By any definition, Shady Acre Health System as a healthcare service provider has grown tremendously relative to industry standards. However, with growth comes different problems and challenges as well as opportunities. Some common challenges include keeping up with the market, using the right systems, and welcoming change.

Current Issues

Despite Shady Acre Health System having strengths in the form of an excellent public reputation, a high level of employee satisfaction, license and accreditations that are in good standing as well as a well equipped and rounded hospital, it has some weaknesses and threats which can reverse its growth. Some of the major challenges that are currently facing Shady Acre Health System include the complaints on reduced quality in the community clinics, the poaching of their staff by other new health systems, and the system of paying on a sliding fee scale as well as an incomplete integration of the EHR system. Other threats, although not stemming out of the way they operate, but from the externalenvironment come in the form of an increasing population who have no access to insurance, and this would further lead to an increase in the number of patients visiting the community clinics.

Solutions and Course of action

Shady Acre Health System can first take steps that go towards solving the internal challenges that it is currently facing. This would involve looking for and solving the cause of the complaints that touch on the reduced service quality at the community clinics, this would have the long run effect of attracting more clients without losing the existing ones. It will also go along way in ensuring that their excellent reputation is not damaged. The other step would be to address the problem of high staff turnover through poaching by other new health care systems.This would involve offering their staff competitive salaries and benefits that would discourage them from moving to other health systems. Other internal changes that could be undertaken include implementing the full integration of the HER systems to make Shady Acre Health System as competitive as their competitors. Additionally, efforts can be channeled towards marketing the two assisted living facilities. However, this may have the double effect of attracting additional clients while pushing away the already established client base.The issue regarding the system of paying on a sliding fee scale should not be changed. Shady Acre Health System was and is established as a non-for-profit entity set up to assist the community. The sliding fee scale system is an apposite and fitting approach to ensure that only the poor and deserving in the community have access to discounted health services, and this goes towards helping the organization help the poor.The concern on the slump in the market cannot be addressed as it is a macroeconomic issue which an individual; organization can not solve, however, SAHS can better prepare for hard times ahead by cutting down on operating costs. This will help them breakeven until the time when the economy has improved.

Conclusion

Shady Acre Health System has the capacity and the ability to post a good bottom line even after the 18 month grace period which has been forecast. It will only take the support of all the stakeholders involved to ensure that they remain afloat. This will to a large extent also require that the staff and management are ready to embrace change.

Works Cited

Department of Agriculture, Risk Management Agency. SWOT Analysis: A Tool for Making Better Business Decisions. Washington D.C: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Risk Management Agency, 2008.

Richter, Anne and Nadine Pahl. Swot Analysis – Idea, Methodology and a Practical Approach. Norderstedz: BoD – Books on Demand, 2009.

Shafrin, Jason. Is health care demand elastic? 22 July 2009. 8 July 2014. <http://healthcare-economist.com/2009/07/22/is-health-care-demand-elastic/>.

 
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