Taking care of our health is important, thus, giving special attention to our health care facilities. Health care is a necessity that needs proper attention and budgeting. From birth to our death bed, it provides a continuous service every individual of every class in the society can attain. Sickness and diseases are prevalent in our times that health care should not be overlooked or else it will cost a life if left disregarded. In America, more than 16% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product is spent on health care each year that it claims to be the single largest industry in the United States. This is all about health care system using management science principles. Just in this current period, we have been experiencing a fatal virus that already killed thousands of people worldwide that made every country’s health care system a major non-stop functioning industry that saves lives. Because of the gravity responsibility of a health center, it must be occasionally updated, thus, old system of management and method must be updated or even replaced with new and scientific methods to ensure quality performance. Through operational tools, health center improves clinic layout, man-power routing and scheduling, purchasing of personal protective equipment, store keeping of medical supplies and accounting. On top of that, the application of management science provides approaches on the science and mathematics fields that help a higher success rate in any health care services.
This application of this technique helps in developing major issues in health care systems such as personalized care for everyone’s individual need and focus on improving the clinical improvement and procedures. This technique helps the health industry to become more efficient and effective for its patients and employees’ welfare. Another key asset of this industry is that it provides labor for various medical workers in psychology, medical technology, nursing and even blue-collared jobs that minimize unemployment in the area it is located. By this, more an excellent location of any medical structure can increase the value of the City and also, improve the living quality of the residents knowing that they have a place to fight diseases and get their regular checkup when needed. The application of management science is significant in various departments in a hospital or clinic because it can operate with mathematical and computer technologies to solve complex decision problems and execute complex surgeries and activities. It also standardizes the equipment, tools, and materials methods of work in each department to have an organized work flow and division of labor. Health industry produces so much wastes in terms of medical supplies and even papers that are filled with charts and medical documents. Which means we have to take extra care of our health because it is an investment so we can live longer.
Poor management of health care waste potentially exposes health care workers, waste handlers, patients and the community at large to infection, toxic effects and injuries, and risks polluting the environment. It is essential that all medical waste materials are segregated at the point of generation, appropriately treated and disposed of safely (WHO, 2011) Waste management is also taken cared of by this system; thus, it eliminates wastes that it aims to focus on the efficiency of the workers doing their specialization rather than focusing on waste minimization. Wastes are also expenses in the business that decreasing cost of production that add more revenue to the health system; the workers can produce more outputs as well. Management science is really helpful to medical science as the name suggests.
One weakness of health care systems is the decreased amount to the overall funding of the industry especially in third-world country like Philippines. However, through the Management Science technique it costs expensive that not all health care system manages to pay its expenses. Health industry protects both the employment of white and blue collared workers however, the utilization of scientific management causes a negative consequence that creates unemployment on some workers that deal with labor intensive jobs like machinery and assembly department. In some instances, the presence of management system can cause workers to slack off as the system already does so much of their everyday work that it already unproductive in their part. Scientific management can create more opportunities in a health care industry knowing that it can expand medical practices that ultimately, it increases the success rate of every operation. This approach can also improve safety system in the medical field by studying a disease or even a deadly pathogen in a much closer look through in-depth research and clinical trials that aims to progress the fight against deadly diseases. Having an organized decision-making process in a life or death situation can turn things into a positive outcome and this computer solution tool can store significant information that is easily accessible in a system to overcome data backlog and dislocation.
One of the most significant opportunity from using management science is the solution a s no-show check-ups and appointments that add to the expenses which also decreases the profit to be used for administrative expenses. Through the system, clients’ booking and appointment schedules can be monitored thus, minimizing the no-show clinical checkups to save money and to save the time of the medical practitioners. However, overbooking is also a major issue that can easily addressed by the system to avoid stress due to confusion and overcrowding for some small health centers. It is rational in a health care center to have a simulation models for the process of pathogens, patients, and family visitors entering an intensive care unit; communication between health care workers and other outsiders; disinfecting; becoming infected; being cured; discharging well patients; and budgeting. This kind of model can help in initial procedures and later on guide the workers during official execution. Infection can critically endanger the people working that scientific management can reduce the risk of that happening through proper disinfection programs and system. A high-end technology like operational tools support alternative models like a simulation than a real test subject for it will function more precise. However, small centers need to be extra careful implementing systems using expensive technologies and tools because of the cost it may bring that sometimes does not match the earnings a private center have or the budget for a public one. These threats are not as important as saving a life that it is better overlooked than convincing the health industry of ignoring the value of management science. It is better to incur more in order to save a life than doing nothing at all.
Healthcare industry is a complex yet wonderful necessity that improves and lengthens a human’s quality of life that it we can overlook some of its downside because of its complicated nature. It needs strong passion, hard work and a lot of money to build a place where people can expect assistance that no life can ever be exchanged by monetary value.
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