[WRIGHT, ROBYN COURSE JOURNAL US

HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS]
US Healthcare Systems Course Journal
Journal Module 1: Business Knowledge
Do you know what to look for in a contract? I have never formally reviewed, or been
taught how to review any type of official business contract.
Are you familiar with marketing principles and tools? I have not done any business
marketing.
Do you have knowledge of strategic planning principles scenario planning,
forecasting? I have assisted with forecasting for my immediate department, but I
have done minimal forecasting for the larger radiology department or hospital.
Do you have knowledge of basic business contrasts- legal and financial
implications? I am aware of legal and financial implications that can arise with
business contracts; however, I do not know the common problems and implications
to look/watch for without researching.
Do you have knowledge of marketing principles and tools- market analysis, market
research, sales, and advertising? I am unfamiliar with each of these marketing
principles and tools as I have never used them.
Do you have knowledge of techniques for business plan development,
implementation, and assessment? I have worked closely with my supervisor on
techniques for department development on a routine basis.
Do you have knowledge of principles of public affairs and community relations? I
have not had to do any extensive work with public affairs and community relations.
I have had to work face to face with our patients, many whom are pediatrics, with
their parents, explain what we need to optimize our imaging, and what is
expected/needed of the patient.
Do you have knowledge of the functions of organizational policies and procedure? I
understand the importance of organizational and departmental policies and
procedures. I am knowledgeable of the policies and procedures at my employer,
and understand the importance of each policy and ensuring they are followed.
Do you have knowledge of socioeconomic environment in which the organizations
functions? I am not familiar with the socioeconomic environment which various
institutions function within.
Upon reflection through this journal assignment, I realize I have a long way to go in
regard to my knowledge of the business end of an organization. Throughout my
growing career in healthcare, I have not had many hands on experiences with the
business end of my department. The financial aspect of healthcare, while not

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HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS]
unnoticed, is unfamiliar to me. I have not had the opportunity to work with or
review departmental budgets and, or, expenses. I also have not had to build,
review, or deliver a contract.

The knowledge areas reviewed for business in which I am most familiar are
techniques for business plan development, implementation, and assessment. I
have spent many hours revising techniques for expanding services offered by our
department, working on training modules for the CT technologists and training
modules for my fellow Advanced Image Processing Specialists. I also have the role
of CT protocol manager for Mott Childrens Hospital. I work closely alongside our
Pediatric Radiologist to develop all of the CT protocols, as well as the 3d imaging
post processing needed to accompany some of the CT protocols. I have the
responsibility of ensuring the CT Technologists understand each protocol and can
expedite the protocol in any situation. I have to ensure that the 3d needs of our
pediatric hospital are met in a timely and efficient manner.
It is apparent that I have a lot to learn about the business end of leadership. I have
the drive to be a successful leader, and I am working towards gaining additional
knowledge to fuel my drive to excel. Contracts and strategic planning are not a part
of my daily job. However, my manager and her direct manager have recognized my
desire to excel within leadership in our institution. They have suggested leadership
courses for me to attend, and are looking for opportunities for me to embrace
leadership duties. I will start to look for opportunities to involve myself when
possible in financial aspects of projects I am involved in with our department in
order to gain experience.

Week 2 Journal: Finance

I currently do not have a deep understanding of organizational finance. I am not
familiar with capital budgeting principles, or capital funding sources.
I have a brief understanding of reimbursement methodologies and ramifications, as
well as productivity measures and revenue generation.
In my current position I do not have a large role with finances. We are familiar with
the codes that we can and should bill for specific exams. Productivity logs are
generated weekly and monthly by my direct manager and recorded both for
financial tracking, and to support her requests for additional FTEs when requesting
them. I understand the importance of revenue generation and the necessity to

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HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS]
decrease work that is not bringing in revenue while not decreasing or hurting
patient care.
In the past I sat on the board for the childrens preschool as the treasurer. I was in
charge of payroll and maintaining the budget. Nearly all of my financial exposure
up to this point in my career was obtained during the two year service on that
volunteer board.
Moving forward I know that I have a lot to gain by acquiring a deeper understanding
of health care finance. I hope to become more familiar with the financial aspect of
my current department by working with my manager on tasks she needs help with.
I will be taking a financial systems management course during my winter 2
semester, and I expect I will learn a great deal about the financials of an
organization within that course.
Week 3 Journal, Governance and Organizational Structure
I am familiar with the governance of my direct department, and I have been
involved in the development of a few policies and our mission and values
statement. I am familiar without bylaws and articles of incorporation; however, I
have not written or taken part in creating any hospital bylaws. I am vaguely familiar
with the credentialing process, and the disciplinary process.
I have a lot of growth to do when it comes to learning about and becoming
accustomed to the governance and organizational structure. I understand the
pecking order of the health system, but need to become more familiar with the
direct relationships and how they all work together. Also, I am familiar with the
credentialing process, and I see an opportunity to take part in our upcoming
credentialing with one of our off site CT scanners. I plan to enquire about this
opportunity at my upcoming monthly meeting with my supervisor. I feel this
opportunity would prove valuable to obtain a better understanding of the work and
detail that goes into the credentialing process.
I imagine I will gain a greater understating of the governance in health care when I
take future courses during the completion of the health care leadership program. I
look forward to classes such as health care system management, Human resource
management, and medical law. Through these courses and additional hands on
experience I am confident I will achieve a greater understanding and appreciation of
the organizational structure and governance of the health care system.
Week 4 Healthcare Journal - Healthcare technology and information
management.
I have a basic understanding of healthcare technology and information
management. I understand the importance of patient privacy, and security settings

