Environmental analysis example

Health First is the only health system in Central Florida that is fully integrated. It has four hospitals, several Outpatient and Wellness Services, and the only Trauma & Heart Centers in the area. The hospital has a mission of making positive changes in health and wellness to the community it serves, and it does this by offering quality care together with newest technological advances. It also offers several Medicare and commercial health care plans, Brevard County’s biggest multi-specialty physician group, and groups of fitness centers for helping members of the community stay healthy. This paper reviews Health First’s environment by discussing the strategic, directional, and competitive factors that influence the organization’s environment.

Health First also works in conjunction with other physicians and organizations within the community. It offers donations to the Brevard Health Alliance, a company that gives healthcare services to residents that are either not insured or underinsured, and would otherwise not be able to pay for their services (Jia, Xierali & Wang, 2015, p. 250). The hospital’s associates play an active role in creating a healthier community by volunteering for organizations whose role is prevent or treat serious conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. 

Internal environmental analysis

Organizational environment for Health First Company is shaped by several factors within its internal and external environments. For instance, the organization’s mission and vision statements act as the driving force for all its activities and processes, including strategic planning (Blanchard & Rudin, 2015, p. 9). Health First’s vision statement indicates that the organization focuses on providing compassionate healthcare services to ensure its clients and their families receive quality and patient-centered health services all the time. On the other hand, the company’s mission statement shows that the firm is dedicated to positively changing and improving the general health and wellbeing of its clients by providing quality and compassionated services. Besides, the mission and vision statement, health First’s internal environment is also influenced, in large part, by its core values (Demirkan, 2013, p. 41). The core values provide some direction to employees and others within the organization on how to behave and how to execute their specific tasks. The company cherishes five key values namely, integrity, compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence. 

Other factors in the company’s internal environment that contribute to its success include its excellent leadership. The relationship between the management and the employees is great, which contributes to cohesiveness in the company.   The management team has clearly articulated the strategic goals that the organization seeks to achieve (Blanchard & Rudin, 2015, p. 9). In addition, the organization’s leaders have established key initiatives that the organization needs to maintain its standards in healthcare delivery (Blanchard & Rudin, 2015, p. 9). Furthermore, the company’s management has also out in placed various strategic measures to monitor and improve on the quality of serviced rendered. One of these strategic policies is the implementation of lead processes and methods such as Total Quality Management (TQM) for purposes of facilitating continuous improvement. Therefore, the executive management team is focused on supporting the implementation of these initiatives to lead the organization forward (Schneeweiss, 2014, p. 2162). Excellent management has become a norm within the organization such that Health First managers have received continued acclamation for being proactive while undertaking their directional duties.  

Due to increased competition in the healthcare system, Health First has incorporated the use of up to date data to help employees make informed decisions through their daily activities (Blanchard & Rudin, 2015, p. 9). In addition, the use of real-time data enables the organization to spot tailbacks within its operations and hence track the organization’s performance. The performance evaluation strategy incorporated by Health First extends even to employee hiring and recruitment. For example, the company is very attentive to experience issues of employees when hiring them. This enables the organization to understand how their potential employees behave in an environment that upholds integrity and cultural diversity.

Environmental analysis for business

Outside of its healthcare system provisions, the organization has made efforts to create health awareness to the public by collaborating with community-based stakeholders. For example, the organization has been engaged in a number of general activities such as community health walks and fundraisers (Schneeweiss, 2014, p. 2162). It has also increased the number of locations with healthcare centers and insurance offices to provide the public with access. Nonetheless, employee recruitment into the organization has intensified as the company aims in maintaining the provision of high-quality healthcare services (Encinosa & Bae, 2015, p. 15). This has also enabled the organization to take part in the process of creating a diversified and competent workforce. 

Proactive management, use of timely data, and supportive leadership have enabled Health First reach enviable heights. However, this achievement has led to increased competition and legal battles with other organizations in the health market. A number of healthcare providers in Florida are accusing Health First of engaging in unfair business practice, which leads to possession of huge market power. However, this has not derailed the organization’s performance. If anything, it continues to prosper.

References

Blanchard, J. C., & Rudin, R. S. (2015). Improving Hospital Efficiency Through Data-Driven Management.

Demirkan, H. (2013). A smart healthcare systems framework. It Professional, 15(5), 38-45.

Encinosa, W. E., & Bae, J. (2015, March). Meaningful Use IT reduces hospital-caused adverse drug events even at challenged hospitals. In Healthcare (Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 12-17). Elsevier. 

Jia, P., Xierali, I. M., & Wang, F. (2015). Evaluating and re-demarcating the hospital service areas in Florida. Applied Geography, 60, 248-253.

Schneeweiss, S. (2014). Learning from big health care data. New England Journal of Medicine, 370(23), 2161-2163.