Key Successful Factors of Long-Term Care Operation and Management–A Case Study on A Long-Term Care Center
Date Issued
2012
Date
2012
Author(s)
Yuan Liao, Huei
Abstract
Although the whole world is facing the universal issue of aging, it is especially impending in Taiwan due to a senior population increasing at an unusually alarming rate. Furthermore, in the past, family members served as primary caregivers to the aging but this is not the case anymore due to today’s family structure. In an attempt to address observed societal changes and growing complexities of health problems and chronic diseases, Taiwan tightened its reign on government-sponsored healthcare programs; however, without a focused vision or sound approach, many were haphazard and unrecognized.
The Taiwan government tried to promote healthcare, including long-term care, as one of the Six Uprising Industries in Taiwan and encouraged local businesses to provide services in this field to meet the future’s growing need. This brought an influx of for-profit sector engagement into the healthcare business and also impacted existing non-profit and small-sized providers. Now, the provision of quality long-term care while maintaining financial sustainability is a particularly dire issue for providers.
A mission-driven business providing any service with sound operations management strategy is more likely to succeed than a business without one. Establishing effective strategies is therefore vital to achieving projected outcomes. Studies show that Balanced Scorecard is a good assessment tool to examine the merits of strategies. If key elements for successful operations management of a business are identified and assessed by using this proven instrument,Balanced Scorecard, the business will have a better chance at continued growth and success.
This research is a case study of a private long-term care operation utilizing a pragmatic operations management strategy assessed by this tool. Though a single case study, the findings are reliable and have been validated by nearly ten outstanding organizations nationwide. The study provides an overview of long-term care development in Taiwan including the system and practices, organizational structure and service characteristics, and field competition among providers. It also includes information on long-term care in European countries, United States, and other Asian countries. Overall, it unveils details of today’s long-term care operation and management in Taiwan.
The researcher incorporated her own professional experience in managing long-term care facilities, and used one of these facilities for this study. She analyzed the current status of the site including its vision, mission, history, organizational structure, scope of services, and production line. She then identified elements of operations management and evaluated them with Balanced Scorecard assessment.
Seven elements of successful long-term care operation and management were identified: environment and facility; leadership and management; customer service; infrastructure and procedure; learning and growth opportunity; finance and policy. These seven elements are holistically interrelated and offer valuable insight for long-term care providers at large.
The facility highlighted in this study has hosted multiple public-private joint ventures, thus the study may have certain limitations. Moreover, Taiwan’s long-term care insurance policy, to be implemented in four years, will significantly affect the country’s long-term care management system. If the government continues to pursue healthcare reimbursement approaches based on facility/equipment set-up, personnel distribution and accreditation results, many long-term care providers will face reductions in revenue that could result in business closures. The Taiwan government should carefully study the planned long-term care insurance policy prior to its implementation to ensure financial sustainability for quality service providers, and ultimately, benefit to vulnerable elders.
Key words: long-term care； operation and management；key successful factors；Case study
Subjects
long-term care
operation and management
key successful factors
Case study
Type
thesis
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