Introduction & Type of Organization
Located in St Petersburg, Florida, Professional Health Care of Pinellas is a health organization that is committed to providing families and patients with the necessary care they need. With an emphasis on “delivering high quality care at the point of service by physicians that are able to communicate with the patient, employer and insurance personnel” (PHC of Pinellas, 2016), the organization is renowned in that regard for understanding the importance and relevance of offering superior care. The practice is noted for operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in order to ensure that families and patients receive the specific treatments that they need for both acute and chronic issues. This paper discusses the pillars that have made Professional Health Care of Pinellas the practice that it is today.

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Organizational Assessment
Organizational structure
As of 2016, there are 25 medical professionals on staff that range from physicians to chiropractors to advanced registered nurse practitioners (PHC of Pinellas, 2016).

Services provided
PHC of Pinellas (2016) notes that it offers a variety of services that include primary care, family medicine, internal medicine, physical therapy, chiropractic care, wound care, psychiatric services and massage therapy to name a few. Moreover, the practice has fashioned itself as both a routine and urgent health care facility. Every member on staff is dedicated to making patients their highest priority by making certain that the necessary care – whether it’s an ear infection or a job injury is taken care of (p.1). One of the most interesting aspects associated with PHC of Pinellas is that it seeks to help patients avoid ER visits. It is documented by Falkenberg (2011) and CDC (2016), that ER visits can be both costly and unnecessary in many instances. Furthermore, PHC of Pinellas (2016) goes so far as to state that they are unpleasant experiences, which is why it is devoted to helping patients avoid having such visits if their particular ailment can be treated the day they visit the health care facility (p.1).

This is just one example of how PHC of Pinellas distinguishes itself from other health care facilities in the St Petersburg area. The organization comments that patients are its first and foremost priority. As such, it has an “onsite physical and massage therapy, X-Rays, [as well as] onsite pharmacy, [because] it understands that patients face [a multitude of issues] and its goal is to expedite the patient discharge process by [being] competitively priced and offering only the highest quality brand name and generic drugs, [and] accepting most insurance plans” (p.1). This particular aspect is what has made PHC of Pinellas a preferred place to go to. As Vanitha (2014) states, having an on-site pharmacy or even in-office dispensing is the best option for many patients. Health care settings and offices that remove barriers associated with obtaining prescription products are ones that become popular among patients and it has an added element of revenue for that practice also (p.1). Thus, PHC of Pinellas has removed one of the more significant issues that often plagues patients – obtaining their medicine in a timely manner. Moreover, PHC of Pinellas has also made itself a proverbial one-stop shop because it offers a myriad of services.

In addition to the aforementioned, PHC of Pinellas (2016) documents that it offers a medical weight management program which “encourages a sensible low-fat diet, portion control and regular exercise programs with the use of DA approved prescription medications.” Also, it offers onsite EMG/NCS testing, which is optimal for evaluating injuries to the nerves and muscles (p.1). PHC of Pinellas is an all-encompassing medical practice that helps patients in determining the extent and cause associated with their issues and problems – whatever they may be.

Organizational Issue
Organizational issue identification & description of the issue
Even with the superior care that PHC of Pinellas offers, there appears to be some disorganization with respect to team communication (Yelp, 2016). The Institute for Healthcare Communication (2016) writes that many research studies have offered that when a team is disorganized in terms of communication, then the connection they create with the patient falters and/or is rendered null and void because the patient’s perception of healthcare quality is dependent upon the interactions that they have with the particular team in the medical setting (p.1). It can be argued that communication issues happen from time to time in all workplace settings, however, the magnitude of a continued disorganization within PHC of Pinellas will not only cause problems in terms of the type of care that patients receive, but the overall reputation that it has at present of being the one-stop place for medical services.

The Institute for Healthcare Communication (2016) comments that patient satisfaction should be the underlying element that all health care practices and settings work toward. It is recommended that in minimizing risks related to communication breakdown and malpractice, that all clinical settings take a closer look at how they can bridge the gap between communication and organization (p.1). Since PHC of Pinellas has been noted to be a medical setting that is in need of addressing communication problems, the organization will benefit from having training related classes that are mandated for all practitioners and physicians within the office. In doing this, it will show all of the employees and staff that while there is an understanding and recognition of their skills and talents, there is always room for additional learning and improvement in ensuring proper patient outcomes and satisfaction from the services they receive at PHC of Pinellas.

Organizational impact
There is a substantial amount of satisfaction that can be garnered among the employees, staff and patients at PHC of Pinellas if the communication issue is addressed. Specifically, the concept of patient safety and team satisfaction, in addition to the overall satisfaction of patients. The Institute for Healthcare Communication (2016) holds that when there is profound communication among team members, not only does that boost overall team morale, but it impacts the safety of patients. This is due in part to the team members feeling valued and heard, thereby allowing for a sense of trust in terms of medical service execution. Since the medical field in general is stated to have a high turnover in certain areas, particular nurses and nurse practitioners, having team satisfaction is important because of rapport building and general interpersonal respect among all within a given workplace (p.1).

Conclusion
PHC of Pinellas can benefit considerably from examining the nooks and crannies within its organization where communication is lacking to effectively determine how to fix the problems and issues – so patient outcomes are successful, and review sites such as Glassdoor and Yelp, show forth quality reviews for them. Moreover, PHC of Pinellas will benefit from an increased reputation in the area thereby causing people who have not frequented the medical setting before to try them out. It also will produce a better reputation that it has with those patients who currently visit it for both acute and chronic issues. While it is understandable that medical organizations often believe that they are adhering to the mission and vision set forth at the onset of their operation to the public, by analyzing and examining on a continual basis the potential problems and issues they face, these entities not only grow and progress – but in turn, make themselves better both in the short and long term.

    References
  • Emergency Department Visits. (2016). Retrieved from CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/emergency-department.htm
  • Falkenberg, K. (2011, November 18). One Great Idea for Reducing Health Care Costs: Keep Non-Emergencies Out of the ER. Forbes, Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/kaifalkenberg/2011/11/18/one-idea-for-reducing-health-care-costs-keep-non-emergencies-out-of-the-er/
  • Impact of Communication in Healthcare. (2016). Retrieved from Institute for Healthcare Communication website: http://healthcarecomm.org/about-us/impact-of-communication-in-healthcare/
  • Professional Healthcare of Pinellas. (2016). Retrieved from Yelp website: http://www.yelp.com/biz/professional-healthcare-of-pinellas-saint-petersburg
  • Vanitha, S. (2014, November 12). In-Office Dispensing: A Win-Win for Physicians and Patients . Retrieved from Pharmaceutica North America, Inc. website: http://www.pnarx.com/index.php/blog/office-dispensing-win-win-physicians-patients/