Familial Conflict in the Short Stories The Yellow...

Many different conflicts arise in one household but it is also common in the short stories, The Yellow Wallpaper written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and in Responsibility written by Russell Smith. In both short stories there are challenges that characters need to face due to the fact that family relationships are the cause. In the Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator is the protagonist she is a woman that is apparently suffering from nervous depression. In the short story responsibility, the son James is the protagonist, there are many differences between him and his mother they share a usual relationship where the child rebels against the parents’ wishes. In The yellow wallpaper the narrator is also the protagonist and her husband share a†¦show more content†¦The Narrator states that, â€Å"he is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction.† (Gilman, 56) meaning that he does not let her do many things, without permission it appears that the relationship is more of a doctor to patient not a husband to wife relationship. In responsibilities, James is the son and he and his mother both have different needs and wants in life, there are conflicts in this relationship because the mother is more of a traditional woman, and James has more of a modern outlook. Thus this creates conflicts within their relationship as mother and son. James has big dreams and wanted to achieve each and every single one of them but mostly want to get a book written about his music column he states that â€Å"it could be the kind of book that would sell outside this little... anyways. Yes, it’s a bigger risk y es, but actually it could pay off very well, if you do something successful. So I am being more ambitious than you and dad were.† (Smith 36) meaning that he wanted more than having to be nobody he wanted to be somebody and what he had was not enough. He was drawn to the fact that it could pay off very well. But the reality of it all was that his mom was pressuring him to having the normal life where he would get married and have a steady job and have kids, But James wanted to have his life his way. This is where the lifestylesShow MoreRelatedpreschool Essay46149 Words   |  185 Pagessays, â€Å"This is my platano.†* †¢ Using a large paintbrush, first paints some areas green and then uses a smaller paintbrush to make orange dots scattered among the green areas. Says, â€Å"This is a pumpkin patch.† †¢ Paints the sun as a round yellow circle. †¢ Draws what was seen at a Mardi Gras parade and shows the colorful drawings to the teacher. †¢ Uses finger paint and, on own initiative, adds a moon and a tree to the finished work. †¢ Draws a dragon and asks the teacher, â€Å"Do we

Case Analysis of Sutton Health Free Essays

string(24) " that this is achieved\." CASE ANALYSIS OF SUTTER HEALTH 1 Case Analysis of Sutter Health CASE ANALYSIS OF SUTTER HEALTH 2 Sutter Health is a non-profit network that is made up by community-based health care providers based in Northern California. This network introduced an interface that was aimed at enhancing revenue collection of the facilities from the self-pay patient. This network identified that traditional payment processing system had limitations that hindered the effective collecting of revenue. We will write a custom essay sample on Case Analysis of Sutton Health or any similar topic only for you Order Now What with the recession, healthcare organizations have seen an increase in the inability to collect debt from the self-pay, the uninsured and underinsured patients. This has caused a lot of struggle when it comes to the organizations to meet the operational margins and the profits. I find there are a number of reasons for the new increase in patient’s debts, the most common are, poor accounting practices, lack of patient information and correct demographics. There is new governance that is designed to provide more coordinated care to said patients (Gleeson,2010). There are five geographic regions that reflects the health care access to the customers of Northern California. Each of the five regions will have governance structure and it will oversee many of the Sutter affiliated medical facilities and also the hospitals. In its effort to increase point of service collections and improve the overall revenue cycle Sutter health took steps to measure performance using a handful of specific primary benchmarks, empowering PFS staff to assume responsibility for every individual account they handle, ensure each registration is analyzed using a rules engine to identify problems before patients leave the registration desk and ensure PFS staff receive appropriate co mprehensive training to excel under the new system† (Souza, McCarty, 2007). Obtaining the correct patient information plays a large part on non-collectable debt because patients are not able to be reached. These limitations were associated with limited access to accurate information by the account representatives, ineffective performance measures and fragmented centers of the service provision. The Sutter Health program developed a system that was comprised of solutions that were geared