Introduction
Starting up a new business is taking a risk; however, if the decision is well though numerous benefits produce investing in a business. Before one is set to start a new venture there are short and long terms parameters that he should consider ensuring that there will be continuity in the business. The future is unpredictable and so even the smallest details about something should be interpolated before starting up. This paper looks at some of the issues that the Metropolitan Jewish Health System (MJHS) has to look into when introducing the new service (telehealth). This includes institutional factors, legal issues, and ethical issues and resources allocations.
Institutional
Technology is on the rise, there is a shift from the old office business where employees were required to report in offices to do their jobs, today home-based working has taken preference. People are using desktops, teleconferencing technology and laptops for this noble task of serving their clients when at home. The strength of this company is undoubtedly engineered by its internal managerial mechanisms. In order to have a competitive edge in using its new service (telehealth), it will be advisable for the company to take advantage of its ability to compete favorably with equal players in the market. A strategic marketing plan is the only way out. Through this arrangement, the company will be able to adopt different modalities and outreach programs of reaching out to its consumers. In a market mostly controlled by the efficiency and the affordability of the services as well as quality, it will be an open strength for the company to explore more on innovations (Pearce and Robinson, 2009). In retrospect, a strategic marketing plan should be in a position to explicitly document the various channels that can be used by the company to allocate more resources towards improving quality. Right at the onset, a strategic plan demands strategic resources (both human and financial) to make any significant move. Besides the implementation of the proposed service, market research will require mutual consent from all the affected divisions in the company. This will not only consume time as decisions are being made, but a lot of uncertainties abound especially on the verdict of the company
System
Telehealth technology typically is used to collect information through physiologic monitors connected to a computer in the home. Assessment data are then sent through telephone connections to a nurse or other health care professional who verbally communicates with the patient to obtain additional information. Some systems use videophones to allow for visual as well as audio communication.
The first step in the implementation of telehealth service is to determine the needs of a given community. Secondly, a telehealth application must be decided upon, such as who will use it where, when, and for what purpose. The third step is to build a telehealth infrastructure; ensuring that the funding, technology, personnel, management, policies, and procedures are in place. Fourthly, the implementation of telehealth needs to fulfill the expected outcomes. For instance, telehealth should address the identified needs of the community, and be used once it is implemented. The final step is to make sure that the service is sustained (Borodzicz, 2005).
Community Health
The implementation plan for this strategy allows the business to compete in the global market by producing quality services at a low cost hence growing shareholder value. Achieving the implementation plan takes utilization of critical success factors as well as knowledge of the organization. Identification of risks associated with the strategy and plans to combat the risks will allow the business to make necessary provisions to address the situations when they occur as well as meet the demands of the community (Cervinskas, Gerein and George 1984).
Nursing services have always been the foundation of skilled home care services, but the roles of nurses have been limited and determined largely by Medicare policies. Two recent trends in health care, a change in the medical reimbursement system and the development of telehealth technology, are creating opportunities for expanded roles for home care nurses. Because of the change in the Medicare reimbursement system, home health agencies have more incentives and fewer barriers to using advanced practice nurses. The development of telecommunication technology is creating new roles for nurses, particularly in-home care settings. Nurses are advocating for the use of telehealth technology to improve access to and availability of health care services for older adults, particularly those who are homebound or live in rural, remote, or underserved areas. For instance, nurses have found that telehealth technology could be used in hospice programs to accomplish desired outcomes, increase patient and family satisfaction, and decrease cost and utilization.
National Healthcare
The success of the implementation of telehealth services by MJHS depends on government initiatives. It is the responsibility of the national government to recognize both the health and economic benefits of interoperable telehealth and make health a strategic argument for interoperable telehealth (Cervinskas, et al. 1984). It should create and promote working models toward interoperability and promote industry and health care. The government should implement national and international strategies to resolve the issues of licensures, credentialing, and health care provider reimbursement. It should recognize the need for national leadership and promulgate consensus building and a vision for a future health care system that fully integrates and benefits from telehealth and telemedicine.
The success of this service will be accomplished through continuous evaluation of the plan to make necessary changes to realign the strategy with community needs as well as the vision of the business. Evaluations should be an integral part of all telehealth deployed with the aim to assess whether its application was effective in improving health outcomes, appropriate for the needs of the population, reliable, and cost-effective compared with other instruments to achieve the same goal. MJHS should assess the systemic aspects and interactions with other instruments, programs, policies, and effects of conditions. It should measure impacts on the acceptability, workforce distribution, and competence of health personnel. Evaluation should aim at the development of evidence-based telehealth through good practice documentation, thus improving the key management issues and dissemination (Cervinskas, et al. 1984).
