Introduction
John Hopkins was established in 1889 with the intention of offering quality health care services to the residents of Baltimore, Maryland, where it is headquartered. However, due to its robust internal structure, the hospital has been able to expand and serve even people outside Maryland. Internal structures such as service delivery, human resources, and marketing, among others, have been very vital in the expansion of the hospital.
Evaluation of the Internal Structure of the Health Care Organization
In today’s world, the health care organizations are experiencing various problems in their need to change their internal organization to keep pace with the swift changes that are taking place. Some of the elements of organizational structure include service delivery, finance, operations, human resources, supply chain, leadership, and marketing, among others. John Hopkins Hospital is committed to providing the best services to its clients. To ensure this is achieved, the hospital shares its performance as well as how it works to ensure that they earn the trust of the clients. Patients have a session with the doctor where they are taken through the treatment process and are free to ask any questions that they may have. This instills confidence in the patients.
As regards marketing, the hospital has a marketing and communications department that handles marketing and all communication procedures. The department communicates to the clients and markets the hospital (Pronovost, Demski, Callender, Winner, Miller, Austin, & Atha, 2013). The modes of communication used in the marketing process and communication include digital media, the web, and publications.
The hospital’s human resource is composed of a team of professional employees whose major role is to ensure that there is efficient service delivery. The team works under the mantra of providing “reliable, consistent, competent, and timely services and support to meet the needs of employees and other customers” (Pronovost et al., 2013). Thus, human resource can be described as the hinge that moves the hospital.
Implications of the Internal Structure on Driving Results from a Strategic Perspective
From a strategic perspective, John Hopkins Hospital seeks to penetrate the market and improve brand recognition. Its internal structure has played a great role in achieving these. For example, through its robust marketing strategies, the hospital has been able to penetrate the market and open several branches. For example, the hospital has four different hospitals in Maryland and also operates several other subsidiaries. Its qualified human resource has been a key factor for enhancing its recognition (Newhouse, Dearholt, Poe, Pugh, & White, 2017). Due to proper and quality services offers by the hospital, its name has been recognized not only in Maryland but in entire America.
Implications of the Internal Structure on Driving Results from an Operational Perspective
From an operational perspective, the internal structure of John Hopkins Hospital is meant to ensure that the goals of the hospital are achieved. One of the goals of the hospital is to offer the best health care services to the patients. To achieve this, the hospital makes use of internal organizational structures that are designed to ensure that nurses and other health care providers provide the best services. One of these is through an internal reward system that ensures health care providers are rewarded based on performance.
Challenges and Opportunities That Present Themselves in the Fulfillment of the Strategic Initiatives
Barriers such as limitation of access to care due to the lack of adequate nurses required to meet the needs of an individual patient, systemic failure to plan for patient increases, and stress, fatigue, and burnout among employees affect quality service delivery. However, the hospital has opportunities to venture further due to its good reputation across Maryland and beyond, as well as its solid financial platform. The hospital does not have a lot of debts from suppliers, and this may be an opportunity for the hospital to enhance its service delivery (Newhouse et al., 2017).
Recommendations to Align Organizational Structure to Drive Customer-Focused Results
To ensure that John Hopkins Hospital achieves quality service delivery to the customers, it is recommended that it utilizes outsourcing as a strategy. When properly implemented, outsourcing may lead to reduced costs, improved customer service, and meet changing market needs. Some of the areas that John Hopkins Hospital can outsource is in the marketing area where it can hire a competent market to reduce burnout among the employee as some of them perform nursing functions and also engage in the marketing section.
It also recommended that John Hopkins Hospital engages in strategic partnerships with other hospitals and institutions to help provide quality services. For instance, the hospital could partner with another hospital where the employees could engage in exchange programs to improve their service delivery.
Conclusion
By and large, John Hopkins Hospital is one of the leading institutions in the provision of health care services. The hospital’s influence in America is undisputable, and it continues to expand and boost its reputation through the provision of quality health care services. Its internal structure has played a great role in achieving these. For example, through its robust marketing strategies, the hospital has been able to penetrate the market and open several branches. For example, the hospital has four different hospitals in Maryland and also operates several other subsidiaries.
