Akron’s children Hospital (Case Study)
Introduction
This case study will concentrate its attention on several key subjects. We will start with portray a short history and background for Akron Children’s hospital (its beginnings, development, current success). Then we will attempt to explain the research process conducted by Marcus Thomas LLC. Lastly we will analyze the outcome, effectiveness and the role of the research in Akron hospital’s success.
1. Akron Children’s hospital: a short history
Akron Children’s Hospital was founded in 1890, in the friendly community of Akron, Ohio. The children’s hospital that started as a day care nursery a century ago has become one of the largest pediatric healthcare system in Northeast Ohio, operating two freestanding pediatric hospitals and servicing 80 locations across the region. Akron Children’s Hospital offers 30 practice areas of medicine and surgery, specialized for children. More than 3000 pediatric specialists draw close to half a million patients each year not only from all 50 states but also from all around the world (akronchildrens.org).
Akron Children’s hospital mission
(a) - Provide Medical care to infants, children, adolescents and burn victims of all ages, regardless of ability to pay
(b) – Provide multi-level professional education for residents and students of medicine, nursing, and the various allied health professions
(c) – Provide basic and clinical research into the causes, treatment and cure of childhood illness and injury and burn injury
(d) – Continue medical education to facilitate and encourage the process of lifelong learning for physicians and other health care providers involved in the care of children (akronchildrens.org).
Akron Children’s hospital commitment
Akron Children’s hospital is committed to maintain the highest quality of care using the latest techniques, technology and equipment available, to promote the integrity of the family and the child, to emphasize the dignity and worth of each patient, family member and fellow employee , to follow the highest standards of ethical conduct , to maintain and advance the leadership role , to work cooperatively with health care networks, community organizations, business, industry and government to ensure the needs of children and adolescents are addressed at the local, regional, state and national levels,
to maintain a proficient professional and allied health staff , to ensure the efficient acquisition, and lastly to operation and maintenance of appropriate facilities and equipment (akronchildrens.org).
2. The management-research question hierarchy for Akron Children’s hospital
Cooper & Schindler (2008) suggest that stating the basic dilemma and starting trying to develop other question by breaking down the original question is the right way to approach the research process (83). Furthermore like for any other research team, it is vital for the research team of Marcus Thomas to clarify the research question by following the process of management –research question hierarchy; a process that involves 5 steps: (Cooper & Schindler , 2008, p.83- 85):
1 - Management dilemma for Akron Children’s hospital
In Akron’s case the management dilemma is: Akron Children’s hospital distinguishing itself from their competitors and getting out of its competitor’s shadow (Copper, Schindler, 2008, cases, p. 1).
2 - Management question for Akron Children’s hospital
The management question for Akron Children’s hospital is: How can Akron Children’s hospital distinguish itself from its competitors (how can it get out of the shadow of its competitors) (Copper, Schindler, 2008, cases, p. 1)?
3 - Research question for Akron Children’s hospital
Expending their service beyond Summit County to the other counties around, such as Cuyahoga County, Portage County, Mahoning County, and Medina County, will increase the number of the patient.
4 – Investigative question for Akron Children’s hospital
(a) - How do children’s parent decide which hospital to take their children to, when their children need acute care?
(b) – Is the quality of service a factor on their decision
(c) - Is the financing a determine factor?
(d)- Is their decision driven simply by emotion?
5 – Measurement question for Akron Children’s hospital (Cooper & Schindler, 2008, p.83- 85).
Throughout the research the team of Marcus Tomas LLC, observed physicians, parents, and child patients in the course of testing, diagnosis, and treatment, while kids attended checkups, were admitted to the ER, were undergoing surgery, prepping for surgery, and so forth, watching the interactions of patients with physicians, nurses and other staff members, listening, physical and emotional reactions and heart-wrenching conversations (Copper, Schindler, 2008, cases, p. 2).
4. What was the purpose behind Marcus Thomas’s decision to further expand their research by conducting a focus group and a survey
Marcus Tomas research team finalized the first stage of the research with a very importing finding (Copper, Schindler, 2008, cases, p. 4).
:
Akron Children’s Hospital focuses ALL of the hospital’s resources (energy, creativity, state-of-the-art technology, compassion, technical skill, competence, etc.) toward the simple goal of helping every child reach his or her full potential.
After analyzing and evaluating the competitor’s message of Akron Children’s hospital, the research team of Marcus Thomas LLC, discovered that Cleveland Clinic and Rainbow Babies & Children‘s Hospital were emphasizing the high-tech nature of their medical practice as a means to defining their quality (Copper, Schindler, 2008, cases, p. 4-5). Now it was time for the research team to test whether the care-centered brand massage they recommended was going to be effective beyond doubt in influencing parent’s hospital selection. In addition, the research team concluded that focus group and telephone survey would be the appropriate methods to be applied during this phase of the research.
The focus group lasted 120 minutes, involved participants from Mahoning Valley, Medina, northern Summit, and Portage Counties with the goal to concentrate its attention within the three markets involving the three counties mentioned above. On the other hand, the telephone survey involved 1000 participants and the participants were asked to evaluate various issues in relation with Akron Children’s, Cleveland Clinic Children’s, and Rainbow Babies & Children’s such as
(a) awareness (aided and unaided) of children’s hospitals; (b) awareness and messaging of hospital advertising; (c) hospital preferences for medical specialties; (d) factors influencing hospital selection; (e) preferred hospital reference sources; (f) knowledge of hospital positioning and branding promises; and (g) the means by which parents interpreted quality in medical care (Copper, Schindler, 2008, cases, p. 5).
3. Did the research team of Marcus Thomas helped Akron Children’s hospital?
According to U.S. News & World Report (2010):
Akron Children's Hospital is a children's general facility located in Akron, OH, with 343 beds. According to the most recent survey data, 68,073 patients visited the hospital's emergency room in 2007; a total of 8,647 were admitted. Its physicians performed 2,430 inpatient and 10,294 outpatient surgeries
At some stage in 2008, Children’s opened Ohio’s first and only pediatric medical transport helicopter, known as Air Bear and performs more pediatric surgeries than any other hospital in northeast Ohio. Furthermore, the hard effective work has earned Akron Children’s the Gold Seal of Approval from the Joint Commission and Magnet Recognition Status from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Leading in the child heal-care field, in 2008, Akron Children's became one of the founding members of the Bio-Innovation Institute in Akron, this collaboration of research, education and health institutions designed to pioneer the next generation of life-enhancing and life-saving innovations is seen as very unique by many field specialist (Akron Children’s Hospital’, n. d).
Conclusion
The management and executives of Akron Children’s Hospital came to the realization that the process of overcome the competitors surfing above competitor’s shadow, also generating an effective marketing plan will require an extensive qualitative research. The decision of hiring Marcus Thomas LLC and the well executed research paid off with an increase on patients number , as the result of a better comprehension on the viewpoint of patients’ parents in relations with their needs and their perspectives (the major factors that influenced parent’s decision when their children needed an acute-care ). We do not overstate if we stress again the important role of the research process and the research team in Akron Children’s Hospital current success.
References
Cooper, R. D., & Schindler, S. P. (2008). Business Research Methods.
(10th Edition) New York: McGray-Hill/Irwin.
Cooper, R. D., & Schindler, S. P. (2008). Business Research Methods - Cases.
(10th Edition) New York: McGray-Hill/Irwin.
(N. D). (2010). Corporate info. Akronchildrens.org. Retrieved May 29, 2010
(N.D). (2010). Akron Children's Hospital, Ohio /overview. U.S.News & World. Retrieved
May 29, 2010 from:http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/akron-children's-
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