FIRST PAPER

Strategic Controls and Monitoring Tools

Organizational leaders must be aware of external forces that may impact their organization. Strategic controls and monitoring tools allow leaders to evaluate these forces and develop tactical objectives to limit negative consequences. For this Discussion, you explore how strategic controls, monitoring tools, and tactical objectives might be used to address issues impacting health care organizations. Work on the following scenario.

Hall Nursing Home, a 230-bed facility in Seattle, Washington, is an independent provider that has been in business for 45 years. During the past three years, the nursing home’s census has been declining by approximately 25% a year with the current census at 185 residents. After an external assessment, Hall’s leadership learned that the declining census is attributed to 90% of the residents being discharged and admitted to a competing nursing home that has a resident-centered focus, with residents being a part of the decision-making process concerning their own health care services. Moreover, this competing nursing home has recently completed its $10 million modernization project that makes it the only facility in Seattle with single room occupancy. In addition to the external assessment, Hall’s leadership conducted an internal assessment and learned that staff morale has been low because of poor pay, inadequate working conditions, and no opportunities for professional training and advancement.

Begin identifying and discussing evaluation or monitoring tools that would be useful to address this issue. Be sure to consider the following:

• What strategic controls (e.g., promise control, implementation control, strategic surveillance, and special alert control) might you use and why?
• What monitoring tools (e.g., Gantt Chart, Balanced Scorecard, Dashboard, etc.) might you use and why?
• What are two tactical objectives that the organization might leverage to effectively address operations requirements and limit negative consequences?

Second paper

Discussion: ACHE Leadership Competencies

Leadership competencies are essential to the success of health care leaders. Many of these competencies are developed through on-the-job training, administrative fellowship programs, professional conferences, and graduate education. As a graduate student, it is important that you are able to assess your own leadership competencies and develop a professional improvement plan to hone your skills and become an effective industry leader. For this Discussion, you examine the ACHE leadership competencies and consider how you might improve your own leadership skills.

To prepare:

• Review the document, ACHE Healthcare Executive 2016 Competencies Assessment Tool, which is in this week’s Learning Resources. Focus on the leadership competencies.
• Reflect on whether you meet these leadership competencies, and consider your strengths and weaknesses.