jointcommissioninternational. org/23218/iortiz/ JointCommission International (JCI) Accredited Organizations .
2. Health system attainment and performance in all Member States, ranked by eight measures, estimates for 1997 Medical Tourism: Hidden dimensions by Rabindra Seth, Express Hospitality, June, 2006, retrieved September 12, 2006