Common ancillary services, provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (n.d.), are listed below:
- Audiology (hearing)
- Blind and Vision Rehabilitation
- Chiropractic Services
- Dental
- Diagnostic Laboratory
- Nutrition and Food Service
- Nuclear Medicine (imaging)
- Occupational Therapy
- Pharmacy
- Physical Therapy
- Prosthetics (artificial limbs, equipment, devices)
- Radiology (x-rays and imaging)
- Radiation Oncology (cancer care)
- Recreation and Creative Arts Therapies (music, art, dance and drama)
- Respiratory Therapy
- Social Work (housing, discharge planning, family support)
- Speech/Language Pathology (speech, language, voice, fluency, cognition, and swallowing)
- Traumatic Brain Injury
Leaders of health care organizations are face with enormous challenges. As with other sectors of health care, there are numerous challenges facing ancillary services. As a leader in an ever changing and demanding environment, you must be able to propose solutions and predict probable outcomes. Your proposal(s) must be effectively communicate to staff and organizational leadership.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2015). Ancillary Services. Retrieved from https://www.va.gov/healthbenefits/access/ancillary_services.asp
Case Assignment
You are a director of a hospital ancillary service unit hospital. You have noticed that your unit is faced with the following three challenges:
- Slow adoption to technology
- Staff shortage
- Poor job satisfaction rates resulting in turnover
You are to write a proposal addressing each of the above challenges. Your proposal should have the following sections:
- Background: Select an ancillary service from the above list and provide background on the services provided.
- Challenges: State the three challenges and identify how they potential could affect your selected ancillary service unit (be sure to support your position with valid sources).
- Solution/Outcome: For each challenge identify one solution and describe the probable outcome.
- Scope/Plan: Develop a plan to address these three issues and describe phases/timeframe of your plan.
- Limit your response to a maximum of 3 pages.
- Support your proposal with peer-reviewed articles, with at least 3-4 references. Use the following link for additional information on how to recognize peer-reviewed journals: http://www.angelo.edu/services/library/handouts/peerrev.php.