Make responses to the 4 classmate posts that are thoughtful and advance the Discussion. Be sure to cite any sources you use in APA formatting. (minimum 75 words each)

HA255: Human Resources for Healthcare Organizations

CLASSMATE POST #1

Two challenges that affect human resources in healthcare organizations are the recruitment and retention of the right number of qualified staff and managing the changes that affect people. Recruitment and retention of staff is and will continue to be challenging to human resources in health care organizations because certain trends will affect the types and amounts of staff members needed. For instance, care for the aging population will continue to increase resulting in an increase of healthcare staff who are qualified to provide geriatric care (Flynn, n.d.). The challenge of recruitment and retention of qualified staff members affects the organizational outcome because if a facility is not adequately staffed, the result is staff burnout and possible patient neglect. These are two things that could negatively affect the facility and give the company a bad reputation. When patient neglect becomes an issue, the organization is at risk for not only a bad reputation, but possibly even lawsuits. On a positive note, when an organization is properly staffed, employees are happier and patient care will operate smoothly.

Managing changes in healthcare can involve things such as budgeting, new technology, and complying with healthcare laws. There are several types of changes in healthcare that take place, these are just a few. Proper budgeting could mean that human resources must find a way to staff enough employees while not spending too much money on payroll. It may also mean that the company decided to do a budget cut and HR has to figure out how to balance the budget between paying employees and ordering supplies for the facility without spending too much. Another example of change would be if any company policy changed, human resources would be responsible for educating employees on the changes and enforcing the new policy as well. Managing changes in healthcare impacts the organizational outcome in several different ways. One example is that if budgeting is not done carefully, too much money could be spent resulting in bankruptcy for the organization. However, when budgeting is done properly, the company will gain money and possibly be able to expand. Another example is if policies are changed and human resources educates employees and enforces the changes fairness is maintained within the workplace. When communicated properly, policies provide structure, control, consistency, and reasonableness in the workplace (Harper & Hill, 2018).However, if the changes are not properly communicated and enforced, it may create an unstable work environment and the company will suffer because it will lack all of the things listed above.

-Felicia M.

CLASSMATE POST #2

There are several challenges that affect the many different areas of the healthcare industry. One challenge that was discussed in chapter 1 that caught my attention was the quality of work life. According to Flynn, W.J., more and more healthcare work environments are in a high demand for 24 hour a day care every day of the week. This is outside what is originally called the normal workday which would be an 8 hour shift and outsides what would be considered a normal work week that would be a 40 hour week with every other weekend included. Often times when employees are home from work they are working on payroll, work, or the schedule which still conflict with their personal life habits and responsibilities and conflict with family. Even though they are home they are still not able to spend the time with their family as the demand of the work schedule is priority. This puts a huge impact in families. Some single mothers are very impacted with this. They are paying more as their children are in daycare more often then most other children and in return with the demand of the hours that are needed for 24 hour care, parents are missing special events or sports that their children may be involved in at school. Having some type of on-site daycare available and a flexible scheduling program would greatly help in this area if the employment is within the hospital or agency. However when it comes to the private in home care that requires the demand for 24 hr care that could potentially become an issue as it would be a HIPPA violation with having your children within the consumers homes. Maybe having more training’s available at a low cost would help get more people involved and interested in the healthcare field which in return could potentially split hours so that shifts could be made instead of around the clock care for one care giver.

Another challenge that stood out to me was technology. The technologies within the healthcare alone are forever upgrading constantly a the years go by. When I first started in home care at our local hospital in 1994, we manually used a stethoscope and BP cuff when someone needed their BP checked. Now a days, almost 26 years later, I find myself still using and checking BP’s manually. However, they now have machines that check them for you. We also spent most of our time during a visit at the ER writing and documenting everything in black or blue ink. Now, almost every employee that you come in contact with while at the ER or in the assisted living homes have computers or lap tops too which you document all the patient or consumers information in and what was done while there with them. Some problems that may arise or challenges would be the lack of computer knowledge that the employee may have. It need’s to be offered and taught more to prepare them much better within the nursing or healthcare field. Having training’s available as well will give the employees effective and safety training to operate the new technology before it is placed in the work force to be used. A moto our facility uses is “If you weren’t trained and never used it do not touch it.” This is not only for the employees safety but the patients safety as well. Not having the proper training could cause potential safety concerns and/or cause more problems or possible law suits if something went wrong. Making sure that the company as well as the employees are all up to date with any and all technologies and procedures not only helps the workdays run smooth but also builds respect and trust from the patients and their families towards the employees as well. It only takes 1 upset patient and family, and 1 neglect or abuse report for your company for it to spread throughout the community and cause it to be shut down, fined, sued, or all of the above.

Crystal Reed

HI135: LEGAL ASPECTS OF HEALTH INFORMATION

CLASSMATE POST #3

Health information management professionals are responsible for working with patient health information. AHIMA defines HIM as “the practice of acquiring, analyzing, and protecting digital and traditional medical information vital to providing quality patient care”. Working as an HIM professional involves accurately recording patient information and keeping it secure in order to provide quality patient care. HIM careers include health information manager, medical coder, healthcare data analyst, clinical documentation specialist, compliance auditors, and several medical record jobs. HIM professionals are highly trained in technology systems that store electronic health records and must be willing to learn new systems because healthcare technology is always advancing. Chapter 3 improved my understanding of HIM by clearly explaining the difference between data governance and information governance. Prior to reading chapter 3 I only thought of information governance when I thought of HIM. As a patient we only see the side of HIM that deals with our medical records, diagnosis, bills, etc. My biggest takeaway from chapter 3 was learning how complex HIM is regarding the development of technology that is required to keep patient data secure.

Amber

CLASSMATE POST #4

Health information managers have a vital role and a great deal of responsibility for providing protection for patients’ information of the organization they serve, as the responsibilities of monitoring and that of providing the highest standards of data integrity, confidentiality, and security depends on the HIM. As a Health information manager, the totality of their care for patients includes staying abreast of new technology which promotes, and protects the information of patients (AHIMA, 2019). Prior to reading chapter 3 of the text, I had no clear understanding of data governance as it applies to HIM professionals. It is evident that HIM professionals have a responsibility of governing organization’s data assets as well as implementing policies and procedures on how data is received, retrieved, and used for the effectiveness of that organization’s management.