Amie Olmeda Chapter 2.doc

Chapter 2: Feasibility Analysis

Amie Olmeda

HCA 698

Professor O’ Lawrence

5-1-2023

Chapter 2

Feasibility Analysis

Pricing Management

New Life Services will focus on providing mobile healthcare services targeting qualifying clientele. The organization's main services include nutrition and health programs and bariatric surgery (Cole et al., 2020). New Life Services is a profit mobile healthcare provider and will focus on maximizing profits and value for its stakeholders. The initial capital for starting the business will come from shareholder contributions. Additional sources of funds will come from loans and grants associated with nutritional services around the globe. Therefore, the pricing management strategy employed by the organization is based on the costs associated with providing healthcare services, value perception from healthcare consumers, and the prices offered by rivals of the mobile healthcare providers (Encinosa et al., 2005). The pricing strategy is based on regular reviews and updates from industry trends, including price management planning changes, market conditions, and customer feedback.

Based on comprehensive market research, New Life Services will focus on a value-based pricing strategy once services commence. The value-based pricing strategy is most appropriate for New Life Services for various reasons. Since the business will focus on providing premium services to its clientele, the value-based pricing approach will allow New Life Services to set prices depending on the value perception of the services offered (Artenstein et al., 2021). This will be essential in avoiding the assumption that prices are based on the costs of service provision. Value-based pricing is effective for organizations focused on providing high-quality services. Especially businesses offering specialized or personalized healthcare services, which is highly applied in mobile healthcare services (Cole et al., 2020). New Life Services offers specialized healthcare services like nutrition and healthcare programs, bariatric surgery preparations, general wound care, and medication distribution.

The nature of services offered by New Life Services aims at helping patients attain and maintain healthier living conditions and lifestyles. Healthcare services help patients avoid heavy costs associated with treatment and interventions for obesity (Kaufman et al., 2018). Therefore, the perceived value of the services is significant for New Life Services' potential clientele. The organization will also implement a value-based pricing strategy to differentiate itself from competitors in the market (Encinosa et al., 2005). This will include offering premium services that align and justify the premium prices charged by the organization. This will also offer personalized care plans and access to healthcare professionals around-the-clock through physical, telemedicine, and concierge services. The value-based pricing approach will help attain and maintain high-profile customers who are capable and willing to pay for the exclusive healthcare services offered by the organization (Artenstein et al., 2021). This strategy will foster increased revenue and profitability for the organization.

Distribution Management

An effective distribution management approach is essential in ensuring New Life Services delivers healthcare services to patients efficiently and on time. New Life Services will focus on offering mobile healthcare services. However, the organization will have its head offices located in Southern California. The organization will concentrate more on offering obesity and nutritional services to patients in urban and suburban parts (Hinchliffe et al., 2022). This is attributed to the increased demand for healthcare services in such regions, which also offer an optimum service area, as depicted through demographic analysis, patient demand, and competition from other companies (Befort et al., 2012). The mobile clinics will visit patients at their homes, places of work, or community centers through regular scheduling approaches. The company will use a cloud-based inventory management framework and system to effectively manage inventories, including medical supplies and equipment (Serra et al., 2020). The cloud-based approach to inventory will be most appropriate for New Life Services based on the mobile nature of its clinics.

The patient flow plan will be initiated through the initial patient contact, and the patient must contact New Life Services by phone or email. The initial patient contact will facilitate appointment scheduling or service requests. A dedicated phone number and email address will be available to patients through social media platforms and the organization's website. This will be followed by appointment scheduling facilitated by the organization's patient management system. New Life Services staff members will have access to the patient management system, enabling them to view and manage appointments. Check-in will be conducted to verify identification and mode of payment at the front desk. Medical consultations will follow, where patients will meet medical professionals to assess their health conditions (Malone et al., 2020). Patients may receive treatment during their appointment, especially if they show urgent medical care. New Life Services will also offer follow-up services for continued care, in which this stage may also involve referrals or recommendations for further treatment. A management support assistant will help the patient with the billing and payment. Copayment will be collected at the point of treatment, while insurance claims will be conducted electronically. Patients will also be allowed to offer feedback on their experience and services offered by New Life Services. The figure below is the patient flow chart demonstrating …

Patient Flow Chart

Communication Management

Effective communication management fosters clear and effective communication in New Life Services. New Life Services will ensure effective and efficient communication between the clinic and its target audience, mainly high-profile healthcare consumers and personnel. This will be essential, especially in ensuring increased productivity and efficiency in the organization's operations (Fisher et al., 2017). The communication strategy employed in the organization will focus on improving trust among personnel and developing a rapport between New Life Services employees and patients. The organization will encourage increased transparency at all levels of communication. New Life Services will use a mix of outreach strategies, including social media, community events, and campaigns, to foster effective communication with its target audience, especially clients and potential customers.