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HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS]
within our organization. It is essential when accessing patient information we are
doing it through the proper channels to avoid any breaches in security, or
unintentional leaking of patient information. It Is imperative that healthcare
systems maintain a high level of security since all information stored is patient
sensitive and can not be viewed or shared with just anyone.
Last week there was a large virus when an employee accidently sent out through
their work email. Once the employee opened it, it quickly attached itself to their
email contacts and sent itself to the entire health system. From there multiple other
employees opened it and within five minutes the virus had spread rapidly. The IT
department is still working to ensure all effected devices are recovered, repaired,
and that no additional equipment is still effected. This process is difficult and
essential so that patient information is not compromised.
The security settings for all software programs that I use are set very high. They
require multiple log in screens. I am able to remote in from home on a university
core built machine to work, but this process requires multiple log in screens in order
to verify identity.
I imagine I will acquire a greater understanding of systems security and
requirements during the information systems management course which I will take
in the fall. I look forward to this course as system security and is key with working in
healthcare.
Week 5 Healthcare
I accidentally posted my journal entry on Healthcare and Information Technology
last week, so I will post on healthcare this week. I apologize for the mix up on my
part.
I feel I have a decent understanding of healthcare within my current organization. I
am familiar with medical terminology through multiple courses I have taken over
the course of my training, as well as the use of the terminology during my time
working in the clinical care setting.
I am aware of the importance of all services working together for the success of the
organization, and also of each services role and its importance in the overall care
provided by a healthcare institution. Each service relies on work from the others
when treating patients in order to be successful. Physicians and nurses rely on each
other as the front lines of patient treatment team. They also rely on ancillary
services to provide imaging and testing to assist in the diagnosis and treatment
assessment of the patient. Support services keep equipment and facilities running
to provide treatment facilities and equipment so there is a place and way to care for
the patient. Teamwork among all services is key.

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HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS]
I have a lot of room to grow and improve with management practices as I have not
officially held a management or leadership role. I have a basic knowledge of health
care trends and managed care models, structures and environment, although a
greater depth of knowledge would be beneficial for me as I move into a leadership
role.
Moving forward I anticipate gaining a greater knowledge of health care operations
through my upcoming coursework. Future courses such as strategic planning, and
Health Care Systems Management should provide a glimpse into the greater
knowledge I will obtain through the rest of my graduate training towards health care
management.
Week 6: Human Resources
All of my current knowledge on human resources comes from my current work
experience. My current employer, run its yearly performance evaluation on a merit
based system. Salary adjustments also follow merit based. Departments are
awarded a certain amount, say 3% maximum they can increase salary for each
employee. If they feel an employee deserves a larger increase that percentage
must come from another employees raise. So If Susan deserves a 4% raise then Jim
can only have a 2% raise. It promotes working hard and always doing you best, but
can create animosity among coworkers when two workers both try hard, yet one
receives a lower raise. The merit based system allows managers to reward salary
increases to how they see fit instead of a blanket raise overall, and while it may
cause disagreements in the short term the manager can reward who they see
working hard for them and I like that.
Employee satisfaction is a large part of human resources as well. At my current
employer it is tracked by the annual completion of an employee satisfaction survey.
Each department must have at least seven members fill our the survey for results to
be tallied and presented. Since our department only has seven in it we have not
received a report for the last two years. It is very unfortunate that one or two of our
staff members chose not to complete the survey as it only took five minutes and
allowed the department and upper management see where the staff thinks there is
room for growth. Because one or two didnt complete the survey the anonymous
voice of the rest was unable to be heard. I know this upset many of my coworkers
who did complete the survey.
Staffing models can be tricky. I understand the need for adequate coverage and
allocating your resources appropriately to provide such coverage. I have noticed
the the departments I have worked in that schedules and staffing can be a touchy
subject. There is always someone who wants to be on a different shift then they are
on. It takes work to make sure your staffing model is right and coverage is

