Service Strategies Evaluation of Nonprofit Hospital System

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Sisters of Charity Health System Hospitals, located in Canton, OH, Cleveland, OH, and
Columbia, SC, provide a broad range of services to the communities in which they serve. The
organization also owns two long term care facilities in Northeast Ohio. The services the
organization provides are 1elder care services, 2blood conservation, 3screening of women for
heart disease risk, 4low cost community blood screening, (cholesterol, lipid profile, and glucose),
5orthopaedic and neuro-spine services, 6rehabilitation services, 7cancer screening/treatment
services, and 8emergency/trauma services.
Cash cows: blood conservation, elder care services
Elder care services can be profitable for many organizations. Sisters of Charity provides
uncompensated care for the elderly, whether they have an estate or few monetary resources.
Though much of the service provided may be compensated by Medicare and Medicaid, much of
it is not reimbursed. However, those who have means and enter the facility are able to provide
some financial stability for the organization. At the same time, services that focus on elder care
can be profitable, through economies of scale, where services are provided to larger numbers at
lower costs for each. The organization's reputation within the community serves to promote the
facilities, which some elder community members may view as a positive asset. They are the
consumers who help make the elder care services profitable. A positive public image also helps
the facility receive donations.
Blood conservation is the process of taking more extreme measures to prevent the need
for transfusion during medical procedures, including surgical procedures. This is done by
reducing the likelihood of extreme blood loss, using faster coagulation techniques, and
controlling anemia. Patients may request blood conservation due to religious regions, due to
concerns about contaminated blood products, or as a means of reducing infection risk. Some
studies have shown that this method can contribute to better outcomes and fewer risks to surgical
and other hospital patients (Husten, 2012). It also reduces costs for blood storage, typing and
matching for surgical patients, and costs for treating post-surgical infections. There are no
investments in equipment required to promote this method of care. The only investment is
training of staff who care for surgical and hospital patients, in blood conservation methods and
standards. This increases the profitability of surgical and hospital services and the facilities,
in general.
Stars: screening women for heart disease risk, rehabilitation services
Health screenings can be profitable, even for a nonprofit health organization. Screening
women for heart disease risk factors is ...