Matthews and Donta state, “changes are reshaping health care and the future of how health care is paid for and received” (2005, p. 1). As American’s have been introduced to the Affordable Care Act this year, there have been many changes to overcome. As healthcare employees, change affects us internally throughout the healthcare industry. It also affects us externally as the cost of healthcare rises, and the patient count lowers because Americans cannot afford the cost of care. No matter the changes experienced in healthcare, employees must adapt as soon as possible to maintain the highest quality of care for the patient.
Stakeholder Questions & Concerns
During the organizational change there will be many questions and concerns from employees, society, and many others. Employees may ask questions such as “will there always be a promised job position for myself”, “will I still receive the same benefit package, short term leave, long term disability, and will by salary be stable”. Employees sort of “freeze” when there is change in a healthcare facility in fright that they are going to lost their current position. Society may ask questions such as “will I receive the same care as I did in the past after the change”, and “will the cost of service or copays increase during or after the change either”? Questions such as this are very important to patients because it is mandatory to know if they can afford the care without going into debt before stepping foot in the building.
Organizational & Individual Barriers to Change
“The knowledge base regarding successful change in health care organizations can be summarized in eight crucial strategies or principles: (1) develop a vision for change, (2) focus on the change process, (3) analyze which individuals in the organization must respond to the proposed change and what barriers exist, (4) build partnerships between