Accountability is a major issue in healthcare. It entails the procedures and processes by which one party Justifies and takes responsibilities for Its actions. Accountability simply reflects the achievement of sustainable outcomes (Porter- O’Grady & Malloch, 2007). According to Richard D. Wittrup, ” Hospitals need to acknowledge the responsibility they have already assumed for ensuring compliance with best practices”.
The united States Health Care System use to be the envy of the est of the world, but now it is struggling due to costs spiraling out of control, standards of quality not being met, and an Inadequate response of the system (Wittrup, R. , 2013). This paper will address why accountability is important and how to measure an employee’s accountability in the healthcare industry. The paper will describe whata successful checks and balance process looks like and it will also address the effect of accountability on the organization’s working culture and ways to maintain a posltlve working culture and avoid a working culture of blame.
The Importance of Accountability In Healthcare Accountability is used more than any other concept in work, yet it is so hard to understand. Accountability is about the achievement of results. It Is Important because it is directly related to responsibility. Responsibility without accountability is a work crisis of the current age (Porter-O’Grady & Malloch, 2007). Effective accountability implies that all team members understand each role as a reflection of the team.
Roles are defined in such a way that that job expectations are clear and performance outcomes are well outlined. Team expectations are the sum of the ndividual performance factors and can be advanced only by individual accountability (Porter-O’Grady & Malloch, 2007). The concept of accountability consists of three important steps: 1) the loci of accountability, 2) the domains of accountability, and 3) the procedures of accountability. Three dominant models of accountability include the professional model, the economic model, and the political model.
The professional model is when the individual physician and patient participate in shared decision making and the physician is held accountable to his/her colleagues and patients, The economic odel is where the market is brought to bear in health care and accountability is mediated through providers chosen by consumers. The political model is when physicians and patients interact within a community in which physicians are accountable to a governing board elected by members of the community (Emmanuel & Emmanuel, 1996). How to Measure Employees’ Accountability Employee accountability is essential in achieving company goals.
The primary tool review. The employer should establish performance standards. The standards are levels employees must achieve to meet their Job expectations. When employees have clear direction, performance accountability, and an efficient work environment, they feel more engaged (Mayhew, R. , 2013). Supervisor and managers should be encouraged to provide continuous feedback to employees. Employees might be more likely to improve Job performance if they know management is observing their workplace behaviors and Job performance.
Employees are also made aware that they are being held accountable by their employer. Regular feedback from management conveys a message that employees are being held accountable for performance standards and recognized for valuable contributions to the success of the company Mayhew, R. , 2013). There is no accountability if it is not informed by purpose and disciplined by results (Porter-O’Grady & Malloch, 2007). Checks and Balance Process The framers of the American Constitution provided a mechanism for each branch to check and balance the powers of each other.
The concept of checks and balances is intended to prevent excesses and abuses by any of the branches; Legislative, Executive, and Judicial (Caballero, M. , 2012). There are many faults in the healthcare system in America, and theoretically, we do have checks and balances. The payers versee that the providers are providing valid services and appropriately charging them (Lechowicz, L. , 2011). The providers ” police” the payers to ensure fair and accurate payments. The Government should be the entity overseeing the entire system to ensure it meets the American public’s needs and the needs of our society (Lechowicz, L. 2011).
Healthcare is a complex problem/issue/expense and in order to optimize the processes, there has to be clear roles and responsibilities outlined so that entities can work effectively in their space. According to Lechowicz, both the State and Federal Governments have lost their perspective to provide oversight by being actively involved in the payment and delivery of healthcare. The Effect of Accountability on the Working Culture Accountability can be defined as being answerable for your actions or lack of actions. Accountability is a serious matter for organizations because without it, organizations could not achieve high performance.
Communication drops when there is a lack of accountability. The culture of an organization takes on an element of accountability when employees are self-motivated to contribute to the overall success of the organization (Wenger, L. 2009). An organization is successful when the entire staff is focused on the same goal. Everyone in the organization should know what the mission, visions, and goals are. Management and line employees need to interact on a regular basis. There needs to be many talks about specific plans for the organization.
Everyone from top to bottom should feel like they own an important piece of the process in order for the organization’s overall goal to be achieved (Wenger, L. , 2009). Leaders should help employees see what behaviors will lead to the organization realizing its goals and reaching its goals. When achieving organizational goals becomes important to the employees, accountability levels tend to be very high. Employees feel important when they are informed of what’s going on with the organization. Feedback is very important. Employees need regular feedback about the importance of their efforts to the success of the organization (Wenger, L. Maintaining a positive work culture is very important for any organization.
It is perhaps more important than any other aspect of your company. An organization could maintain a positive working culture by hiring employees with the right ttitudes, employees who want to achieve the organization’s goals, not employees who are only looking for a paycheck. Employees will stick with the organization when they are engaged and involved. Employees are also more productive. Management must create a workplace with high morale and enthusiasm. Keeping a blameless culture is a way to maintain a positive workplace.
Management should walk the walk and talk the talk. Creating a positive workplace must start from the top and the actions of management should reflect the culture that they are trying to implement (Berg, B. , 2013). When success is not achieved, management should search for reasons why and not place the blame on employees. When success is achieved, employees should be recognized, celebrated, and rewarded for their efforts. Conclusion When everyone in an organization is held accountable for their actions or lack of actions, the organization could be very successful. Accountability is very important, all the way from the top to the bottom.
Management should inform employees of the visions and goals of the organization and consistently remind them by communicating on a regular basis. Employees need to feel engaged and involved ith the organization. Management should evaluate employees and keep them informed of their progress. There are several ways to maintain a positive working culture and management must create that culture. Giving feedback to employees can create a positive working culture. When everyone is focused on achieving the goals of the organization and when everyone sees how important accountability is, the organization could be very successful.