towards overcoming these limitations. I will be CASE ANALYSIS OF SUTTER HEALTH 3 discussing the new system that was created by Sutter Health. The key problems and issues, is that the United States healthcare system is characterized by huge upkeep from collecting revenue from patients. This situation is brought about by a health care insurance system which entails high deductible pay health plans and as well as higher co-payments plan. (Souza, McCarty, 2007). This situation has been made worse through the large proportion of the population not having healthcare coverage. The traditional health care system has had a hard time meeting their target revenue collection. This is due to several problems that attached along with the traditional payment system. Unlike when dealing with the payments through insurance claims but also dealing with the up-front payments that are required by the hospital for payment of services before the patient could even receive the service (Souza, Mccarty, 2007). So this means that the patient services staff (PFS) has to have complete and accurate information about above said client. This presented a problem for the traditional payment system where much of the customer payment system was processed in the back end. This system also required that the PFS staff ask for money from self-pay patients, but the PFS were not accustomed to this under the traditional system. The PFS staff found it hard to wait for the back end section to process customer information and to provide a breakdown of the patients payment details. So this became a tedious task for hospital accounting departments as well as for patients that had to wait a longer period before receiving services. The inefficiency of the traditional system not only resulted in low quality services, but also in low revenue collections. The system provides such a broad range of health care services, which include acute, sub- acute, home health, long term, outpatient care as well as physician delivery systems. These services are provided through an integrated health care delivery approach that gives the system the ability to deliver a full range of healthcare products and services. CASE ANALYSIS OF SUTTER HEALTH 4 Sutter also identified that PFS staff could not get ahold of real time information in operational and financial indicators such as cash collections and A/R (Souza, McCarty, 2007). So in the long run this meant that the managers and staff had to wait until the end of the month in order to identify the benchmarks. Sutter also recognized that the traditional system did not provide a means for analyzing selected data nor did it generate required detailed report on demand. This led to more cost as the hospital had to rely on programmers to generate such reports. The front desk staff also lacked real time information which hindered their ability to serve the client without consulting the back end staff. It also meant that the front desk staff could not monitor the patients progress (Souza, McCarty, 2007). Another challenge was that the PFS members were not empowered enough to be held accountable for each patients accounts they dealt with and it reduced the amount of accountability among the staff. These are some of the key challenges that the Sutter system were meant to address. The solutions that were employed by Sutter Health was an attempt to overcome the challenges stated above. Sutter Health implemented certain changes in the fore mentioned system that would make their operation more efficient. The strategies identified by the Sutter program entailed transferring most of the back end tasking to the front desk; providing accurate and complete information to managers and upfront staff; providing more effective performance evaluation and integrating all data elements within the system (Souza, McCarty, 2007). Allowing front desk staff to handle much of the payment process was deemed to have an effect on the efficiency of the process. Various solutions were employed to ensure that this is achieved. You read "Case Analysis of Sutton Health" in category "Essay examples" One of these solutions entailed using benchmarks to measure performance by the Patient Service Staff (PFS). Sutter identified a handful of primary benchmarks which included; Unbilled A/R days, Gross A/R days, Major A/R days, Cash Collection, Billed A/R days, and CASE ANALYSIS OF SUTTER HEALTH 5 percentage of A/R over 90, 180, 360 days (Souza, McCarty, 2007). This benchmark introduced shorter periods with which staff performances could be evaluated. This move was timely especially when onsidering that the industry has changed and things happen in terms of hours and days but not months. Another solution involved empowering the PFS members to have full responsibility over the accounts they are dealing with. This move was meant to increase a sense of responsibility and accountability as each individual members will be responsible for his or her own account (Souza, McCarty, 2007). This also gave the PFS members more autonomy to act as they saw fit and this improved the speed and efficient of service delivery by these staff members. The program also provided the PFS members with tools, that enabled them to automate their