Internal communication will encourage vertical, horizontal, and diagonal strategies to promote effective communication across all facets of the organization. For instance, relevant patient medical data shall be shared between staff members during and during shift change (Young et al., 2016). The nurses will be informed of any complicated cases so that they can consult with the on-call physicians. The doctor will make any directives and important choices regarding his or her patients, and the nursing staff will be informed of those decisions and orders. The clinical and support staff will communicate consistently to expedite the patient's discharge. The director and administrative staff will coordinate to make business decisions that do not involve patient care (Scott, 2020). The director, the support staff, the doctors, the nurses, and the administrative staff will meet every week to review the previous week's activities and address any problems that may have arisen.

Management and Control

Developing an effective management and control plan aims to ensure New Life Services has the best personnel, leading to increased efficiency, productivity, and profitability. The director will be the organization's overall leader, oversee all teams, and preside over weekly status meetings to discuss the facility's performance and necessary adjustments (Kwedza et al., 2020). The director will also have input into the recruitment process and the final say over who is hired. The physician will be in charge of patient care from diagnosis to prescription to order placement. Most patients at New Life Services are potential candidates for bariatric surgery, so the doctor must have experience with these programs and preparation services. The physician will have admitting privileges at New Life Services and will review patient records prior to the visit to determine whether or not the patient can be effectively treated by the facility.

The administrative assistant is responsible for managing the daily operations and all non-clinical record-keeping. They will be responsible for sending and receiving invoices, processing payroll for New Life Services employees, and sending claims to insurance providers. The administrative help will also be responsible for scheduling the work of the cooks and housekeepers (Kuhlemeier et al., 2022). The administrative assistant and social worker will coordinate to provide the residents various educational and fun opportunities. This role is crucial to the company's success and will assist all employees. The administrative staff will have an educational background of at least a Bachelor's in business or healthcare administration. There are five open RN openings at New Life Services. The first is the nurse manager, who is accountable for the actions of all nurses under their supervision. They will be responsible for putting together shift schedules for RNs and LVNs and answering any questions those workers may have. All nurses must have prior experience caring for patients who are mentally ill, as they will be responsible for providing day-to-day care and carrying out doctors' orders.

SWOT Analysis

The SWOT analysis is essential in identifying factors influencing organizational decision-making for New Life Services.

Strengths

New Life Services depicts several strengths, including offering high-quality healthcare services. Patients will value the convenience of attaining premium healthcare services in the comforts of their homes or workplaces (Ostovan et al., 2013). Another strength is that the organization is flexible in terms of location, attributed to the mobile nature of its operations. This allows New Life Services to reach patients who may not have access to healthcare services. The organization also enjoys lower overhead costs, which translates to increased profit margins. New Life Services offers value-based pricing, which will help establish a competitive advantage over rivals and improve customer catchment.

Weaknesses

Being a mobile clinic, New Life Services faces the weakness of limited capabilities regarding its medical services. For instance, the organization is limited to offering complex and specialized medical services, which lowers its appeal to clients requiring advanced healthcare services. The limited availability of mobile clinics may not favor patients that require urgent medical attention. Other weaknesses include that New Life Services will have a limited patient capacity, reducing its ability to accommodate many patients. The organization's services depend on transportation, which the efficiency of the transport means and weather may weaken the service availability.

Opportunities

New Life Services can take advantage of several opportunities in the market and healthcare industry. One of the opportunities is the increased demand for healthcare services, especially in lifestyle diseases like obesity (Borda et al., 2022). The organization can also expand to new markets by targeting new geographical locations and patient populations. Partnerships are also available for mobile healthcare providers, which can help expand the organization's range of services. According to Haleem et al. (2021), the organization can leverage technology like telemedicine and mobile applications to improve efficiency and expand its capabilities.

