Despite A Manager’s Best Efforts, Sometimes An Employee Will

Despite A Managers Best Efforts Sometimes An Employee Will Fail To M

Despite a Manager's best efforts, sometimes an employee will fail to meet the requirements of their position. This poor performance can be caused by a number of factors including but not limited to personal relationship issues, lack of communication or training, or disengagement with their role in the organization. When an employee's performance consistently does not meet expectations, it is the manager’s job to help get the employee back on track. This is often achieved through the use of a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). Review the scenario below, and complete the first six steps of the PIP process based on the scenario provided.

The steps have been provided below for your reference. Scenario Rasmussen Hospital and Clinics has recently been concerned about the lag in coding time for the services throughout the enterprise. Your Chief Financial Officer (CFO) has expressed the required coding turnaround time should be four days for inpatient services and a two-day turnaround for clinic services. You are an HIM Manager and one of your coders that has worked for you for three years recently started coming in late on a regular basis and is not completing his expected coding quota. The problem has been occurring for almost two months now and other employees are starting to complain.

The employee is going through a divorce and a bitter custody battle. Write a 1 - 3 page paper, completing the first six steps of a PIP for your employee. Be sure to address the following in your paper: PIP Process Steps Define the problem. Determine if the problem is a performance problem or a behavior problem. Define the duties or behaviors where improvement is required.

Establish the priorities of the duties. What are the possible consequences of errors associated with these duties? How frequently are these duties performed? How do they relate when compared with other duties? Identify the standards upon which performance will be measured for each of the duties identified.

Establish short-range and long-range goals and timetables for accomplishing change in the performance/behavior with the employee. Develop an action plan. What will the manager do to help the employee accomplish the goals within the desired time frame? What will the employee do to facilitate improvement of the product or process?

Paper For Above instruction

In any organization, employee performance issues are inevitable, often stemming from personal or work-related challenges. In this scenario involving a healthcare coder at Rasmussen Hospital and Clinics, it is essential first to accurately define the performance problem, distinguish it from a behavioral issue, and then develop an effective performance improvement plan (PIP) to address the situation. This paper outlines the initial six steps of the PIP process in response to the case of a codder, who, due to personal stress related to a divorce and custody battle, has been arriving late and not meeting coding quotas.

The first step involves defining the problem clearly. The core issue is that the employee has been consistently late in reporting for work and failing to meet departmental coding deadlines—specifically, exceeding the acceptable lag time of four days for inpatient services and two days for outpatient services. These delays can adversely affect hospital revenue, patient care coordination, and compliance with the organization's financial and operational standards. The problem appears to be performance-related, as it involves specific job responsibilities and output metrics, rather than behavioral misconduct. Nonetheless, personal circumstances can impact an employee's ability to perform, which warrants further consideration.

Next, it is crucial to delineate the duties or behaviors where improvement is required. Critical duties include timely documentation and coding of inpatient and outpatient procedures, workload management, and adherence to departmental deadlines. These are vital responsibilities that directly influence the hospital’s billing cycle and financial health. The priorities of these duties revolve around accuracy, timeliness, and compliance. Errors in coding can lead to delayed billing, claim denials, and potential penalties for the organization, emphasizing the importance of fulfilling these duties consistently and accurately. Coding duties are performed daily, and their timely execution is fundamental to overall operational efficiency. They are interdependent with other duties, such as documentation review and coordination with clinical staff, which reinforces their significance.

Performance standards for these duties should be explicitly established. For example, the employee should achieve a minimum of 95% accuracy in coding and meet the prescribed turnaround times—four days for inpatient and two days for outpatient services—without exception. These standards provide measurable targets that gauge progress and success over time.

With the problem and performance standards identified, the third step involves setting short-term and long-term goals with corresponding timetables. Short-term objectives could involve the employee improving punctuality and beginning to meet daily quotas within the next two weeks. Long-term goals should aim for consistent adherence to coding standards and deadlines over a three-month period. Achieving these objectives will require structured timelines that include weekly check-ins and progress assessments to ensure accountability.

The fourth step is to develop a concrete action plan. As a manager, support mechanisms include offering flexible scheduling or counseling referrals to help the employee manage personal stress, providing refresher training on coding procedures, and implementing a mentorship system for peer support. The employee, on their part, must actively participate in scheduled coaching sessions, prioritize work tasks, and communicate proactively about any ongoing difficulties that may impair performance. Clear communication of expectations, combined with supportive resources, is critical to fostering improvement.

In summary, a well-structured PIP tailored to this employee’s circumstances involves precise problem identification, performance standards, goal setting, and collaborative action planning. Recognizing that external stressors can temporarily impact employee output, the manager’s role extends beyond discipline to include support and guidance, fostering a path toward recovery and sustained performance excellence. By adhering to these steps, Rasmussen Hospital can help ensure that the employee improves, aligning individual performance with organizational needs while demonstrating empathy and proactive management.

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