Fontana Pediatric Associates Five years ago, doctors Alvero Sanchez…

MegaDeer2889 Fontana Pediatric Associates Five years ago, doctors Alvero Sanchez…Fontana Pediatric Associates Five years ago, doctors Alvero Sanchez and Josh Hudson opened a small pediat-rics office in Fontana, California. These longtime friends, who had graduated from medical school together, had finally achieved the dream of starting a pediatrics practice with the vision of providing excellent care to children in their community. The five doctors, six nurses, and accountant who staffed the office quickly devel-oped a reputation for being caring and conscientious. The staff also partnered with local organizations to serve the community, providing free flu shots and health clinics at the local YMCA. Sanchez and Hudson were energized and ecstatic that they were living out their dream, managing their small practice in the midst of a community that respected them. Their dream started to unravel, however, as the practice began growing at an unwieldy pace. The population of nearby Hispanic communities was burgeoning, and so was the number of patients coming to Fontana. Although Sanchez and Hud-son had always dreamed of a large, profitable practice, they realized they were not prepared for such unprecedented growth. The number of new patients was sky-rocketing, and the staff at Fontana was unprepared to handle the influx. Waiting rooms were packed, the staff was becoming short-tempered, and communication among staff was breaking down. Internal systems—like the electronic medical records systems with which they started the practice—were overloaded, and pa-tient health records were getting lost. Patient scheduling was chaotic, causing long waits for many people. The systems and procedures that once provided a firm un-derpinning for the small practice could no longer sustain the rapid patient growth. Frustration mounted as the founding doctors spent more of their time manag-ing the growing business and less time on patient care. They realized their original vision of providing excellent pediatric care in a comforting environment was fad-ing fast. Most importantly, they were growing dissatisfied with their work. Instead of diagnosing illnesses and building relationships with patients, they were spend-ing more time overseeing the expansion and growth of their practice: interviewing and hiring additional doctors and nurses, supervising construction of the office expansion, and training new staff on office procedures. Their primary reason for opening a practice seemed like a long-forgotten memory. Under the growing pressure, staff morale began to buckle. Heated arguments and short tempers among the staff were becoming commonplace. One stellar nurse had resigned, feeling powerless and disenfranchised by the conditions in the office. Another had been fired after arguing with a frazzled parent. Even San-chez and Hudson were growing frustrated and unhappy in their work. Secluded for a quick lunch in the break room, Hudson confided in Sanchez. “There was a time,” he said, “when we found meaning in our work. I felt most alive and fulfilled when we were just starting out. Now, we’re just scrambling to keep pace with the change, but we’re falling behind and drifting away from what’s important—excel-lent care for our patients.” Their lunch was interrupted by a knock at the door and some unexpected news from their accountant. The quarterly financial reports painted a grim picture, she told them. The recent pattern of decreasing revenue and escalating costs was continuing in this quarter. A financial crisis was beginning to brew, affecting both cash flow and profitability. The accountant explained that quick action would need to be taken to improve the practice’s financial health. “We have three problems,” she explained, “and those are declining reimbursement from insurance companies, delinquent payments from patients, and rising costs of medical supplies and lab work.” She paused and then added, “It doesn’t help that our billing software is archaic. It simply can’t manage the size of this practice.” Sanchez tore a page from his prescription pad, flipped it over, and scratched out the following: To survive, Fontana Pediatric Associates must (1) improve service to patients and family, (2) improve respect and collaborative communication among the staff, (3) save money, (4) collect fees from patients in a timely manner, and (5) encourage innovation and creativity from our staff to solve routine problems. He slid this list across the table to Hudson, asking, “How do we make this happen?” Questions 1. Assume you are Sanchez or Hudson and plan to implement immediate organi-zational change within the practice. Where would you start? What steps would you take? 2. The accountant recommended that Sanchez and Hudson consider using AI to facilitate positive change within the practice. How would you implement the four steps of AI? Be specific. What kinds of things would you expect to arise during the Discover and Dream steps of AI? 3. Sanchez and Hudson are caught between being physicians and being leaders of their practice. How do you suggest they resolve this dilemma? What lead-ership qualities will Sanchez and Hudson need to display in order to lead positive change in their practice?Describe a situation when you led change in an organization or at home. From the learning that you have gained in this course, how might you have better planned for and implemented that change?Please list sourcesBusinessBusiness – Other