Threats

One of the greatest threats for New Life Services is increased competition from traditional healthcare providers. Mobile healthcare providers face increased regulatory challenges, especially in licensing and compliance with federal and local government laws. The reimbursement of finances from insurance firms to mobile healthcare providers creates challenges that may limit New Life Services' ability to offer patients affordable healthcare. Below is SWOT analysis table

Table 1: Summary of SWOT Analysis

References

Artenstein, A. W., Stanaway, N., Roy, A., Westafer, L., Lindenauer, P. K., Seiler, A. C., Coelho, R., & Prather, M. (2021). An integrated mobile acute care service enhances value. Population Health Management, 24(4), 442–447.

Befort, C. A., Nazir, N., & Perri, M. G. (2012). Prevalence of obesity among adults from rural and urban areas of the United States: Findings from NHANES (2005-2008). The Journal of Rural Health, 28(4), 392–397.

Borda, M., Grishchenko, N., & Kowalczyk-Rólczyńska, P. (2022, February 16). Patient readiness for remote healthcare services in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from European countries. Frontiers. Retrieved April 2, 2023, from

Cole, K., Wenger, D., Guha, A., Yarosh, C., & Hoffman, C. (2020). 713-P: Educating Patients on Nutrition Using a Short Computer-Based Video: A Successful Clinic Model.  Diabetes,  69(Supplement_1).

Encinosa, W. E., Bernard, D. M., Steiner, C. A., & Chen, C.-C. (2005). Use and costs of bariatric surgery and prescription weight-loss medications. Health Affairs, 24(4), 1039–1046.

Fisher, K., Hardie, T. L., Ranjan, S., & Peterson, J. (2017). Utilizing health records to characterize obesity, comorbidities, and healthcare services in one human service agency in the United States. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 21(4), 387–400.

Haleem, A., Javaid, M., Singh, R. P., & Suman, R. (2021). Telemedicine for Healthcare: Capabilities, features, barriers, and applications. Sensors international. Retrieved April 2, 2023, from

Hinchliffe, N., Capehorn, M. S., Bewick, M., & Feenie, J. (2022, August 4). The potential role of digital health in Obesity Care – advances in therapy. SpringerLink. Retrieved April 1, 2023, from

Kaufman, C. C., Thurston, I. B., Maclin-Akinyemi, C., Hardin, R. N., Decker, K. M., & Kamody, R. C. (2018). Risk and protective factors associated with depressive symptoms in young adults with overweight and obesity. Journal of American College Health, 68(2), 148–154.

Kuhlemeier, A., Jaki, T., Jimenez, E. Y., Kong, A. S., Gill, H., Chang, C., Resnicow, K., Wilson, D. K., & Van Horn, M. L. (2022). Individual differences in the effects of the action-pac intervention: An application of personalized medicine in the prevention and treatment of obesity. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 45(2), 211–226.

Kwedza, R. K., Zwar, N., Johnson, J. K., & Larkins, S. (2020). Identifying leadership for clinical governance in rural and Remote Primary Health Care Services. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 28(4), 414–416.

Malone, N. C., Williams, M. M., Smith Fawzi, M. C., Bennet, J., Hill, C., Katz, J. N., & Oriol, N. E. (2020). Mobile Health Clinics in the United States. International Journal for Equity in Health, 19(1).

Ostovan, M. A., Zibaeenezhad, M. J., Keshmiri, H., & Shekarforoush, S. (2013, September). The impact of education on weight loss in overweight and obese adults. International cardiovascular research journal. Retrieved April 2, 2023, from

Scott, M. E. (2020). Identifying barriers to organizational identification among low-status, remote healthcare workers. Communication Studies, 71(4), 685–698.

Serra, C. M., Martín, D. M., & Martínez, J. F. T. (2020, August 28). Efficacy of remote monitoring of overweight patients with connected health platform. Science Repository. Retrieved April 1, 2023, from

Young, T. K., Chatwood, S., Ford, J., Healey, G., Jong, M., Lavoie, J., & White, M. (2016). Transforming health care in remote communities: Report on an international conference. BMC Proceedings, 10(S6).

Appointment Scheduling

Initial Patient Contact

Consultation and Treatment

Check-in

Billing and Payments

Follow-up Services

Feedback

�You need to define SWOT here with at least one reference citation to support it.

�Need a reference to support this section

�Use reference to support this section

�You table must be in Black & White according to APA format.