The Role of Healthcare Facilities in the Mitigation of Health Impediments

The role of healthcare facilities in the mitigation of health impediments cannot be overstated. Healthcare facilities serve the purpose of housing, extending care and monitoring the progress of patients. From the initiatives, these setting hope to secure profit which aids in the sustenance of internal operations. The case study Greenbridge Medical Complex is a reflection of some of the dilemmas that the healthcare settings have to contend with in the extension of care. It captures the effect of competition between two healthcare institutions on the quality of healthcare.

Question 1

As the CEO of LMC, I expect objections from the Oaks Bluffs Hospital, the Oak Bluffs general community and the medical staff in the institution (Goldsmith, 2014). To begin with, the Oaks Bluff hospital will resist the overture given the fear for competition that is posed by the entry of LMC into the subject setting. In leasing the building at subsidized rates to the local groups of physicians, LMC would be facilitating increased competition for the Oaks Bluff Hospital. Since the hospital is a community project, it may not be able to resist the competition that is posed by the entry of the other local groups of physicians with better resources in the region. Given the limited market share that is available in the subject region, the two healthcare institutions will be forced to engage in an aggressive competition which may in turn impede the quality of the services that are extended (Simister, 2011). Lastly, the dissatisfaction expressed by the Oak Bluffs Hospital would result from the possibility of high rates of employment turnover which is manifested in the organization given that the employees may choose to move to the slightly bigger corporation in the Oaks Bluff region.

Alternatively, the medical staff in the Oak Bluffs region may object to the initiative given that it may resulting in significant downsizing. The entry of the LMC corporation into the limited Oak Bluffs markets, would significantly eat into the client base that is controlled by the Oak Bluffs Hospital. Given the modernity of the building and its relative newness in the subject region, most of the patients may choose to engage the services that are offered by the local group of physicians who comprise a part of the LMC body. The entry of LMC into the limited patient market negatively affects job security. When the number of patients start reducing, the Oak Bluffs Hospital will be compelled to offload some of the employees in order to sustain continued operations in the Hospital.

My staff at the LMC may object to the initiative given the structural changes in the administration that may take place in the execution of the changes. Alternatively, resistance may be inspired by the fear of job loss given the engagement of the local physician groups in the frameworks which are undertaken by the LMC corporation. The entry of more physicians, who project experience in the subject region, may impede the LMC’s ability to get clients (Simister, 2011). This factor may in turn inspire job losses which would adversely affect the employee’s job security.

Objections extended by the residents of the Oak Bluffs will be predicated on the influences that the LMC will have on the society’s environment. If the building poses a threat to the sustainability of the environment in the subject region, the residents will be disinclined against the initiative. The loss of jobs as a result of the negative influences that the construction may have on the staff at the Oak Bluffs Hospital provides the next factor that may impede the resident’s willingness to embrace the entry of the subject company into the Oak Bluffs community. 

Question 2

As a member of the Oak Bluffs medical staff, I will commit myself to the examination of the positive and negative implications of the entry of the LMC group into the subject community. The determination of the implications of the initiative will empower me to determine the methods and frameworks that can be engaged in the Oak Bluffs hospital to mitigate the competition that is posed by the new institution. To begin with, I will infer the establishment and ratification of contracts between the Oak Bluffs hospital and its medical staff to promote job security regardless of the effects that the entry of LMC may have on the patient base. Alternatively, I will reinforce the need for the engagement of community mobilization to augment their loyalty to the Oak Bluffs Hospital (Bunashe & Lindsay, 2015). Lastly, to mitigate objections posed by the LMC staff with regards to the internal structural changes, I would reinforce the immensity of the change in augmenting the efficiency of the interventions that they extend the patients. The expansion of the hospital further provides them with the opportunity for career development which comprises a significant element in the job settings. Expansion facilitates the employment of more employees which in turn reduces the workload that the medical staff at the LMC have to contend with.

Question 3

There are several reasons behind my objection to the expansion of the LMC in the Oak Bluffs Community. Firstly, the initiative has the potential to impede the quality of healthcare services. Aggressive competition redirects the financial commitments of the healthcare institutions from addressing patient concerns to the solicitation of more clients through marketing. Additionally, given the limited nature of the patient market in the region, the entry of LMC may serve to disrupt the stability of the heath care setting in Oak Bluffs. Alternatively, to maintaining the quality of the services that are extended to the patient I will encourage the engagement of durational reviews which allow the establishment of the quality of the healthcare programs that are overseen bu both the LMC and the Oak Bluffs hospital. To counter the implications of the entry on local physician groups, I would encourage the Oak Bluffs Hospital to augment its relationships with the members of the subject patient groups. Sustained interaction over a long period of time encourages loyalty which is pivotal in the sustenance of the patients by the community hospital.

