1. Summarize

The case study Asian Health Services: Rediscovering a Blue Ocean by Ken Chung, PhD and Wendell N. Chin, MBA reflected on how the passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has resulted in a decrease in reimbursements. The problem that AHS has is that people within their community are not choosing them for their healthcare needs. As Hirota stated, “The key for AHS is to have operations and programs such that patients choose us because they want to choose us, and not because there is no other option for care” (Chung, Chin; n.d.).

1. Policies

AHS has undergone various changes in the last years. The implementation of the ACA had a significant role in the reshaping of their strategic plan. The ACA’s new policy change required organizations to move into an EHRs. This turned out to be beneficial for AHS because “the new electronic health records system lowered the capacity to see patients last year but the current upsurge in ACA insured patients and expense reduction strategies helped move AHS from a deficit to a small surplus” (Chung, Chin; n.d).

1. Mission and Vision

AHS’s mission is to “to serve and advocate for the medically underserved, including the immigrant and refugee Asian community, and to ensure equal access to health care services regardless of income, insurance status, language, or culture” (Asian Health Services; 2019). Their strategic approach is to enhance the lives of their members by implementing social services programs by understanding social determinants of health. With this approach they have enhanced the lives of their local community by implementing a pedestrian safety campaign which ensures equal community access to health care services. Other directional strategies include “advocating on behalf of nail salon workers, expanding pediatric dental services at schools, and treating Burmese patients in Oakland” (Chung, Chin; n.d.).

1. SWOT

A Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat (SWOT) analysis “guides you to identify the positives and negatives inside your organization (S-W) and outside of it, in the external environment (O-T)” (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services; 2015). This analysis is a helpful tool in the decision-making process for the development of a strategic plan. A SWOT analysis is beneficial when an organization is determining where they stand as a competitive force. Developing a SWOT analysis can aid the progression of an organization’s mission and vision statement by providing joint perspectives.

Strengths                                                                    

1. Dual mission statement.
2. Serves underrepresented community.
3. Has advocated for social service programs.

Weaknesses

1. Bad geographic location since demographics have changed and the
2. External competition because of the ACA. For example, Kaiser.
3. Financial creativity is limited to government funding and grants. They “generate return based on quality of care and mission rather than profits for shareholders as a business” (Chung, Chin; n.d).

Opportunities

1. Quality based programs that provide grant funding.
2. Can receive monetary donations.

Threats

1. External competition provides a broad services and higher technology.
2. Changing demographics threaten their ability to serve their mission. “census demographics reported sharp declines in children, minorities, and home ownership” in Oakland (Chung, Chin; n.d).
3. Environmental Factors

After completing the SWOT analysis AHS has to determine all the external factors so they can develop a strong strategic plan. AHS is a non-profit organization that depends on donations and federal funding. They cannot compete with the for-profit organizations that get double that funding. For-profit organizations have the opportunity to get better technology and are able to open various centers in different locations. “Older members used AHS in the past because they were poor and uninsured but now that they have the same insurance coverage as those in higher income groups, they may migrate to other physicians without worrying about additional out-of-pocket payments” (Chung, Chin; n.d). Providing services that are specific to the population they are serving will help increase their patient volume. These external threats are damaging to the organization because they are reducing the number of patients and therefore the reimbursements received by the organization. These aren’t just organizational threats but individual threats because without funding AHS will not be able to provide both advocacy and healthcare services to their patients. AHS cater to the specific needs of their community members and these external threats are damaging their future. Future polices that can affect the organization would be damaging because of the lack of funding.

Reference:

Asian Health Services. (2019). Our Mission. Retrieved from: https://asianhealthservices.org/our-mission/

Chung, K., Chin, W. (n.d.). Asian Health Services: Rediscovering a Blue Ocean. Retrieved from: https://learn.snhu.edu/d2l/lor/viewer/viewFile.d2lfile/263162/23322,1/

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2015,12 August). SWOT Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Retrieved from: https://web.archive.org/web/20170427175900/https:/eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/operations/mang-sys/planning/2SWOTAnalysisS.htm