Academic Journal

Georgia's Critical Access Hospitals: Financial Performance and Process Improvement

التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
العنوان: Georgia's Critical Access Hospitals: Financial Performance and Process Improvement
المؤلفون: William Mase, Bettye Apenteng, Lisa Carhuff, Mark Hanna, Kwabena Boakye, Linda Kimsey, Samuel Opoku, Charles Owens, Stuart Tedders, Patricia Whaley
المصدر: Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association, Vol 7, Iss 1 (2017)
بيانات النشر: Georgia Southern University, 2017.
سنة النشر: 2017
المجموعة: LCC:Public aspects of medicine
مصطلحات موضوعية: critical access hospitals, performance improvement, lean six sigma, financial analysis, operations management, Public aspects of medicine, RA1-1270
الوصف: Background: Georgia’s Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) are in crisis. Within the last 2 years, four CAHs have closed their doors due to failed financial and operational performance. Evidence points to the risk that several more are on the brink of closure. CAH closures have far-reaching impact on residents. Negative impacts include the extra distance that patients must travel to seek care, the displacement of health professionals and the unravelling of the entire fabric of the communities these hospitals serve. We hope to help participants understand the financial and operational challenges of CAHs, and to identify realistic strategies to enhance the resilience of these hospitals. Methods: The Georgia Southern team worked with a cohort of CAHs across the state of Georgia to identify financial and operational best practices. Year 1 of this project focused on data collection, analysis and benchmarking. Year 2 is currently focused on performance improvement through Lean Six Sigma. Results: CAHs face financial constraints due to factors such as low volume, declining market share, unfavorable payer mix, challenges relating to collections, and difficulties in recruiting providers. CAHs in Georgia performed more poorly on the financial indicators assessed, in comparison to respective national medians. Many CAHs in our cohort are better organized to deal with crises – utilizing strong executive and bureaucratic structures – than to pursue ongoing improvement through employee empowerment and a processfocus. Conclusions: Improvements in the operational and financial management practices of Georgia’s CAHs may significantly improve performance. Evidence-based strategies for operational and financial improvement are vital to sustainability. Opportunities exist for collaboration between public health systems and rural hospitals, including CAHs in assuring healthcare access for rural populations. Key words: Critical Access Hospitals, performance improvement, Lean Six Sigma, financial analysis, operations management
نوع الوثيقة: article
وصف الملف: electronic resource
اللغة: English
تدمد: 2471-9773
Relation: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/jgpha/vol7/iss1/26; https://doaj.org/toc/2471-9773
DOI: 10.21633/jgpha.7.127
URL الوصول: https://doaj.org/article/2d17088686c541fcaab74b0f896a9e0f
رقم الانضمام: edsdoj.2d17088686c541fcaab74b0f896a9e0f
قاعدة البيانات: Directory of Open Access Journals
الوصف
تدمد:24719773
DOI:10.21633/jgpha.7.127