Developing Good Policies

Policies and procedures are an important part of a healthcare organization. Well structured policies and procedures provide workers with guidance and clarification about the way patient care and operational activities are to occur. There are several considerations that a new manager should know when developing policies and procedures.

A policy outlines the organization’s position about important aspects of the organization and its operations. The policies of an organization provide clarification as to how the business of health care is to happen inside the organization from a big picture perspective. They help to translate the organization’s mission and values into activities that impact day-to-day operations. For example:

• Pleasantville Hospital has a policy of zero tolerance for sexual harassment. *It is the policy of the Sunshine Hospital that no employee will solicit patients or accept gifts, tips or compensation directly from patients.
• Sunshine Nursing Home is committed to equal opportunity employment and affirmative action. In keeping with this philosophy, it is the policy of the organization that no applicant or employee shall be discriminated against because of his or her race, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, veteran’s status, political affiliation, citizenship status, sexual orientation, age or disability.
• It is the policy of Friendly Hospital to adhere to all Federal, State and local laws regarding the employment of persons under the age of 18.

A policy is usually very short and rarely exceeds one page. It states the organization’s position related to a certain area or activity of the business. It outlines what the organization’s position is and, if appropriate, will provide information on why this is the organization’s position. For example:

• Consistent with state law, it is the policy of Pleasantville Hospital that employees will be paid for hours worked in excess of 8 hours per day.
• In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Sunshine Nursing Home will provide reasonable accommodation for employees who want to return to work after a life altering injury or illness.

When developing policies where it is appropriate to stipulate a reason external to the organization for the policy, it may be helpful to include that it is the organization’s position also. Many regulatory requirements that are put in place and that can generate policy statements originate to protect workers, patients or others that have a relationship with a healthcare organization. It can be helpful to management and staff relationships if the policy statement conveys that the organization has established this policy because it shares in the concern for the safety and well-being of the people it is intended to benefit. It frequently does not look good for the management of an organization if they generate policies where it appears that the only reason for doing so is because they are forced to. For example, an organization could reword the above policies to state:

• Consistent with state law and to benefit our employees that help the organization out by working extra in times of need, it is the policy of Pleasantville Hospital that employees will be paid for hours worked in excess of 8 hours per day.
• To assist members of our healthcare team who want to return to work after a life altering injury or illness and in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Sunshine Nursing Home will provide reasonable accommodation to help the employee in the performance of major job responsibilities.

Policies do not normally contain details such as how the policy will be carried out, when the activity will occur, where it will occur and who will carry it out. These details are normally found in associated procedures. Since policies reflect an organization’s position statement, they are usually generalized enough that they do not need to be change unless the organization’s position has changed. Given the nature of the type of things that are normally outlined in a policy, policies rarely change without considerable consideration for the implications of such as change.

It is equally as important that a policy is detailed enough that it is clear what the organization’s position is. For, example, there is a significant difference is perceived meaning between a statement that an organization is concerned about sexual harassment and that the organization has zero tolerance for sexual harassment. A position statement means that the organization chooses to take a position one way or another. Organizations that are viewed to changed their position on important issues with regularity are frequently viewed by employees to be a poor place to work.

Go to part 2:Developing Good Procedures