Business_Continuity_Planning_and_Management

Business Continuity Planning and Management MGT/417 University of Phoenix Instructor: Patricia Watson As stated by (McNamara, 2008), strategic planning determines where an organization is going over the next year or more and how it's going to get there. Typically, the process is organization-wide, or focused on a major function such as a division, department or other major function. At North Central Baptist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, the goal is to expand the hospital to provide patients with a broader range of services and a more comfortable environment when they or their families have need of the services that are offered. With this in mind, North Central’s parent company, Van Guard Health Systems, is meeting with the management team, architects and inspectors to begin the process of building the hospital up. The hospital has two different areas in which extras floors can be put. Construction will either be done above the emergency room, where six floors can be added, or on the main part of the building where four floors can safely be added. Information technology (IT), as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware." IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit and retrieve information, securely. Business continuity management is an important part of every aspect of a business. However, BCM is especially important in the area of information and IT protection. According to Teuber (Krell, 2006), there needs to be an appropriate level of BCM support for key processes and IT systems. At North Central Baptist Hospital there is a dedicated IT staff that keeps the hospital computers online and running. This is important for not only the security of patient medical records, but also for the safety of the patients. Patient medication is put into a computerized storage area called a PIXUS. Through the PIXUS, the appropriate dosage can be taken out by the nurse and given to the patient. This also allows the pharmacy to know when the patient is running out of a certain medication so it can be restocked immediately. The hospital also uses a scan tron system for supplies. Each unit has a scanning unit, which is linked with computers in central supply, so each time an item is taken off the shelf, it is scanned. This gives central supply an update on how many of a particular item is still in stock on the units and in the warehouse. Once the item gets to a certain number, the computer automatically sends an order to the supplier. The safety of the pediatric patients also relies on the computers being online. All pediatric patients, when admitted to the hospital, have a security monitor placed around their ankle or wrist (depending on the age and preference of the patient), this monitor prevents a kidnapping, or a wandering child. When the child, with the security band attached, goes near an elevator or stairwell, an alarm sounds that the elevator is locked to an open position or the stairwell door locks. If the child happens to be off the floor for a test and someone attempts to take them, the doors to the outside of the hospital lock in the closed position and an alarm sounds. The only ones who can reset the alarms, is security. The security monitors give parents the comfort of knowing that their child will be safe, even when the parent is not able to be there. Finance has its own BCM concerns. Business interruptions that strike near monthly, quarterly or annual closing periods can lead to filing delays and financial reporting errors (Krell, 2006). The CFO at North Central Baptist has a big responsibility making sure each department has what is needed and that the patients and the insurance companies are billed appropriately so that the hospital can get paid in a timely manner. The CFO is responsible for making sure the budget is set for the coming fiscal year, so each department director knows exactly how many full times employee slots are available and what knew equipment and supplies the department will be able to have. Without a knowledgeable CFO keeping track of all aspects of the hospital’s financial health, then the hospital would not be able to keep the door’s open if a crisis did occur. The patients would simply go to another hospital to be treated if North Central was no longer able to provide them with the services they need. According to Co-Communications (PR/Marketing Glossary, 2008), a public relations plan is a document that details precise actions to achieve a public relations result. It can consist of target publications and media lists, planned events, community outreach, etc. North Central Baptist Hospital has in place an excellent PR plan. The hospital considers all persons in the community a customer, this also includes all staff members and doctors. Throughout the year, the hospital has fund raisers for a number of different charities, from the United Way to the employee assistance fund. The hospital offers classes to the public, carnivals, dog shows, health fairs and other events to get the community involved and taking part in the health of themselves and their families. This is important for the survival of the hospital. As long as the people in the community feel that the hospital staff are committed to them and their families, then they will commit to the hospital. Medicine is a business and without customers, the business will fail. According to (Verschoor, 2004), the five most important ethics issues, in order of priority, are: (1) regaining the public trust, (2) effective company management in the context of today’s investor expectations, (3) ensuring the integrity of financial reporting, (4) fairness of executive compensation, and (5) ethical role modeling of senior management. In the hospital setting ethics is a high priority. If the patients don’t trust the staff then the hospital fails. If there is a communication failure due to lack of trust, then the hospital fails. Patients trust hospital staff members with personal information and living wills. The expectation that ethical behavior will be in place at all times is not a game it is th responsibility of all staff members. Human Resources is defined as the function within a business organization that monitors the availability of qualified workers; recruits and screens applicans for jobs; helps select qualified employees; plans and presents appropriate orientation, training and development for each employee; and administers employee benefit programs by (Woodman of the world, 2002). The HR department at North Central Baptist Hospital deals effectively with employment issues on a daily basis. The legal aspects of HR are many. The HR Director needs to know the laws regarding hiring, firing, ethics and policy. Employees file lawsuits when they think they have been wrongly fired or when they have been hurt on the job. Recently North Central has let two employees go for different reasons. One for fighting and one for theft, one of the former employees is bringing a suit against the hospital for racial discrimination and the other one is bring a suit against the hospital for wrongful termination. It is important for the HR Director to understand the laws, and to make sure that all the facts are right, so that the hospital is safe from the lawsuits. According to (Gallagher, 2003), BCM is about ensuring that if North Central Baptist Hospital experiences a disaster or other serious incident you, the management of North Central Baptist Hospital have already considered that possibility. You will have taken steps to reduce the risk of this happening and to minimize the impact if it does happen. You will have a plan in place with which all key managers in North Central Baptist Hospital are familiar, which has been tested, and which will enable North Central Baptist Hospital to continue to function as close to normal as possible with the least disruption possible. In conclusion, North Central Baptist Hospital must be able to answer the question, “Where do you stand'” (Gallagher, 2003). The answer must be North Central Baptist Hospital is prepared to continue doing business in the wake of any diseaster that comes along. The hospital is only as strong as its employees and leaders and can only stay in business as long as the customers keep coming. References McNamara , Carter (2008). Basic Description of Strategic Planning . Field Guide to Nonprofit Strategic Planning and Facilitation., Retrieved December 14, 2008, from http://www.managementhelp.org/plan_dec/str_plan/basics.htm Krell, Eric (2006, April). The case for business continuity management. Business Finance Magazine, 4.06, Retrieved December 14, 2008, from businessfinancemag.com Gallagher, Michael (August 2003). Business Continuity management. Accountancy Ireland, 35, Retrieved December 14, 2008, from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb'did=384061321&Fmt=4&clientId=2606&RQT=309&VName=PQD PR/Marketing Glossary. (2008). In CO-Communications [Web]. Mt. Kisco: Co-Communications, Inc.. Retrieved December 14, 2008, from http://www.cocommunications.com/buzz_glossary_6.asp Verschoor, Curtis C (2004, November). Ethics. STRATEGIC FINANCE, Retrieved December 14, 2008, from www.imanet.org/pdf/2748.pdf Glossary of terms. (2002). Glossary of the world. In Woodman of the world [CD-ROM].Omaha: