Evolving Hospice Telecare Research Paper

Change Initiative Paper: Evolving Hospice Telecare
Evolving Hospice Telecare
Introduction
Perhaps one of the greatest triumphs in United States history, World War II was essentially ended upon the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The boom heard around the world was not the only important outcome but rather what came after which was the baby boom. Many weary husbands that were coming home to eager wives caused one of the biggest statistical jumps of birth rates following the war. Often referred to as the “baby boomers”, this generation becomes especially important to the medical field in the present day. This is where hospice comes into play, allowing individuals the choice of obtaining this benefit upon reaching a 6 month or
In the past decade, hospice in general has been coming under fire for keeping patients too long in their services should their prognosis improve. According to the Union Tribune, it was announced on February 13 of 2013; San Diego Hospice had filed bankruptcy and closed due to the Medicare audits that investigated patient eligibility. This type of publicity not only brought a negative light upon San Diego hospice but all across San Diego including Vitas. While the change may not come too easily, steps must be taken toward reshaping the public view in order to regain their trust to put their loved ones into Vitas services. Additionally, with the economy still not in a great state, lack of efficiency is costing the company. As the Patient Care Administrator of Telecare, I was responsible for maintaining a smooth flow of calls without tying up the customers on hold for too long. One of the biggest flaws that contributed to high call volume was the lack of both communication and following of scheduled breaks. Too often, employees were all taking lunches or breaks around the same time creating a heavy back up of calls as the only remaining employees could not handle them all. Vitas recently implanted a break management system called Workforce Management that not only observes peak and down call
The first order of business is to establish a sense of urgency among all the employees in Telecare. A meeting would be called by the PCA in order to introduce the concept of the change and the reasons behind it. The meeting will be mandatory but also offer food and beverages or even encourage a potluck to involve them. Several concerns for the company would start broad pointing out how hospitals are starting their own hospices and continue to threaten the current status quo of Vitas. A good example would be Scripps Hospice or Sharp Hospice. Additionally, address the economic downturn that has not improved too much over the last decade and that job security is a must due to the depleting social security funds. Lastly, ask individuals one by one why they work this job, what is important to them and what can they do to help it. Next is to create a guiding coalition to direct others in the right direction towards the change. Change can be chaotic but when directed others will follow. As stated earlier, there is no hierarchy of bosses but rather a string of leaders to drive and lead by example. Employees must know that the supervisors and seniors are there to encourage them and address any problems they may come across during a phone call. For example, a PCS receives an angry caller and ends up becoming frustrated themselves so they