Recommending New Services for a Health Care Center: Bariatrics

#Sample College Research Paper

When a health care facility decides to adopt new services, it begin by considering its capacity to offer such services. This capacity entails the availability of both material and human resources needed to support the service. Once the availability of these resources has been ascertained, the next step is to determine how these services will be delivered. This step involves determining the hours of operation and apportioning hours to the staff. When the hospital feels that it is completely ready to offer new services, it can the start inviting patients for treatment. This essay recommends services that an existing center should offer and stipulates the requirements it will have to fulfil to effectively offer those services.

The recommended services

I recommend that the center should consider offering bariatric services. These services are suitable for this center because it has the capacity in terms of the overall infrastructure to provide these services. The center has an extra laboratory that is not currently being used. The laboratory can be redesigned for bariatric services. A number of wards in the hospital are also empty for most parts of the month. These can be used as bariatric wards. Of course there will be a need to redesign these rooms to accommodate the special considerations that come with bariatric services. The key consideration is the size and weight of patients. Every aspect of the design must adhere to these two key aspects.

 Currently, the hospital is also well-funded and it makes a reasonable profit from other services. This means the hospital can afford to expand into new services. Being located in a peri-urban environment, it has a goof catchment of patients from the middle class who enjoy insurance benefits from their employment. This also happens to be the category of population that is most affected by morbid obesity (Obesity Report, 2015).

Another justification for recommending these services is that bariatric services have become increasingly necessary because of the rising incidences of morbid obesity. For instance, the Centres for Disease Control estimates that over 28% of Americans are obese and that weight gain continues to rise across the gender (Obesity Report, 2015). As a business strategy, this means there is an opportunity for the centre to offer services that have ready market.

Suggested hours of operation

The major surgical procedures involved in bariatrics are the laparoscopic gastric bypass and the laparoscopic sleeve resection. Both of these procedures are usually recommended for patients with a BMI of 30kg per m2. Each of these procedures require on average 1-2 hours of surgery followed by 2-3 nights of hospital admission for close care and monitoring. This means that patients must have at least two weeks off to go through the procedure and have enough rest before resuming heavy duties.

In recognition of the above facts, the center will have to design flexible hours of operations for rendering bariatric services. Bariatric surgery or any other form of bariatric treatment hardly come as a result of emergency. As such, most of the working hours for this service will fall to day time.  It should be stipulated that the working hours are between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays and between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. on the weekends. These hours will enable patients to select the best days and hours to seek treatment. It will also give the hospital a formula to assign duties and plan a rota for its bariatric consultants and nursing.

The major equipment and technology needed to provide the recommended services

Ide, Fitzgerald-O’Shea and Lautz (2013) estimate that the average cost for a single bariatric procedure ranges from $12,000 to $35,000 depending on the type of procedure performed, the hospital in which the surgery is performed, the patient’s length of hospital stay, the area of the country in which the procedure is performed, and the occurrence of any complications. The cost of technology required is also an important factor in pricing hospital services.

The major equipment and technologies needed for bariatric services are: exam tables, scales, physiologic monitors, patient lifts, bariatric wheelchairs, stretchers, diagnostic imaging systems, operating room tables, toilets and grab bars and furnishings (Pelczarski & Williams, 2006). The examination tables must be able to support high weight capacities of up to 800 pounds. They must also be wide enough to support larger patients. This means that the appointed room for bariatric services must allow for equipment that is larger than in normal hospital laboratories or wards. A Midmark Ritter 230 Universal Power Procedure Table costs about $8,200.

Scales are also needed to help check the weight of patients. The weight capacity must be adjustable to a maximum scale to support the heaviest patient. Their design and installation must also allow for the patients’ comfort and even weight distribution. Similarly, the sphygmomanometers should consider the size of the patient, as should patient lifts. Siltec Bench Scale with a capacity of 1000lb costs approximately $1300.

Bariatric wheelchairs are not the same as typical patient wheelchairs. They are designed to support much heavier patients and have sturdier constructions. They also have wider dimensions. The center already has wide corridors to facilitate navigation using such broad wheel chairs. Stretchers will also be needed to help in bariatric services. Again, special consideration must be made of the patients’ weight and size in purchasing these stretchers. Excel Extra Wide Manual Wheelchair which can support a weight capacity of 300lbs-500lbs costs $234.

The diagnostic imaging systems must have the appropriate bore size to support bariatric investigation. The hospital may have to consider purchasing MRI scanners with open configuration. Considering the weight of the patient, the imaging technology adopted must be able to provide best quality images for the doctor’s accurate interpretation of findings. As for toilets, for bariatric patients, floor-mounted toilets are the only option. The alternative is to purchase a toilet support chair also known as Tall-Ette, which costs at least $179. 

Grab bars must also be provided in the toilet and bathroom areas to support the patients. These bars must be installed with the patient weight in mind. Furnishings include chairs and other movables within a bariatric laboratory or ward or in waiting rooms. Since these patients are typically larger and heavier, furnishings, such as the chairs, provided must be strong enough to support them. An ideal bariatric chair costs up to $180 while a footstool costs between $37 and $53.

Corporation to consider

As it introduces bariatric services, the center should consider linking with the Surgical Review Corporation (SRC). The SRC provides up-to-date information on latest technologies and developments for patients, surgeons and facilities. It touches on four key important areas of sensitive medical practices such as bariatrics, namely consulting, accreditation, education and data (SRC, n.d.). It acts as an important resource that can help the center to comply with the legal and regulatory requirements for offering bariatric services.

In 2005, the American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS) established a code of ethics aimed at guiding its members to abide by the best levels of ethical standards in their interactions with patients, fellow practitioners and the public. The code was adapted by the Executive Council in 2005 and revised in 2012 (ASBS, 2012). According to this code, every decision made by a practitioner must be founded on the patient’s needs. As regards diagnostic processes, practitioners must abide by acceptable guidelines for scientific research that involve human subjects. These include maintaining confidentiality of patient records, informed consent, among others.

ASBS (2012) requires that surgeons conduct counselling and post-operation procedures personally. They must take full responsibility for their patients throughout the bariatric processes. They should also conduct long-term follow-up in person.  Bariatric facilities and professionals are also expected to abide by acceptable code of conduct in releasing information on patients’ procedures to the public. They must also shun all forms of malpractice or corruption.

As the world advances in all dimensions, more people are being becoming averse to adopt lifestyles that encourage obesity. Bariatric facilities and services are, therefore, on the rise in most parts of the, especially, developed world. This essay has made a recommendation to a hospital centre to consider offering bariatric services. It has stipulated the technology and equipment that the hospital will require to successfully offer these services. It has also made proposals on operation hours and the importance of networking with corporations such as the SRC.