HQS 630 Topic 7 Assignment: Corporation Merger Example Corporation Merger

HQS 630 Topic 7 Assignment: Corporation Merger Example

Corporation Merger

Hospital mergers are necessitated by the need for two or more hospitals to combine and form a single hospital entity with devolved functions, as Chesley (2019) illustrates. The merger can be of two standalone healthcare facilities, one hospital buying another, or several hospitals coming under the supervision of a new entity (Chesley, 2019). Often, these mergers impact critical functions of merged hospitals, such as patient care routines and protocols, clinical decision-making protocols and timelines, compliance with legal requirements, and sometimes the whole healthcare industry (Beaulieu et al., 2020).

The primary reasons for hospital mergers include strategic plans for specific goal attainability, the need to explore the benefits of economies of scale, financial stability, and enhanced healthcare delivery in the broader scope (Walia & Boudreaux, 2019). This discussion examines why change is important, how to implement it, and the change management approach appropriate for the implementation.

The Rationale for Change

Our hospital uses different medical records systems; therefore, change is important for the continuity of operations after the merge for the best patient care practices. The prime rationale for this change is to integrate our hospital into the organizational setting to operate seamlessly with the other two hospitals. Therefore, our hospital needs to utilize the new medical records system (Y) to streamline healthcare delivery services and run with the other two hospitals as one cohesive unit. This change will enhance patient care through up-to-date patient records under Y, reducing the risk of medication errors and improving patient outcomes tracking. Moreover, integrating this change will significantly reduce the operational costs that would have spiked if the hospital management had implemented dual systems.

The steps to implementing the change

Changing from X to Y records system is meticulous since it is new to our hospital setting due to the human factor. Therefore, it will affect all employees, as is the custom of strategic change management. Stephen (2018) explains that three steps guide change implementation: unfreeze, change, and refreeze. Under the unfreeze stage, I would recognize the need to change our medical records system to the Y system and openly communicate the vision and urgency with my colleagues for collective support in the transition.

During the change stage, I would implement the actual change, which is changing the medical records system to fit that of the larger organization. I would seek the help of experts to educate and train my colleagues on how to use and manage the Y medical records system. The refreeze stage would ensure everyone in our hospital fully understands the Y medical records system and makes it the norm in recording, retrieving, and applying medical records. This way, our hospital would be ready for the merger.

Behind the three-approach implementation process is a rigorous back-end operation to ensure everything is in time and good shape for the merger. I would conduct a thorough evaluation of our X system and analyze the requirements of the Y system. The gaps identified here would help me design a detailed implementation plan for the Y system and pinpoint areas where I would find change resistance.

After allocating resources and crafting performance indicators for the change process, I would communicate openly with the stakeholders and offer them the training and support required to utilize the Y system effectively. Pilot testing would take effect before phased implementation to identify any issues or improvements that need reworking. I would then monitor and evaluate the success of the new records system, and with satisfactory success, I would signal the merging process to begin.

Change Management Approach

Identifying the need for change and outlining the steps to make the changes is incomplete until a change management approach takes the lead. One of the appropriate approaches I would use is the ADKAR (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement) approach. Ali et al. (2021) note that the ADKAR approach exhaustively addresses the staff and workplace aspects of change and is, therefore, most suitable for organizations that seek merging opportunities.

Through ADKAR, the stakeholders are aware of the need for change and the benefits therein, and the staff’s desire for change is heightened by understanding how the change aligns with their professional growth needs. Training for knowledge of system operation and adequate resource availability equip the staff for now and perpetuity under the merger. The approach would also enable me to support the staff transiti