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HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS]
adequate, and more skill to know when and how you are able to move staff around
when needed to meet growing needs to a department.
I have a basic understand of many aspects of human resources and have a little
hands on experience with it in my current position. I look forward to gaining a
greater understanding in the human resource course I will be taking during winter
semester or 2016,
Journal Seven: Laws and Regulations
I do not have a brief nor do I have an extensive knowledge of health care laws and
regulations. I understand confidentiality principles, but do not have a thorough
understanding of the laws which surround them. Other than the vague
understanding that healthy systems are inspected and accredited I do not hold a
deep understanding of each inspecting and accrediting institution.
I need a greater understanding of the various health care laws and regulations and I
anticipate gaining that understanding of health care laws in both Human Resource
Management and Medical Law courses. I anticipate gaining a better understanding
of reimbursements during financial systems management course. Each of the
above classes will be completed over the next year as I work towards the
completion of my masters degree.
I feel this greater understanding of medical law will help me immensely as I move
into a leadership position. It is essential to have an understanding of all aspects of
the health care organization if you are to lead any coroner of it.
Journal Week 8 Management
I am briefly familiar with contingency planning and team building techniques. While
I have not had to implement operational plans, I have assisted management in
organizing and implementing plans.
Contingency planning is not something I have helped implement in the past. I am
aware of the importance of emergency preparedness and timely emergency
response, especially in the health care setting.
I understand managements functions and various roles.
I understand the importance of conflict resolution within the workplace. I know
there is a need for leaders who have the ability to negotiate conflict within the
workplace and negotiate a plan for resolution.
An organizations culture is directly related to its effectiveness. The culture of an
organization encompasses the staff at said organization. If staff within an
organization are motivated, and work ethically will work hard toward an

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HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS]
organizations goals and mission. This type of culture increases effectiveness and
productivity.
I am able to distinguish relevant from irrelevant information. It is important to know
what information is relevant as it can waste a significant amount of time focusing on
irrelevant information.
I realize I have significant room for growth prior to and during a move into an official
management position. I am hopeful that I will gain knowledge in these areas over
my future coursework strategic planning and contemporary issues in health care
admin, also during my practicum rotation.
Week 9 Journal Professionalism and Ethics
I am familiar with the patients rights and responsibilities over their healthcare. The
professional code of ethics is an essential part of working in healthcare. It is
important to remember we are caring for others lives and their privacy is important.
The ethics committee is in charge of ensuring a patients rights are respected, and
privacy is upheld.
When ethics are not upheld consequences will ensue. These consequences are an
important step in correcting and preventing unethical behavior. Unethical behavior
hurts staff, and patients and it cannot be tolerated within healthcare.
The healthcare field is filled with diversity. There is diversity among staff members
and among our patients. The more that we are familiar with different cultures and
diversities the better that we can relate to our co-workers and our patients. It is
important to be considerate of the differences in culture when dealing with others.
I feel I have a pretty good understanding of healthcare ethics. I hope to gain an
even greater understanding during the human resource management in health care,
and medical law courses I am scheduled to take during the Winter 2016.
Journal Week 10: Competency, Quality and Performance Improvement
Quality and performance improvement are essential pieces of leadership and
management in any industry. In healthcare, quality is essential and sets your
reputation and brand as a health system. The quality of care provided is what sets
your health system apart from others in the area, attracts new patients and
providers, and keeps existing patients returning for additional care.
As a part of the leadership process of remaining a leader in your field it is
necessary to both understand benchmarking, and be able to execute it as a
technique to remain competitive in the market. Benchmarking can be used
measure quality, time and cost in comparison with other leading health systems.
The ability to properly compare, your institution with others, and make adjustments

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HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS]
as needed to your institution in efforts to remain a leader are an important trait of
leadership.
Another important aspect of quality in healthcare is medical staff peer review.
Proper staff reviews help leadership address growth and problem areas, and help
staff and faculty develop a plan to address and fix problems and plan for personal
and organizational growth. Evaluations need to be thorough and unbiased of any
personal opinions. They must be professional, and help to lead the staff towards
the overall goal, plan, and mission of the organization.
Ongoing performance, and process improvement at a departmental and
institutional level are also important steps in the quality improvement process.
There is always room for growth and improvement in services, productivity, and
nearly every other aspect of healthcare. Performance and process improvement
plans help keeps leadership and staff aware of growth and improvement areas and
allow for continuous advancement and growth of the organization.
As a part of quality and performance evaluations it is important to know
customer satisfaction ratings. Customers in healthcare are referring physicians,
patients and families. It is important for health systems to be able to meet the
needs and expectations of its patients, and for the ancillary care departments to be
able to meet the needs of referring physicians.
As a part of overall national quality improvement national initiatives have
been set for health care quality and patient safety. Leadership within a hospital
must be aware of these initiatives, and incorporate them into their quality and
performance improvement process. Quality improvement as well as performance
improvement is an ongoing process. Even institutions which provide the highest
quality of care can find areas with room for improvement. It is important as a
leader to recognize the growth areas within your organization and push your
organization to be the best it possibly can be.
As a leadership student I recognize the importance of ongoing quality and
performance improvement both within myself, and within my organization. I realize
that I still have a great deal I can learn about leadership, and governing
organizations throughout healthcare, and I am excited about gaining this
knowledge. I will gain this knowledge and skills through the remainder of my
leadership courses, as well as my practicum experience next semester. On top of
the skills learned through these courses and clinical experience, I will gain a great
deal of hands on experience by placing myself in positions of quality improvement
and personal performance improvement within my current position. By operating at
my best and providing the highest performance and quality that I can I can help to
motivate others around me to operate at their best. I am looking forward to a

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HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS]
promising career in health care leadership where I can help to motivate others in
the field, and improve overall healthcare quality and performance.