In all essence, the project is not really a threat to the sustainability of the Oak Bluffs hospital. As a private institution, LMC is more likely to charge higher prices in their services compared to the charges at the community hospital (Simister, 2011). The number of patients who will be inclined to spending more on health will be few and spread out. Most of the patients will commit to an alternative that is less costly. Additionally, even though the entry of the LMC structure would disrupt the healthcare initiatives in the given setting, its disruptive abilities remain limited and disproportionate. The majority of the medical staff in the two healthcare agencies will still be the subject of the same factors irrespective of the entry of other players in the given location. It is less likely that the entry of the LMC would inspire structural changes in the community hospital. Lastly, since the community hospital is funded by the federal government, the competition that is posed by LMC is less likely to lead to the full closure of the Oaks Bluffs Hospital.

There is a possibility that the project will be good for the residents of Oak Bluffs community. To begin with, the project opens up employment opportunities which my serve the purpose of improving the economy of the residents in the town (Simister, 2011). For instance, the LMC will require additional personnel to monitor the initiatives that are undertaken within the institution. This opens up new job opportunities for the individuals in the community (Goldsmith, 2014). Additionally, the entry of the LMC corporation in the Oaks Bluffs community has the potential to improve the quality of the healthcare interventions that are instituted in the hospital settings. For instance, LMC will engage several local groups of specialists which will in turn augment the success of the healthcare interventions through the availing of a variety of treatment options. Lastly, establishment of the LMC facility in the Oaks Bluff region provides a source of revenue for the community. The administrative bodies in the region will be allowed the opportunity to collect taxes which facilitates the development of other infrastructure in the region and thus benefitting all the members of the community irrespective of whether they are inclined to or against the operations at the LMC.

To stop the project, I will have to rally public opinion against the project by reinforcing the corporate nature of the institution. The introduction of the LMC institution in the Oaks Bluffs community threatens the job security of the residents in the subject region. I will use this factor to discredit the efficiency of the institution in improving the economies of the residents in the region (Bunashe & Lindsay, 2015). I will further persuade the local physician groups to abscond their commitment to the LMC body. The organization’s priorities seem to be misplaced since they resorted to deception and lies in acquiring the land that was used in the construction of the land in the region. Since LMC has the financial muscle to engage in an aggressive marketing campaign, I will stress on its intent to increase the costs of healthcare in the region. Legally, the town’s administrative body will be forced to listen to its residents and shut down the operations of LMC in Oak Bluffs community.

Question 4

Indeed, LMC should be concerned about its actions being perceived as antitrust violation. The antitrust violations legal framework reinforces the protection of trade and commerce against monopolization, price discrimination, price-fixing and restraints (Associated Press, 2017). By accessing the relatively limited market which is served by the Oak Bluffs Community Hospital, the LMC sought to establish a monopoly in the healthcare service extension. Its action was further fueled by the refusal of the Community hospital to merge with it in the initial days. The engagement of a  self-informed corporation to acquire land serves to prove that the LMC company was aware that it was not welcome in the region but still chose to apply deception to acquire resources that would facilitate their entry into the subject market. Through restraints, such as offering leases at significantly lower prices to the local group of physicians is intended to deprive the community hospital of its personnel resources (FTC, 2017). The entry of corporation in new markets inspire price disruption which may impede the sustenance of the community health care settings in the long run.

References

Associated Press. (2017). Mayo Clinic doctor raises concern about antitrust violations. MPR News. Retrieved from https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/09/07/mayo-clinic-doctor-raises-concern-about-antitrust-violations

Bunashe, J. & Lindsay, B. (2015). How Leaders Can Best Manage Conflict Within Their Teams. Entrepreneur. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/247275

Goldsmith, S. B. (2014). Understanding Health Care Management. MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.

FTC. (2017). The AntiTrust Laws. Federal Trade Commission. Retrieved from https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/competition-guidance/guide-antitrust-laws/antitrust-laws 

Simister, P. (2011). Barriers to Entry & The Threat of New Entrants. Differentiate Your Business. Retrieved from http://www.differentiateyourbusiness.co.uk/barriers-to-entry-the-threat-of-new-entrants