Research a health care organization or a network that spans several states within the U.S. (Example: United Healthcare, Vanguard, Banner Healthcare, etc.).

Harvard Business Review Online and Hoover’s Company Records, found in the GCU Library, are useful sources. You may also find pertinent information on your organization’s webpage.

Review “Singapore Airlines Case Study.”

Prepare a 1,000-1250-word paper that focuses on the organization or network you have selected.

Your essay should assess the readiness of the health care organization or network in addressing the health care needs of citizens in the next decade, and include a strategic plan that addresses issues pertaining to network growth, nurse staffing, resource management, and patient satisfaction. Provide a comparison to the health care organization or network and the Singapore Airlines. Include any cultural issues that may influence the practices listed above.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.

Please use reference:
Huber, D. (2014). Leadership and nursing care management (5th ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: SaundersElsevier. ISBN-13:9781455740710.

SOLUTION

United Healthcare Group
United Health Group is an American uniquely differentiated well-being and health company. The company is a global leader in aiding people live healthy lives by warranting the health system works for everybody. The company is highly committed to being innovative in terms of products, services, health programs, approaches. The major goal of the company is to promote health in the local communities by employing innovative solutions. The company invests more than $3.3 billion in innovation and technology annually (United Health Group, 2019a). The group serves consumers and clients through its two unique platforms including UnitedHealthcare and Optum. While United Healthcare serves individual clients and employees of different organizations, Optum emphases on health management, advancement of operative and clinical elements as well as delivery of health care. Through these platforms, the company offers health service and benefits to people residing in the whole of the U.S. and more than 130 countries.

Addressing Future Needs

United Healthcare group considers that the American healthcare system needs a change to ensure that service providers have a wide range of choices, improved quality of healthcare as well as reduced cost of healthcare. The mission of the company is to help people live healthier lives by ensuring that the health system works best for everybody. The company is advancing healthcare solutions to ensure that there is a high [cmppp_restricted] performing, modern and simpler healthcare system that will serve all. One of the major challenges facing the healthcare system in the U.S. is the increasing cost of healthcare. In 2016, healthcare spending increased by 4.3 percent to reach a high of $3.3 trillion (Hartman et al., 2017). By 2018, the cost had increased to $3.65 percent making this the highest spending in the developed world (Sherman, 2019). Again, the situation is expected to get worse over the years making it hard for some people to access healthcare. To meet the increasing needs of consumers while still ensuring that the healthcare system works for everyone, United Healthcare Company is committed to the innovation of new approaches and integration of technology in healthcare provision. The company spends $3.3 billion on innovation annually. This is an indication of how committed the company is to improving healthcare provision.

            To address the needs of clients in the next decade, the company is committed to integrating technology in healthcare. Both Optum and UnitedHealthcare are members of the Synaptic Health Alliance which is exploring the use of blockchain technology to solve the issue of accuracy and efficiency of data sharing and management. One of the key building blocks of the U.S healthcare system is provider data (Huber, 2014). More than $2.1 billion is spent in the management if provider data by insurance companies, doctors, and hospitals (Synaptic Health Alliance, 2018). The company realizes that having accurate data about a provider is essential in connecting patients with network care providers. While much money is spent yearly in managing provider data, an accurate directory of providers remains unavailable.  The Alliance intends to ensure that data is accurate and is shared efficiently across the healthcare ecosystem.

            The company is also committed to providing quality care at lower costs considering that costs of healthcare are considered to be a major problem in coming years. Partnering with Catalyst Health Network, the company are improving the number of preventive screening for breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer. In the last two years, this program has lowered the cost of healthcare in Texas by $28 million. As argued by Maciosek et al. (2010) preventive health services such as screening save money. Chronic illnesses such as cancer are expensive to treat and when advanced cannot be cured. However, when discovered early, they are easy to treat which is why this program is looking to increases screening to detect cancer early enough for effective treatment. This will not only lower the cost of healthcare but also improve the health of the population.

The company owns different resources ranging from the wide workforce to assets such as equipment. To manage resources, the company trains nurses to be innovative and be effective leaders in service provision. The company employs competent individual’s to manage the different resources of the company. The effective management of resources ensures that customers are satisfied.  For example, the effective use of the data sharing with the use of the block chain technology ensures that consumers are effectively matched with the services they require through the network. Consumers are satisfied when their needs are met satisfactorily which is what United Healthcare group strives to achieve.

In the next decade, the company expects the network to grow which is why it has invested in expanding the Navigate4Me Program. The company is expanding the program to ensure that it can leverage the digital data flowing into the nerve center from those enrolled for the Medicare Advantage plans to help people with chronic diseases manage such diseases. By developing an accurate, secure and comprehensive profile for such people using data, the company can provide holistic and personalized support through the Navigate4Me Program (United Health Group, 2019b). Based on the analysis of the data, the navigators are able to identify future health needs and appropriate actions. This helps anticipate future health needs and screen for risk factors. The company here is leveraging between available resources which is the data and technology to provide personalized support in healthcare.

Comparison with Singapore Airline

As a form of differentiation, Singapore Airlines concentrated in offering quality in-flight service. The company thus endeavored to ensure that the in-flight service are high quality by connecting excellence service with the individual performance of the in-flight service crew. The company hired a high qualified in-flight service crew and in turn, acquired a competitive advantage over competitors. The company leveraged skills with qualifications and diversity to form a high performing workforce that met the needs of the diverse population it served. Today, the company is known in the industry for its quality of service. In the same way, United Health Group created a competitive advantage by looking to modernize the healthcare system that meets the needs of all people and offers high quality services at lower costs. The company has invested heavily in research and development and spends more than $3.3 billion in innovation. By integrating technology into the healthcare system, the company has developed approaches that can meet the needs of the consumers at lower costs and anticipate future health needs. The company is not only meeting the needs of the digital consumer but is prepared to meet the needs of the future consumers thus creating a competitive advantage over other players in the industry.

References

Hartman, M., Martin, A. B., Espinosa, N., Catlin, A., & National Health Expenditure Accounts Team. (2017). National health care spending in 2016: spending and enrollment growth slow after initial coverage expansions. Health Affairs, 37(1), 150-160.

Huber, D. (2014). Leadership and nursing care management (5th ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: SaundersElsevier. ISBN-13:9781455740710.

Maciosek, M. V., Coffield, A. B., Flottemesch, T. J., Edwards, N. M., & Solberg, L. I. (2010). Greater use of preventive services in US health care could save lives at little or no cost. Health Affairs, 29(9), 1656-1660.

Sherman, E. (2019). U.S. Health Care Costs Skyrocketed to $3.65 Trillion in 2018. Retrieved from http://fortune.com/2019/02/21/us-health-care-costs-2/

Synaptic Health Alliance. (2018). Improving Provider Data Accuracy A Collaborative Approach Using a Permissioned Blockchain. Retrieved from https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/content/dam/UHG/PDF/2018/Synaptic-Health-Alliance-Blockchain.pdf

United Health Group. (2019a). About UnitedHealth Group. Retrieved from https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/about.html

United Health Group. (2019b). United Healthcare Helps People Manage Chronic Conditions through Data-Powered Nerve Center as Navigate4Me Program Expands. Retrieved from https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/newsroom/2019/2019-02-20-uhc-navigate4me-chronic-conditions.html [/cmppp_restricted]