What is the best business solution to keep this growing Hospice organization compliant and thrive fiscally?When the Hospice has out grown their Information Systems Technology, should the solution be: Build a new application and infrastructure in house, o

3 . Research Design and Methods

This research assignment attempts to find the best solution to the problems being faced by Home Med-Care , a fast growing hospice and medical services company with widely dispersed geographical locations over 14 states in the USA

Research Statements

The research design and methodology for a particular assignment depends to a great deal , upon the nature of the research assignment and the objectives of the research . It is essential , at the beginning of the exercise to state the research statements , which have emerged from the review

of literature and materials available , on the issue under investigation

The research statements , for this exercise , are as follows

Home Med-Care is a hospice and healthcare service provider headquartered in Lottsdale , Arizona

The company began operations in 1995 in a small way and in 19 years has grown to become a significant player in the business with 54 programs and 4 in patient sites , spread across 14 states

The company has exceptional strengths in its area of business , qualified medical staff , good equipment , 24 /7 availability and most importantly , a commitment towards the care of its patients

The success of the company in providing health care , evidenced by the growth in patients , revenues , programs and sites has led to the building of internal strains in the organization , most notably , in the efficacy of its Information Technology capability for monitoring of patients records , necessary certifications and governmental compliance

The company obtains a major portion of its revenues through reimbursements for services provided from medical and drug cover companies like Medicare and Medicaid , which need necessary certifications and compliances for release of payments , and is vulnerable in the marketplace if documentation capability is unsatisfactory

The company has recently lost certification , arising out of compliance failure , for a significant portion of its operations

Choice of Analytical Approach

The issue at hand deals with a particular problem in a specific company in a specialised business area

The business area relates to provision of critical and highly specialised services delivered through specialists and high knowledge workers . The effects of delivery of inadequate or sub par services can affect the physical and mental well being of customers and in extreme cases can lead to severe trauma , aggravation of disease and possibly death

The healthcare industry , because of these inherent constraints , is under severe supervision and control by federal , state and local authorities and customers , the patients who come for treatment , have access to various laws for protection and relief . The enterprise area needs significant investment in highly qualified people , excellent administrative and record keeping systems and very expensive specialised machinery . While the main focus remains undoubtedly the provision of healthcare services and care , the necessity of excellent administrative and recordkeeping infrastructure is mandatory for compliance with rules procedures and laws , existing and expected in the near future

These factors combine to make the enterprise area difficult to enter and as such , with the number of such service providers remaining low , the situation becomes conducive for the...