Just-In-Time Inventory Management
A small medical practice will get to know the places that need some change by just-in-time (JIT). In turn, performance and profitability will be improved and more room and resources will be released (Edwin Lowe Foundation, 2015). The company will secure reputable suppliers with consistent quality goods through JIT. Preferably, these manufacturers would have their warehouses close enough to the company to produce quickly. Thereafter, all items would be ready in time and would not lie idly or eat up space. Therefore, in processing costs, the products would not cost the firm; nor would they become redundant or deteriorate. An automated stock replenishment program would also help to respond quickly to lower inventory levels.
Organizational Structure
The organizational structure is known as the way firms arrange their human resources and jobs for functionality. Different factors such as the nature of work, the number of employees and the range of businesses determine the best organizational structure. A small doctor’s office may use a line structure where there are only direct and vertical relationships between its different levels. The board of directors, physician (medical director), office manager, nurse practitioners, accountant, medical staff and orderlies all fall under line departments. These departments are directly involved in achieving the primary goal of the office. The line organizational structure simplifies and clarifies authority, responsibility, and accountability relationships. Fast decision making is also promoted.
A hospital in a community with one large facility can use the organizational structure of the line and employees. This structure is appropriate because of the need for clear, hierarchical relationships between different levels as well as specialists to advise line managers. The hospital will have both staff and line departments, where the former will provide the latter with guidance and help in specialized areas. Lastly, a major, nationwide insurance company will use the divisional organizational structure that is usually adopted by big firms that cover a wide geographical area. In fact, within the umbrella organization, the corporation will have various smaller branches to cover different geographic areas. The organization can have a different basis in this system for the creation of divisions such as feature, service and geographical territory. The structure hinges upon the division of work based on functional activity or its products as offered in diverse geographical locations.
Communication and Information Technology Management
The quality and effectiveness of communications is among the common issues in any workplace. The email (electronic mail) is among the many important forms of communication used at the workplace today. However, emails have their share of pros and cons. On the pros, emails are free upon securing an internet connection, and an unlimited number of them can be exchanged at no extra charges. Emails are fast since they can arrive almost instantaneously, unlike postal mail that is slow over long distances. Emails are easily accessible from computers, mobile phones and other and handheld. Emails are an effective way of sending bulk information to multiple recipients. Additionally, business documents and other media can easily be attached to emails. Moreover, it is more environmentally friendly to send information through email than via letters/snail mail. The email hastens the workflow process where documents can be submitted very fast for comment and corrections made quickly. Emails can be easily organized by creating separate folders for various kinds of email as opposed to having an entire filing cabinet of letters. On the negative side, members of staff may spend too a lot of time on personal messages instead of work-related engagements. Spam messages that can clutter the inbox are easily sent via email. Additionally, hoaxes and viruses are easily sent via email. Email messages that are not constructed properly can cause misunderstandings. The emails cannot be exchanged where there is no internet connectivity. Moreover, emails lack the personal touch unlike the case in other forms of communication. Lastly, confidential information can be erroneously sent and disseminated to land comfortably in wrong hands.
Managerial Skills
Managerial skills are vital to the medical administrative assistant (MAA) since they assist them in ensuring the organization realizes its goals. The MAA performs administrative functions for the hospital through their expertise in medical terminology and applications. Thus, an MAA needs three sets of skills namely: technical skills (required to accomplish a particular task), human skills (interpersonal skills), and conceptual skills (problem-solving ability). For instance, with the extensive facilities at hospitals, there can be emergency pressures on a continuous basis. With their human skills, the MAA at the front desk can quickly convey a calming demeanor during an emergency where many patients come in as anxious new mothers or seriously injured. The MAA utilizes their interpersonal skills to calm the patient and assure them that they will be attended to soon. It is important for the MAA to plan for the activities within the medical office since they handle numerous tasks. Such functions include patient communication, managing appointments, maintaining records, electronic medical coding, filing insurance claims, and handling accounting and billing. Additionally, they are critical players in the provision of healthcare support services. Since they handle everything, MAAs with proper planning would see to the accuracy of medical records to ensuring the smooth running of medical facilities.
The four building blocks of competitive advantage are quality, efficiency, innovation, and responsiveness to customers. For the organization to be successful, it requires superior ability to lower its costs. The organization also needs excellent quality to allow it charge higher prices and cut its costs. Additionally, a good customer service is vital for the organization charge a higher price. Lastly, higher prices would be realized with superior innovation, as is the case with lower unit costs or product innovations; more especially in process innovations.
Reference
Edwin Lowe Foundation. (2015). Just-in-Time Inventory Management. Retrieved from https://edwardlowe.org/digital-library/just-in-time-inventory-management/