Overview
Answer to the followimg 4 students. Each reply must be 100 words. (Can do in WORD)
MARIYA : For this week’s discussion, I am differentiating between for-profit and not-for-profit hospitals, as well as providing an example of each such hospital in my state—Oregon. For-profit hospitals can be owned by private parties or by investors, and shareholders via the stock market. The revenue generated by a private hospital goes to the owners or is divided among the stakeholders (Walston, 2020). These types of hospitals pay taxes similar to any other business. Due to the nature of the for-profit business model, a for-profit hospital may be able to afford better equipment and provide more efficient and innovative care, however, the prices may be higher, and pricier services may be prioritized (Convocar, 2025). Non-profit hospitals are considered non-profit organizations for legal purposes and operate largely on grants and donations. Due to this, the non-profit hospitals are required to reinvest the revenues back into the hospital operations, outreach programs and humanitarian efforts (Walston, 2020). The IRS classifies non-profit hospitals as charities, which affords these organizations tax-free status. Non-profit hospitals are vital staples of their communities in terms of lower-cost, patient-driven care, research and education. However, to maintain the non-profit status, these types of hospitals have to abide by more stringent requirements and largely depend on charity and federal aid to remain adequately equipped and staffed. An example of a for-profit hospital is Willamette Valley Medical Center (WVMC), located in McMinnville, Oregon, a small community of about 30 thousand people which is situated among the densely populated Oregon northwest. This is a 60 bed, level III Trauma Center hospital, and is accredited by the Joint Commission. Besides being an acute-care facility, WVMC houses a 24-hr ER, ICU, is a certified Chest Pain Center and Joint Replacement Institute and provides advanced radiation oncology and wound care services (Willamette Valley Medical Center, n. d.). An example of a not-for-profit hospital is Oregon Health and Science University Hospital (OHSU), located in Portland, Oregon. This is a multi-building level I Trauma Center facility, that is accredited by DNV. OHSU contains more than 560 beds, 151 out of those for pediatric patients, with plans to add 200 more in 2026 (OHSU Facts and Figures, n. d). OHSU is a home to multiple medical specialties and is nationally renowned for its medical school, as well as research in oncology and gene therapy.
Sources:
Walston, S. L., & Johnson, K. L. (2020). Healthcare in the United States: Clinical, financial, and operational dimensions. Health Administration Press.
Convocar, J. (2025, September 26). For-Profit vs Not-for-Profit Healthcare Organizations (Differences, Pros, and Cons). Convene. https://www.azeusconvene.com/articles/for-profit-v...
Willamette Valley Medical Center. (n.d.). https://www.willamettevalleymedical.com/
OHSU Facts and Figures | OHSU Health Care, Education and Research. (n.d.). https://www.ohsu.edu/about/ohsu-facts
OPEMI: Non-profit and for-profit hospitals both take care of patients, but the big difference is what they do with their money and what drives their goals.
Non-profit hospitals focus more on serving the community. Any extra money they make goes right back into the hospital—whether that’s upgrading equipment, funding community programs, or improving patient services. They don’t have shareholders to pay, and they’re tax-exempt because they provide a public benefit. A good example is Memorial Hospital in Belleville, Illinois, where I work. It’s part of BJC HealthCare, and you can really see the community focus in the way they offer free health screenings, wellness programs, and outreach events. They put a lot into making sure care is accessible for everyone, not just people with the best insurance.
For-profit hospitals, on the other hand, run more like a business. They’re owned by private investors or corporations, and their main goal is to make a profit while still providing good care. They pay taxes and tend to focus on services that bring in more revenue, like specialty surgeries or certain procedures. A good example in Illinois would be Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan, which is part of Quorum Health Corporation.
Both types of hospitals are important in their own way. For-profits can be efficient and fast-moving, but I think non-profits like Memorial do a great job of keeping people at the heart of what they do. Working in a non-profit setting has shown me how strong leadership, teamwork, and compassion come together to make real change in a community. It’s also pushed me to keep growing as a leader and work toward my goal of becoming a Healthcare Administration Officer in the Navy, where I can use those same principles to make a difference on a larger scale.
JACOB: Good afternoon, Professor and Class,
I chose the Ambulatory Surgery Center because I have firsthand experience working in a similar department and have witnessed some of the same challenges described in Chapter Six of Transforming Health Care. Before Virginia Mason's transformation, the surgical process was fragmented, with patients waiting long hours, being separated early from their families, and enduring a confusing series of handoffs between multiple providers. I have observed similar inefficiencies in my own ambulatory setting, where delays in patient flow and inadequate workspace design frequently lead to frustration for both staff and patients.
Virginia Mason addressed these issues using the Virginia Mason Production System (VMPS), adapting lean principles from Toyota. Through a 3P (Production, Preparation, Process) event, a multidisciplinary team redesigned both workflow and physical layout (Kenney, 2010). They started by listening to patients and families, who emphasized four key needs: privacy, fewer handoffs, continued family involvement, and a less clinical environment. Guided by this input, the team implemented a linear patient flow, versatile beds to eliminate unnecessary transfers, and a sterile anteroom for prepping instruments outside the OR to reduce turnover time.
What I find most impactful is that patient and family feedback shaped nearly every decision. Their voices highlighted emotional and logistical barriers that staff might have overlooked. As a nurse, I have seen how even small process changes, such as reducing unnecessary movement or improving communication, can drastically enhance safety and satisfaction.
The results at Virginia Mason were remarkable: turnover time decreased by 50%, patient travel distance reduced by 82%, and satisfaction scores increased significantly (Kenney, 2010). This chapter reinforces that sustainable improvement begins by walking in the patient's shoes and involving those who experience the process firsthand.
- Jake
Reference:
Kenney, C. (2010). Transforming Health Care: Virginia Mason Medical Center's pursuit of the perfect patient experience. http://ezproxy.apus.edu/login?url=https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/apus/detail.action?docID=665590
TAYLORE: The Ambulatory Surgery Center at Virginia Mason experienced a shortage of operating rooms, and the medical center was running at full capacity in the ORs and no space for its growing practice in 2007. This caused low patient satisfaction, delays in surgeries and issues with scheduling. With the VMPS they began to create the new surgical center but just like with anything new came across challenges. Such challenges included the design challenge in which they wanted to make sure the changes improved the patients experience and created a work environment with better flow for patients and staff. Some of the problem-solving methods they used when they revitalized the center was listening to patients feedback. They considered the amount distance traveled by patients throughout the varies parts of the surgery to help reduce the amount of travel to reduce the travel distance from others in the care to help improve efficiency and time. They listened to patients and families who spoke on family involvement and keeping family members nearby during the early parts of the surgery and how they did not want to be separated until “absolutely necessary” (Kenney, 2010).
I believe that the patients and the family members feedback was the most important of the stakeholders. As they were the ones who were experiencing the things and could speak on what they felt was necessary in the new surgical center the best. Such as how it was important for family to be kept close by during prep and only separated when it was closer to time of surgery. Also considering the total distance that was travelled throughout the entire surgical process by the patient. In the book they also spoke about patient privacy and how this was important in the pre-op and surgery prep areas. These are very private moments, and they should definitely be private for the patients and families so that other may not overhear patient information. Other important stakeholders included the staff, nurses, surgeons and others who all helped to point out delays, address waste and ways to eliminate waste and could also give input into the changes that would need to be addressed to be more efficient and to improve patient satisfaction.
Kenney, C. (2010). Transforming health care: Virginia mason medical center's pursuit of the perfect patient experience. Productivity Press.