Effects of absence of a Cancer Care Coordinator in an Oncology Hospital and Remedial Framework

Running Head: Healthcare Management 1
Effects of absence of a Cancer Care Coordinator in an Oncology Hospital and Remedial
Framework
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Healthcare Management 2
PART 1
Assessing the Effects of absence of a Cancer Care Coordinator in an Oncology Hospital
1.0 Introduction
The provision of coordinated care for patients through their cancer diagnosis, treatment
and survivorship is recognized best practice. The involvement of a multidisciplinary team as well
as community support services has the potential to drastically influence a patient’s treatment
experience as well as their health outcomes. This report focuses on the challenges that are
associated with the absence of a joint Cancer Care Coordinator (CCC) between an outpatient
facility and an adjoining private hospital. Specifically, the outpatient setting specializes in
oncology, hematology and auto-immune disorder treatments for ambulatory patients. It is one of
the largest facilities of its kind in Queensland, seeing approximately 18,500 separations annually.
The day hospital is attached to a leading private hospital, although the two are owned and
operated as separate entities. The absence of a CCC has many consequences that are detrimental
for the patients at both facilities as well as the nursing staff.
Historically, it has been common practice for patients to be hospitalized for the duration
of their cancer treatment. There has recently been a shift towards outpatient facilities as it has
been recognized that patients who can receive treatment while remaining with their support
network in their own homes will have better health outcomes. Due to the aging population in
Australia, the rate of patients requiring cancer treatments is increasing annually; straining public
and private hospitals. Put simply, hospitals cannot accommodate or afford to treat everyone
requiring treatment. This has led to the strategic implementation of many outpatient facilities.
However, these facilities do not provide all the services and resources that a patient can access

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while an inpatient such as counselling, physiotherapy and dietetics; consequently, patients are
suffering. When comparing what the inpatient setting has to offer that the outpatient setting
doesn’t, one thing stands out – access to a CCC.
Analysis of the Strategic Issue and its Significance
The absence of a CCC at the facility is the sole cause of non-acute admissions, delay in
admissions, low staff morale and cost implications on the neighboring facility. Based on the
highlight of the emergent challenges above, three points of discussion can be established to
emphasize on the significance of a CCC.
To begin with, the absence of a CCC is causing negative impacts on staff morale
especially due to lack of adequate resources to respond to complex issues. According to
Hildegard Peplau’s theory of Interpersonal relations, effective provision of healthcare services
calls for the establishment of healthy relationships between the nurses and the patients. Such
relationships are hard to attain when the nurses are unable to provide the best care to patients.
(Ashmos & Huber, 2014). A CCC would be essential in this case by not only ensuring the right
resources are available but also overseeing their utilization to ensure accountability and proper
maintenance.
Secondly, the absence of a CC at the center is affecting patient experiences. Leininger’s
Culture care theory lays much emphasis on the crucial link that exists between an organizational
culture and provision of healthcare services (Behan, 2014). The current situation at the facility is
an indication of the absence of a clear care culture which in most cases is established and
facilitated by a CCC. The delays in admission and non-acute admissions have led to
inconveniences which eventually cultivate negative experiences among the patients. It can

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therefore be deduced that there is a direct correlation between the presence of a CCC and
improved experiences among the cancer patients.
Lastly, the absence of a Cancer Care Coordinator at the facility has been accompanied by
cost implications on the neighboring facility. This happens specifically due to non-acute hospital
admissions. Consequently, the hospital offers comprehensive care to patients who not only do
not deserve such services but also fail to pay for them.
Analysis of causes and consequences
An oncology center just like any other healthcare organization is characterized by a
myriad activities and processes which run on a daily basis. Each of these procedures has an end
based on the objectives at the facility. The processes ought to be carefully coordinated due to
their overly complex nature. This therefore implies that lack of coordination within the
healthcare facility may come with a number of consequences especially if the problem remains
unsolved for a long period of time.
Before delving into the consequences that would come if the issue is unresolved, it would
be important identify the possible causes of the current scenario. The low level of staff morale
can be attached to the poor relationship between the workers and the management. There is no
effective partnership between the staff and the management. This gap has led to diminishing
cooperation between the staff and the hospital management. Consequently, the latter have not
remained keen on providing the staff with the necessary resources for nursing assessments and
quality services in other forms of care. Lack of appropriate facilities and the much needed
support from the management can therefore be outlined as the possible cause of staff morale.

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The aspect of non-acute admissions as well as delays in admission could also be
attributed to the widening gap between the staff and management. The challenge has hindered
the efficient transmission of patient information to the staff resulting not only in wrong
admission but delays in accomplishing the process. Finally, admission of non-acute cases at the
neighboring hospital is the major cause of cost related implications. This is because the patients
are registered into complex care for which they do not pay adequately.
Health related consequences
First of all, the absence of a CCC may come with drastic implications on patient health
and experiences in case no effective mitigation strategies are put in place. The cancer patients
deserve the best experience and treatment services. Failure to get the quality assessment from the
staff members leads to negative impacts on patient experiences (Becker, Huselid & Ulrich,
2013). Low morale among the workers has in one way or the other impacted their overall output
in terms of services delivery. The unavailability of adequate resources is another aspect which
has hampered the delivery of quality services at the hospital. The gap between the staff and
management has only served to aggravate the situation. Each of these challenges lead to
provision of services which are way below the required standards leading to slowed recovery
processes and an overall decline in good patient experience.
Social consequences
The second notable impact of the absence of a CCC within the hospital is the associated
effect on the social environment of the hospital. It is a fact worth noting that the services offered
at the care facility do not meet the comprehensive care standards. The nature of services offered
especially by the nurses has contributed to delays in admission processes, admission of non-acute

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cases and consequently, a general negative impact on patient outcomes. The cancer care
experience of a patient goes a long way in influencing not only the patient’s opinion of the
healthcare organization but the general perspective of the society towards it. It can then be
deduced that negative patient experience has negative social effects. As a result of negative client
feedbacks and poor patient outcomes, the society is less likely to embrace the services offered at
the hospital (Britnell, 2015).
Economic Consequences
Unwanted patient outcomes in addition to negative attitude towards organization by the
society may end up reducing the facility’s annual patient separations. A reduction in the number
of clients visiting the hospital for services has negative economic impacts on the organization as
a whole. At the same time, delays in admission also lead to high operation costs incurred by the
private hospital to which the facility is linked. This therefore implies that the challenges arising
from the absence of a CCC at the hospital has a number of economic impacts as well.
Ecological argument
Provision of adequate healthcare services is majorly aimed at enhancing a perfect
ecological balance. For instance, through proper care and provision of care services to cancer
patients, the mortality rates associated with this sickness are hugely lowered. Provision of care
services to patients based on the comprehensive care standards has a special influence on patient
outcomes (Broscio & Scherer, 2013). In case the patients receive the needed care, their recovery
speeds up. On the other hand, the continued absence of a CCC sustains the provision of
substandard services which in turn deteriorates the health conditions of the patients instead of