Which of the Principles of Management Functions do you see as the Most Important?
Which of the Principles of Management functions do you see as the most important? Is one more important than another? Explain your answer.
What did you learn from the interactive tutorial about the principles of management that can be applied in the management of an HIM department?
Sources of Employment Law (graded)
Abu Okari Al-Amin, an African-American man in his mid-20s, was recently hired by the HIM department to manage its photocopying, mailing, and office supplies center. In this role Mr. Al-Amin has regular contact with virtually all of the 25 staff in the department and employees and some physicians from other adjacent departments. Mr. Al-Amin is quite articulate, personable, and knowledgeable in his areas of responsibility. However, his long dreadlocks, Afro-Caribbean clothing style, his playing Reggae music on his lunch breaks, and (in the words of one white employee with 25 years of seniority) his using of “militant language” seemed to discomfort or threaten some of the staff.
However, no real problems surfaced until one of the coders, Ms. Joyce Kim, an older Korean-American woman, filed a complaint with her supervisor, Leah Solomon, against Mr. Al-Amin for using “dirty” language in her presence, including the use of ethnic slurs, and otherwise treating her with disrespect. Ms. Kim also claimed that she smelled what she thought might be marijuana when he was close to her. The alleged incidents took place with no other witnesses to corroborate the facts.
Ms. Solomon presented the complaint to Mr. Al-Amin in a one-on-one meeting to give him the opportunity to respond to the charges. Although Mr. Al-Amin conceded that he was not comfortable with Koreans because of tension with Korean Businesses in his neighborhood, he denied that he said anything disrespectful or abusive to Ms. Kim. He admitted to using some colorful street language with her that he used regularly with everybody and that no offense had been intended. He brushed off the reference to any drug use.
Class, as the employee’s supervisor, what steps would you take next to resolve this issue?
Week 2 discn
Employee Hiring (graded)
Review the You Decide scenario for this week. The scenario introduction follows.
You are the Director of HIM for ABC Hospital and are interviewing for a position of Assistant Director. This is a 500-bed, acute care facility. As has historically been common in many HIM departments, most of the staff members are Caucasian females, primarily in their 40s and 50s. There is a night shift supervisor in the department who was hired immediately after graduating school with a master’s degree and RHIA certification and has limited HIM experience. You know that your hospital is encouraging more diversity when hiring staff members. You posted the job opening saying that an RHIT or an RHIA is required with a strong preference for an RHIA. Preference may be given to those with a master’s degree. Five years of experience in an HIM department is required.
Respond to the questions asked in the You Decide activity in this discussion, and explain your answer using information learned in this week’s lecture about hiring and using the employment law issues studied last week.
Employee Training (graded)
Excessive employee turnover can be a major problem, with potentially adverse effects on productivity, stability, and employee morale. Often, turnover in healthcare is greatest in the jobs characterized by low pay, routine (nonchallenging) work, and limited prospects for career mobility without increased education and professional credentials (e.g., filing clerks and nursing home aides).
How does an effective orientation program enhance employee retention?
Week 3 discnn
HIM Departmental Workflow (graded)
Identify office space and workflow considerations as they relate to the various functions of the department. How will this vary based on the size of the organization?
HIM Performance Improvement (graded)
Assume you are the manager of an outpatient clinic that is part of a larger healthcare system. Complaints from patients about your clinic have recently increased in frequency and intensity. Some of your patients have complained about long wait times in the reception area. Others have expressed dismay over the rudeness of clinic staff members. You decide to talk to the staff members about these problems.
The receptionists are very defensive and say that the secretaries in the back office won’t help with the phone calls, so they have to take all the calls while trying to register patients. You talk to the secretaries, and their story is just as negative. They say that they have been asked to assume more responsibilities without additional help. They also complain that the receptionists keep transferring calls to them that the receptionists should handle.
The nurses are very upset with the secretaries who will not retrieve the patients’ health records, which causes longer waiting time for patients. The nurses are also annoyed because the receptionists interrupt their work to ask questions. The physicians feel that they cannot do anything more because their days are very chaotic, and they are stressed. They think the solution is to hire more front office staff.
What performance improvement tool(s) should you use to identify all the possible reactions as to why patient complaints are increasing? What performance improvement tool(s) should you use to gather information to confirm the actual reasons for patient complaints?