Massachusetts General Hospital's PATA: Issues and Solutions Report

This report provides an analysis of the operational challenges within the Pre-Admission Testing Area (PATA) at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). The report identifies key issues, including extended patient wait times, staff shortages, and appointment scheduling problems. The main body of the report delves into the causes of these issues, such as the impact of long appointment durations, delayed services, and insufficient staffing levels. The analysis also explores opportunities for improvement, including the potential benefits of a task force to address scheduling and staffing issues, and the possibility of establishing a new PATA clinic to reduce the workload of the existing facility and improve patient access. The report proposes steps to find solutions, such as gathering feedback from patients and staff, conducting audits to assess management effectiveness, and securing additional resources and personnel. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of addressing these operational challenges to ensure efficient healthcare service delivery and improve patient outcomes.

Health Care
Operation

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Explanation for the issues that have arisen in organisation........................................................1
Opportunities for task force and analysis of proposed solutions................................................2
What steps would be take to find a solution...............................................................................2
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4

INTRODUCTION
Health care operations refers to several administrative, financial, legal and quality
improvement activities for increasing effective of clinical practices and other related facilities. It
includes to establish efficient strategies and management techniques in order to manage proper
delivery of medical services in desired time (Abelson and et. al., 2017). However, it is very
important to provide required healthcare facilities to make an individual healthy. The present
report is based on Massachusetts General Hospital's Pre-Admission Testing Area (PATA) which
face certain issue in terms of dealing with patients on daily basis. This assignment will focus on
problems faced by staff and patients in Massachusetts General Hospital's Pre-Admission Testing
Area (PATA) and solutions for them.
MAIN BODY
Explanation for the issues that have arisen in organisation
Considering the case study of Massachusetts General Hospital's (MGH) Pre-Admission
Testing Area (PATA), it has been analysed that there are certain issue rake place which are
creating problem for conducting operations effectively. It is necessary to determine these issues
in order to make appropriate solution for them which facilitate to increase patients outcomes.
Initially, the main problem of extended hours between appointments due to which people wait
for a long duration to meet with registered nurses for examination and doctors. However, it is
observed that, patients in critical situation need immediate attention of care practitioners to take
action very soon for improving their health condition. It has been analysed that many people visit
hospital by travelling from a long distance and wait for hours to meet with physicians that is
problematic for them (Caplan and et. al., 2016). People faced delayed services because some of
individual directly visit surgical department and further carrying out primary examination will
delay delivery of facilities to other patients in hospital.
In addition to this, the second issue in MGH is lack of staff due to which present
employees are performing their roles by extending their working hours regularly. It is observed
that reduced workers reflect lack of sufficient efficiency of organisation to attend all the patients
visiting daily. However, employees get frustrated because they have to work for extra hours for
which salaries are not paid to them as they get compensation for fixed working duration of time.
Moreover, the another issue in MGH is that attending fewer cases of patients (appointment
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cancellations) is not applicable but staff is only able to deal with around 65% of individuals. It is
necessary to manage the appointments and schedule of sick people so that the ideal number of
patients should handle on daily basis i.e. 100%.
Opportunities for task force and analysis of proposed solutions
The employees working in MGH has an opportunity to solve present problems in order to
reduce work load by mangling schedule of patients in proper manner. It is necessary for
employees to establish effective strategies to fix appointments and meeting duration of every
person so that the ideal population of patients will be attend on regular basis. Meanwhile, the
front desk attendants should be increased to deal with patients and guide them immediately to
refer for primary examination to a registered nurse. It is necessary that nursing staff is required to
be improved in number so that people get immediate services and the waiting time of them can
be reduced (Hunter, 2018). In addition to this, task force should place an application to higher
authority for providing more staff regarding Pre-Admission Testing Area (PATA) and conduct
this examination of only those individuals for whom it is necessary because it is helpful to reduce
extra work load. It will facilitate to decrease waiting duration of sick people and deliver services
as soon as possible to them.
At the other hand, it is necessary for employees to reduce period of time for every single
meeting that has been done so that more patients can be attend on regular basis. However, the
proposed solution of establishing another PATA clinic in space that is available at Mass General
West (MG West) satellite hospital in Waltham which is helpful to grab more customers of
completing their actual desires properly. Meanwhile, it can be considered as favourable step
because nearby patients can get required services without waiting for long period of time and
current PATA clinic gain benefit of decreasing their work load so that they can attend clients
easily in ideal manner. People will get proper attention and immediate services and staff can
perform more effectively in work pressure free atmosphere of PATA clinic.
What steps would be take to find a solution
The steps of find a solution consist initial criterion of determining actual causes behind
delayed services to patients and long waiting times of them. It also include to identify the
problem of staff due to which they are not capable to attend all the patients daily in ideal manner.
However, it consist to take feedbacks from customers and employees to analyse about their
issues to gain information for finding an appropriate solution. Moreover, an audit should be
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conduct for evaluating strengths and weaknesses of management which is responsible for
delayed facilities, long waiting hours and extra work pressure on staff members. The present
PATA Clinic has limited resources, insufficient space and less number of employees due to
which patients as well as staff both get suffered. The solution of these problems to fulfil these
requirements so that people get immediate attention of registered nurse & doctors without
waiting much for gaining desired care services (Riley and et. al., 2016). Moreover, proper
resources and staff members are required in selected healthcare organisation in order to attend
ideal population of patients i.e. 100%. additionally, the proposed solution is much effective for
reducing work load on staff of current PATA clinic by establishing new clinical at another
location but it is required to hire new staff for fresh care services along with arranging new
resources as well.
CONCLUSION
The above report has been concluded that proper arrangements of necessary resources
and employees is very important to provide appropriate medical services to patients for their
wellness. It consist to fulfil related needs in selected organisation for removing problem of
delayed services, long waiting times, extra work load of staff and appointment cancellation.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Abelson, J. S. and et. al., 2017. Barriers and benefits to using mobile health technology after
operation: A qualitative study. Surgery. 162(3). pp.605-611.
Caplan, B. and et. al., 2016. Associations between traumatic brain injury, suspected psychiatric
conditions, and unemployment in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi
Freedom veterans. Journal of head trauma rehabilitation. 31(3). pp.191-203.
Hunter, D. J., 2018. Desperately seeking solutions: rationing health care. Routledge.
Riley, M. A. and et. al., 2016. Multi-fluid medical injector system and methods of operation. U.S.
Patent 9,474,857.
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