accounts, sort out their accounting using various means and seen their performances based on the achievement of the target. PFS and other accountant representatives were presented with individual dashboards that helped in the tracking of their progress in meeting targets. This also helped in enforcing the benchmarks set by this program. Sutter’s health program also introduced a front end collecting system as means of overcoming the mentioned problems. The pint of access collecting system introduced an opportunity for the health care facilities to reduce claims and denials. Though this system the patient records are analyzed before the patient leaves the registration desk. This enables the front desk staff to identify problems such as bad debt, patient or invalid patient type early enough and take the necessary corrective action. The Sutter health program also embarked on a comprehensive training program that was designed to support the existing PFS members and the registration staff. This gave staff the necessary competence to deal with the tools provided by this system. The training program also eliminated the need to hire formally educated staff to operate the system that would CASE ANALSIS OF SUTTER HEALTH 6 demand more than the $10-$20 an hour paid to current registration and PFS staff. For example, registration staff who were not used to asking patients for money were trained in effective communication skills. The training was also designed to introduce autonomy and effectiveness which acted as a motivator to the employee. The Sutter system allows staff to act with more independence which has made them active in owning the system. Autonomy is a critical element that enables workers to work effectively and deliver the best when it comes to their ability. The efficiency of the system has also made the work of the staff easier, acting as a further motivating factor for the staff. Another solution involved getting patients on board with this program. The POS collection system is not only beneficial to hospitals but also to the health care customers as well. (Souza, McCarty, 2007). This system provides a patient friendly billings which ensures transparency in the way customers are asked to pay for health care services. The payment system that is in force in other parts, bills the patient after he or she has already received the services and has already left the hospital. However, the Sutter program introduced transparency as the patient then gets to know what the services will cost him or her before they receive the services. It has become evident that patients would love to know how much the care they receive will cost them and this is what the Sutter program has provided. This system also offers a simplified system of settling hospital bills thereby making things easier for customers using said hospital system, customers are usually compelled to produce a lot of records and documentations in order to have their payment processed which introduces a lot of inconveniences. There is more accounting practices that are used by Sutter in identifying and solving problems, such as Sutter was discontented with the amount of revenue being collected from the self-pay patients (Souza, McCarty, 2007). The management team understood that the self-pay CASE ANALYSIS OF SUTTER HEALTH 7 patients were capable of meeting their medical expenses and therefore the problem was in their system. Sutter then resorted to evaluate the accountability and transparency in the process involved in the collection of revenue. It is through this evaluation that most of the traditional system did encourage responsibility and accountability to the people handling the revenue collection. Another accounting practice that was adopted was cost reduction. Accounting principles dictate that there are two major ways for increasing the margin; increasing profits or reducing costs. After exhausting all the avenues they could use in increasing revenue, Sutter embarked on a campaign that would reduce the cost of operation. This saw the collection process being integrated into a unified system. The methods used were also cost conscious, is why they opted for comprehensive training of their existing PFS and registration staff rather than hiring specially trained professionals, who would have demanded higher pay. Another alternative would be that Sutter’s strategies focused on improving accountability and autonomy of the staff in order to enhance revenue collection. Sutter health relied on solutions such as setting benchmarks and the empowering of staff. What they found to work was a full cycle of the amount payable. Amount payable refers to money owed to the institution by other parties while the full cycle refers to the amount of time it takes for the patients to settle their debt. (Rauscher, Wheeler, 2008). Reducing the full cycle may help to reduce the number of bad debts that a health institution suffers from. Traditionally a patient cycle followed procedures such as organizing schedule, registration, treatment, billing and collection (Solomon, 2011). The collection part is why the health institution is able to recover the debt owed to it by the patients. This section comes along after the treatment