HSOs are integrated systems that operate to promote the delivery of health care services. That is, HSOs are composed of multiple departments that are intrinsically linked across the health care delivery process. To that end, the processes that occur within HSOs take considerable input from the environment or multiple stakeholders to modify, contribute to, and define how health care should be delivered or practiced. However, it is possible that, at times, the processes that make up the HSO are not in themselves effective and efficient in delivering health care. Therefore, how might health care administrators approach the different systems that comprise HSOs and the system of the HSO itself to contribute to potential areas of improvement?

This week, you examine systems theories as they relate to management in HSOs. You consider the role of leadership for promoting improvement initiatives in HSOs and evaluate which leadership approaches are most appropriate for initiating improvement. You also analyze current improvement initiatives in different HSOs.

Discussion

Consider the following scenario:

Rene is a health care administrator who works for an HSO in a large urban area. Because she was previously a health care provider, Rene is sensitive to the need for health care delivery that also promotes patient safety. As part of the responsibilities in working within the HSO, the board of directors has asked Rene about the needs of the HSO for fostering improvement initiatives. To that end, Rene suggested initiatives aimed at increasing patient safety in light of a recent report citing poor patient safety across all departments in the HSO. The board agreed and has made Rene responsible for developing a new patient safety initiative. Rene quickly communicated with several department leads to determine potential courses of action to improve patient safety within the HSO. A meeting to hear from each respective department with contributions on how to implement a new patient initiative is slated for next week. Several department heads and the board of the HSO have been impressed with the commitment that Rene has demonstrated thus far.

How are improvement initiatives put into place within HSOs? How might leadership and the approaches used by leaders contribute to the implementation of improvement initiatives in practice? As a current or future health care administrator, you will likely encounter improvement initiatives aimed to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of health care delivery.

For this Discussion, reflect on the scenario presented and consider the role of leadership for improvement initiatives in HSOs. Then, think about improvement initiatives currently in place at your HSO or an HSO with which you are familiar.

Post a description of the improvement initiative(s) currently in place at your HSO or an HSO with which you are familiar. Explain how leadership is related to the particular improvement initiative selected. Then, explain the levels of the integrated system of the HSO, and suggest two approaches that leadership might use to work within these levels to execute the improvement initiative you selected. Be specific and provide examples.