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Analysis of Banner Healthcare Network

Banner Health Network is one of the largest provider of healthcare services in the U.S.
Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Banner Health operates in 6 U.S. states. Founded in 1999 following
the merger of Samaritan Health Systems and Lutheran Health Systems, Banner Health has grown
over the years to become one of the biggest employers in the USA. As of 2019, it had over
50,000 employees working in its various healthcare facilities. These facilities include hospitals,
rehabilitation centres, pharmacies, outpatient clinics, and home care centres (Banner Health
Network, 2019).

Banner Healthcare’s Readiness to Provide Healthcare Services
Banner Health has made numerous provisions that ensure that it is always ready to
provide high quality healthcare services to patients and meet their health needs. It has numerous
healthcare facilities that specialize in dealing with different conditions. For instance, it has
facilities for rehabilitation, outpatient surgery, homecare, and primary care (Banner Health
Network, 2019). These facilities have highly specialized equipment and professionals to
effectively deal with specific health problems of patients.
Banner Health has also put in place measures that ensure that it provides consistent care
in all of its facilities despite being widely dispersed across the United States. These measures
include use of system-wide healthcare management protocols as well as extensive application of
technology (Banner Health Network, 2019). Thanks to these measures, a patient is sure to get
high quality services in whichever Banner Health facility that they may choose to go to.
Secondly, Banner Health has established information sharing among its healthcare
professionals across all its branches (Banner Health Network, 2019). Such sharing of information
means that patients only need to go to the Banner Health facility near them and the healthcare

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professional that will handle them will easily get the relevant patient healthcare information from
their previous physician or nurse. Apart from increasing convenience, such an approach also
leads to provision of better quality care.
Lastly, the healthcare organization integrates its treatment methods with a wide range of
healing modalities that are meant to help patients to regain full health. These healing modalities
include aromatherapy, massage, and music (Banner Health Network, 2019). Banner Health
applies these modalities in addition to modern treatment methods because it believes that when
patients are sick, it is not just their bodies that are sick. They also suffer mentally and spiritually.
Thus, to bring about full healing these other aspects of their suffering should also be dealt with,
not just their physical illness.

Proposed Banner Healthcare Strategic Plan

Healthcare organizations, like other organizations, need to be proactive in planning for
the future. They need to assess their current situation, establish strengths and weakness, and take
appropriate measures to address their weak areas. They also need to study healthcare trends and
position themselves in an advantageous position so that they are not driven out of business by
their competitors. To achieve all these, it is important to have a strategic plan. Here is a look at
Banner Health’s strategic plan addressing various issues that impact quality of healthcare
services that it provides.
Network growth
Banner Health currently runs numerous healthcare facilities across multiple states in the
U.S. As baby boomer generation ages, demand for healthcare is likely to increase. Thus, it is
important that Banner Health increases its network of healthcare facilities to meet this growing
demand. As it expands, new problems may arise. One of them is coordination of healthcare

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provision across all the facilities in the expanded network. This will call for greater investment in
communication and information sharing technology so that all the healthcare facilities are run as
if they are one huge facility.
Nurse staffing
The quality of care that a facility provides is directly proportional to the number and
quality of its nursing staff. Nurses need to not just be enough but also have the right professional
training to meet the needs of patients. It is, therefore, proposed that Banner Health invests in
regular skills training of its nurses so that they are always prepared to meet the health needs of
patients. Additionally, nurses perform their duties well when management takes care of their
well-being. One of the biggest problems that prevent nurses from effectively discharging their
duties is fatigue due to heavy workload. This problem can be addressed by employing more
nurses. It can also be made less severe by introducing shifts that are short and flexible. Such shift
patterns will ensure that nurses are in the right state of mind to take care of patients thus
significantly improving quality of care through reducing errors.
Resource management
As a not-for-profit organization, Banner Health needs to manage its finances prudently to
ensure that patients continue receiving high quality care. To make sure that there are no
wastages, the organization should carry out regular auditing of its accounts. Results from such
audits will help it know areas that need to be improved on so that all the financial resources at its
disposal are used efficiently.
Patient satisfaction
The core business of a healthcare organization such as Banner Health is patient care. The
effectiveness of its services can be seen in the level of satisfaction of patients. Patient satisfaction

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is achieved through efficient processes and positive health outcomes (Batbaatar et al., 2017). For
processes, Banner Health should streamline all its operations so that patients can easily access its
services. Such streamlining can be achieved through use of technology. As for outcomes, it is
important for the organization to only hire highly trained and experienced healthcare personnel.
Additionally, it should carry out regular training of these personnel so that they are equipped
with the skills needed to effectively care for patients suffering from different conditions.
Effect of organizational culture issues on the strategic plan

Banner Health has always prided itself for being a place where employees from different
backgrounds can meet and work together. It actively seeks out minority groups for employment
in various positions within its ranks (Banner Health Network, 2019). This policy is important
because as it expands its network and increases the number of patients that it treats, Banner
Health will have to deal with patients from varied backgrounds. Having nurses and physicians
who share the background of its patients will greatly help in provision of quality care to these
patients. Moreover, supporting diversity at the workplace through its recruitment and
employment policies will help it to attract talented staff from various backgrounds since they will
have people that look and have similar experiences as themselves at the workplace. This
organizational culture will, therefore, positively impact Banner Health’s expansion and nurse
staffing plans.

Organizational model that will support implementation of the strategic plan
The organizational model that is most suitable for implementation of the strategic plan is
open systems model. This organizational model is highly flexible and allows input of all
organizational members in decision-making (Scott & Davis, 2015). For a healthcare organization
such as Banner Healthcare, such a model is appropriate because it allows personnel involved in

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the frontline of patient care such as nurses and physicians to have their input considered on
matters such as nurse shift length and technology use.
In conclusion, Banner Health has done a good job of providing quality care to patients
despite having its facilities being dispersed widely across the U.S. With its unique approach to
healthcare service delivery, Banner Health is likely to influence other healthcare providers on
future. The strategic plan suggested will ensure that Banner Health continues to provide high
quality of care even as it continues to expand.

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References

Banner Health Network (2019). About Us. Retrieved on 22 nd September 2019 from
https://www.bannerhealthnetwork.com
Batbaatar, E., Dorjdagva, J., Luvsannyam, A., Savino, M. M., & Amenta, P. (2017).
Determinants of patient satisfaction: a systematic review. Perspectives in public
health, 137(2), 89-101.
Scott, W. R., & Davis, G. F. (2015). Organizations and organizing: Rational, natural and open
systems perspectives. Routledge.