process is concluded and therefore increases the chances for bad debt. This paper proposes a system where bills are settled on a pre-service basis. The pre-service CASE ANALYSIS OF SUTTER HEALTH 8 system will be enabled by developing a system that standardized serves to make billing before the client receives services easier (Trans Union, 2007). A per item standardized billing is advised. This is why a standard is set for each and every hospital procedure and the patient is billed by summing up the cost of all service items he or she has utilized. In my informed opinion the approach used by Sutter Health was effective. This is because their approach was able to address the concerns raised by the network. Sutter health was concerned with the growing number of self-pay payments and the diminishing of the amount of revenue. The need to increase the amount of collecting from this section of market was the primary objective of developing this strategy. The success of every strategy is able to deliver the set goals. When it comes to Sutter Health it is estimated that revenue collection from the self-pay patients increased by an additional $78 million after the implementation of the strategy (Souza, McCarty, 2007). This is a clear indicator of the program’s success. One of the benefits is improved quality of care for the patient. One of the solutions identified by Sutter was bringing the health customer onboard. This system did this by factoring the customer’s needs into the system, making it customer friendly. The customer’s now spend less time processing payment while at the same time, the patient’s get to know of the cost they will incur before receiving the services. The system has also reduced the number of patients being denied treatment as a result of a streamlined inventory system. In conclusion Sutter Health is a non-profit network based in California and is made up of community based health care providers. This case discussed how Sutter developed a system that was able to improve revenue collection from the self-pay patients. Sutter recognized that the number of bad debts was rising along with the rising number of self-pay patients, This network conducted an evaluation on its facilities and identified that the problem of low revenue collection was linked to a disintegrated system of collection, in adequate accurate information CASE ANALYSIS OF SUTTER HEALTH 9 and poor performance indicators. Sutter Health employed solutions that entailed setting new benchmarks, empowering employees, factoring the customer’s interest and compressive training. References Rauscher, S. Wheeler, J. (2008). Effective Hospital Revenue Cycle Management. Journal of Healthcare Management Robertson, K. (Oct, 16, 1995). Sacramento Business Journal 12, 30: 3 Solomon, P. (2011). State of Healthcare Reform Revenue Cycle Retrieved from http://philcsolomon. om/2011/04/the-state-of-healthcare-revenue-cycle-an-insi ders- perspective-part-2/ Souza, M. McCarty, B. (2007). From bottom to top: How one provider retooled collection. Healthcare Financial Management 61 (9). 67-73 Trans Union (2007). Healthcare Collections: How Full Cycle Improvements Reduce Bad Debt. http://www. tranunion. com/docs/healthcare/businessneeds/healthcarecollectionsWP. pdf How to cite Case Analysis of Sutton Health, Essay examples

Employee Benefits (1803 words) Essay Example For Students

Employee Benefits (1803 words) Essay Employee BenefitsRob BarrBenefits that will come with a job might not make you take the job just because of that. But It could have major influence over your decision. Flexible scheduling, paid time off, and child care were singled out as key programs that impress job candidates. (http://www.amcity. com/)3 Employee benefits are becoming a major part of what employees are looking for from their companies. And in return companies are looking at their benefit packages trying to trim benefits that are not benefiting anyone. Or basically trying to get the most for their buck without upsetting their employees. Benefits also can be a way to motivate employees into better enjoying their jobs. By employers surveying their employees to see what kind of needs they have, they can better suit the benefits for their employees. Surveying is a primary tool for better understanding employees desires, and the migration of those desires.1(http://www.amcity. com/) And it is a good way of getting rid of unwanted benefits without upsetting the employees as much, because this is what they wanted. This paper will cover the topic of employee benefits, How they have evolved through time?, What types of benefits are being offered now?, and What benefits are required by law and which are not? EVOLUTION OF BENEFITSEmployee benefits, once known as fringe benefits, use to be only given to a select few employees. During World War II, there was a pay freeze in effect. Employers wanting to pay more to attract employees couldnt, so the stepped up the benefits offered to the employees. It was at this time that employee benefits started to grow and bring us to where we are today with all kinds of benefits. DIFFERENT TYPES OF BENEFITSOver time there has been a large increase in the different types of benefits introduced into