DICUSSION response:
MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS AND METHODS
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Initial Post: Measurement Systems and Methods
Description of Healthcare Organization
My healthcare organization offers mental healthcare services and telemedicine for those who cannot make it to the clinic. The teleclinic offers ADHD testing, genetic testing, ketamine therapy, and transcranial magnetic stimulation. It also offers psychotherapy-related services such as cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behavioural therapy, EMDR, grief counselling, and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. The healthcare organization treats conditions that include ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety and stress disorder, bipolar disorder, sleep disorders, personality disorders, and oppositional defiant disorder. The patients who visit the healthcare organization suffer from mental health issues and rely on the care providers for the provision of quality mental healthcare services for the best outcomes for their health. One way the organization ensures that patients’ needs are met is by using scorecards.
Measures on Scorecards
Scorecards in healthcare are useful tools that monitor the activities of healthcare providers to identify useful measures and indicators that increase the innovativeness of healthcare organizations, allowing them to improve customer service and patient outcomes and eventually excel in their operations (Amer et al., 2022). My organization uses this tool, applying measures that focus on the patient in the process. These measures are staff-patient relationships, positive feedback from patients and their families, and positive word-of-mouth by patients to others after the provision of service. Gaining the data for these measures involves asking patients if they would spread the good word about the organization and whether they were satisfied with the services they have received in the teleclinic, among other questions. The care organization shares the scores from the surveys with the healthcare staff to boost their morale and make them feel valued if positive or to identify areas of weaknesses or quality gaps if negative.
Goals for Metrics (Establishment and Attainment in Health Organization)
The healthcare organization takes advantage of key indicators to set goals for the metrics in the scoreboards. Abuse (2020) Indicates that healthcare indicators are essential in the identification of processes that allow healthcare organizations to attain their set goals for quality improvement and best care provision. In this case, some of the goals for the organization that relate to the set metrics are increased positive feedback from patients, improved patient-provider relationships, and increased referrals to the clinic of new patients by previous patients. These goals are being attained by the organization and this is evident in the number of patients visiting the clinic and reporting that they have been referred by a patient who had been assisted by the care organization. It is also evident in the positive scores on the scoreboards in terms of quality provision and patient-staff relationship from the feedback gained from patients and their families.
Impact of Attaining Goals
Attaining goals is important for the health care organization as it is important for any other care setting or organization. Attaining the set goals is meaningful for the care providers as this means that they are providing patients with quality services and promoting positive care outcomes for them. For instance, when the organization receives positive scores on the patient-provider relationship it means that the care providers are showing compassion and understanding during their care provision and that the needs and concerns of the patients are being met. Furthermore, when there is an increase in positive feedback from patients and their families, it means that not only are the patients doing well health-wise but also that they are pleased with the way they have received care. Increased referrals benefit the organization by increasing its monetary input and allowing it to make a profit while providing quality care. All in all, the healthcare organization, its staff, and the patients benefit when the organization attains the goals it has set for itself.
References
Abuse, S. (2020). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: results from the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Amer, F., Hammoud, S., Khatatbeh, H., Lohner, S., Boncz, I., & Endrei, D. (2022). The deployment of balanced scorecard in health care organizations: is it beneficial? A systematic review. BMC health services research, 22(1), 1-14.