Ethical Issues
When a company is developing a product or service, there is a need that a new venture is supposed to fulfill. The trend that the customers follow at one given point is a change to the product that gives them a higher utility. When the product/service is developed, the team should always invest in offering something extra to the consumer. In computer development, there is a need to give specifications that it has over and above the ones existing in the market. If the target customers are aware of the component, the campaigns should be targeted on how to use the components. On the other hand, if the customers are not much interested in the components, the focus should be the outcome that the service will give. The marketing campaigns should explain to the clients what benefit they will derive from using the new service. What does the target customers expect, what are they likely to be moved by? What is the age of the target customer?
- The following factors have to be put into consideration when introducing this new service
- Attitudes- for instance, fears, willingness to take a risk, and willingness to try new things
- Cultural factors- for instance expectations around gender roles and the socioeconomic status of the people involved
- Knowledge/skills- for instance, awareness of the potential of telehealth and ability to use the equipment
Relationships between or within communities- for instance, cooperation, consulting with communities to determine their needs, organizations granting users autonomy over the use of equipment, and allowing for creativity in determining other uses (Harvard Business School Press, 2006).
Legal Issues
Legal factors put a restriction on the development of the organization by putting tough taxes and regulatory requirements. New York’s economic growth potential is facilitated by its demographic advantage and could therefore open up opportunities for organizational development. Legal issues fall into three categories; traditional medico-legal issues, conflicts in state law, and unique telemedicine issues. State law generally governs malpractice liability, which defines the duty of care, the amount of damages patients may collect, and statutes of limitations (Mintzberg, Lampel, Quinn and Sumantra, 2003).
Resource Allocation and Utilization
A company requires both physical and human resources for its operations. Human resources are the greatest asset that an organization can have; without them, no business transaction can take place. It ensures that the business is run in the right way, and thus determines the current as well as the future state of the business. Great leaders or managers are those that can combine available strengths and weaknesses for the good of the organization. How well the human resources are sourced, developed and retained in the organization is the work of management (Daft, 2009). Management is the driving force of an organization, the kind of approach that they give to different issues dictates the success of an organization. Decisions are the driving force in an organization. The quality of the decision that managers make give their organization direction and focus. The growth and competitiveness of MJHS are influenced by the quality as well as acceptability of decisions made by managers at all levels (Carolyn, 2010).
There are many questions in the area of structural readiness. Sufficient people, technical structures, and training available are some of the requirements of all communities. People’s perception of the structure of telehealth influences their level of engagement readiness. As readiness for telehealth is a key prerequisite to successful implementation, stakeholders within telehealth must begin to understand its complex and ubiquitous nature. Telehealth applications and networks should adopt as many standards as possible and be harmonized with recommendations of the international standards organization working groups. There is a need to develop a process model for each healthcare discipline with technical needs defined in terms of quality of service, security, and application interoperability, they should remain understandable to the clinical user. Existing telemedicine infrastructures need to be compatible and interoperable with digital dial-up protocols; they should adopt emerging technologies that have been demonstrated and are the least expensive. Telehealth systems should receive bandwidth on demand, as appropriate for the application.
Marketing Strategies
Marketing strategies for telehealth should be based on the following factors regarding the patients;
- Knowledge about what exactly telehealth is
- Knowledge about benefits
- Fear of damaging equipment
- Gender
- Privacy concerns
- Availability/reliability of content that fits the rural culture
- Address concerns about telehealth replacing current services
- Sense of ownership
To have a sustainable competitive advantage, there is a need to improve the service with time. The company will have a research and development team that will be mandated to survey the market and advice the management on measures to take to ensure that it remains competitive. Another way is the use of appropriate advertising and marketing strategies. Organic expansion of the company’s service in the domestic market will ensure increased returns for MJHS. By capitalizing on its existing potency and unique resources, the company could effortlessly gain a competitive advantage in New York and realize high returns on the capital invested (Anctil, 2008). This strategy could be the gold mine that MJHS needs to improve the balance of its portfolio and to boost its international profit margins.
Conclusion
Globalization of businesses is occurring rapidly in this day and age of fast paced technological advancements and endeavors. However, the success of a business is measured by the strategies being deployed. MJHS will succeed by using the telehealth service, which strives to standardize processes to ensure high-quality services at low costs. Organizations are formed to achieve certain goals. MJHS’s organization is built to meet customer’s needs by delivering quality products at low costs. Low cost and quality are not normally associated together. However, through careful application of business practices, strategic alliances and marketing initiatives, MJHS can achieve both
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