the workplace. With benefits initially introduced to attract potential employees, there have been some very good ideas and some very bad ones. To start out lets first list the benefits that are out there. Retirement and Savings Plans Life Insurance and Death Benefits Medical Coverage Paid Vacations and Holidays Sick Leave Personnel Time/Flex Time Parental Leave Discounts Child care Employee Assistance ProgramsMost companies have some type of retirement plan set up. It could be in the form of a savings plan, 401k, pension plan or whatever they call it. There are two category types of pension plans. They are 1) contributions from the employer and 2) amount of pension benefits to be paid. Under these different types there are four different types of plans. They are: Contributory Plan- A pension plan where contributions are made jointly by employees and employers Noncontributory Plan- A pension plan where contributions are made solely by the employer Defined-Benefit Plan- A pension plan in which the amount on employee is to receive upon retirement is specifically set forth Defined-Contribution Plan- A pension plan that establishes the basis on which an employer will contribute to the pension fund2A spinoff of the pension plan is the 401k plan, which is named after the section in the Internal Revenue Code. This plan is becoming more popular since its introduction because it is tax deferred and it is taken out by payroll deductions. Since the 1992 Presidential election, health care has been on the hot seat for a lot of companies. There are usually two different types of health care available for employees. Health maintenance organizations(HMOs) which are organizations of physicians and health care professionals that provide a wide range of services to subscribers and dependents on a prepaid basis. And Preferred provider organization (PPO) which is a hospital or group of physicians who establish an organization that guarantees lower health care costs the employer.2 And since health care costs are on the rise companies are finding ways to combat this. Bob Smith Essay These programs are designed to help employees with school and tuition reimbursement. Usually you take the classes and after the semester and you receive passing grades, they give you back a prorated amount of your tuition. BENEFITS REQUIRED BY LAWThere are several benefits required by law. Workers Compensation Insurance covers workers injured in the line of duty. The injury has to keep the worker out of work for an extended period of time. The worker usually receives a prorated amount of their pay. The next is social security insurance. Both the employee and employer contribute to the fund. The employer matches what is put into it by the employee. When the employee reaches 65 years of age is when they can start to draw on their social security and receives a prorated amount. And the last is unemployment insurance. This is when an employee is fired from a job or laid off and have to be covered by the social security act, will receive up to twenty six weeks of unemployment insurance through their unemployment. EMPLOYEE FEELINGS ABOUT BENEFITSHow employees feel about their benefit packages is just coming into play. Most companies are asking their employees what they would want in their benefit packages. But employers be ware Surveying employees when no action is likely to be taken, which can engender distrust.(http://www. amcity.com/)1 Surveying employees of what they want is a great way to communicate and motivate their employees. By employees seeing management listening and communicating will help bust moral in the company. Surveyed more than 800 employers nationwide representing 7 million workers, and nearly two-thirds of these organizations said the programs have a positive effect on morale, while half say the programs improve attendance and productivity. (http://www.amcity.com/)3 Along with this survey, nearly three-fourths (74 percent) of Midwest employers said that flexible work scheduling is the most important issue they have to address.(http://www. amcity.com/)3 Employers are getting more information than they thought they would from these surveys. This information can better help them improving conditions with employees in a number of different areas, like morale, communication and motivation. CONCLUSIONBenefits can be used for many different motives. To boost morale, communicate with their employees on their concerns and needs, and to motivate their employees about their job. There are a lot of different of benefits a employer can offer its employees from health care to dental to child care. And even before a potential employee accepts a job, benefits might weigh heavily in the decision of which job to take. Bibliography. Companies see a benefit in seeking employee feedback, Business Times, Douglas Robson. http://www.Amcity.com/sanfrancisco/stories/032497/focus2 2. Managing Human Resources, 1996, Arthur Sherman, Scott Bohlander, Scott Sneel. South-Western College Publishing 3. Programs to balance work, family lift workers morale, March 31, 1997. Http://www. amcity.com 4. Wellness programs are worth every dollar you spend, March 31, 1997. Miriam Sims http://www.amcity.com Business Reports