An analysis of Critical issues of Bon Secours Health System
Bon Secours as a non-profit Catholic Health System with a $3.8 billion joint – ventures
that includes one psychiatric hospital, five nursing care facilities, four assisted living facilities,
nineteen acute care hospitals and fourteen home care and hospice program across seven states of
the United States of America (Bon Secours Mission, 2016) has been facing some critical issues
for a while. The healthcare organization is known to provide access to care in safe and free
environment devoid of discrimination on the basis of race, age, disability, sexual orientation and
religious beliefs. Consideration and protection of patients’ privacy, education and clear
explanation of patients’ conditions, and willingness to allow patients and family take the lead in
care and treatment decisions are the norms that Bon Secours is known for (Bon Secours Mission,
2016).
The organization by attending to the needs of people of all race, ethnicity, educational
and socioeconomic backgrounds and sexual orientation in Portsmouth, Virginia, which is made
up of 95, 252 residents with 54.2 percent Black, 40.9 percent White and 4.2 percent Hispanic and
adults who are 65 years or older making up 14.4 percent of the total population (U.S Census
Bureau, 2016) has a fair share of challenges. Bon Secours is facing an issue of undertaking
effective and impactful strategies that lower healthcare spending (Tikkanen & Abrams, 2020),
and skyrocketing healthcare costs for minorities as a result of health disparity among the
endangered population. The healthcare organization is facing a highly competitive market such
that competitors have constantly found ways to upgrade their facilities by renovations or
construction (Beck, 2016). Another critical issue include difficulty with new payment models;
optimization; mergers and acquisitions; security and the issue of competing for and retaining
patients and consumers (Smith, 2015).
The healthcare organization strives to accomplish a lot in line with its mission, vison, and
goals, but there have always been lack of cohesiveness in the higher echelon of the organization.
The management at the higher level needs lots of reformation as there were instances of unsafe
practices that have constituted a great debt and viewed by the management to be okay. There is
always the willingness to cooperate by the staff, who are constantly ready to do anything for the
patients. Unfortunately, due to continuous shortage of nurses and inadequate staffing especially
in emergency departments and Intensive Care Units, and debt, meeting the organizational goals
becomes an issue.
Bon Secours Health System is a non-profit healthcare organization which has a laid down
mission to provide quality compassionate care to the sick and dying, not minding who they are or
whatever status they have. In order to provide such good help to the sick and dying, the Bon
Secours Health Care Foundation was established to work directly with the community and to
raise fund to meet the very important objective of providing quality healthcare by deploying
advanced clinical technological innovations and tools, guaranteeing a healthy community and
making patients’ care experience more favorable.
Bon Secours debt is approximately 63% of the $889 million of debt outstanding as at the
end of 2016 fiscal year issued as fixed debt (Beck, 2016). About $73.1 million is owed as long-
term debt and capital leases under the Maximum Annual Debt Service (MADS). Most of these
debts were as a result of skyrocketing healthcare spending. Large volumes of data constantly
flow through more than 40 Bon Secours Health System facilities, and as a result of changes in
legislature at the local, state and federal governments, daily activities like, billings, reporting
processes and insurance payments are often changing. It, therefore, becomes a great issue for
Bon Secours Health System to effectively create and handle tools for data analysis that could be
easy to use for staff with less technical backgrounds. Sometimes, to access data for reporting and
audit becomes extremely difficult and time consuming. This affects business process, integrity,
accuracy and reliability of the organization’s data.
Additionally, a poorly operated work environment coupled with constant change in the
executive management, habitual shortage of staff and very little clinical support continuously
threatens to jeopardize Bon Secours missions and vision, making them harder to realize.
However, Hospital Support Network, made up of hospital vendors, businesses, other healthcare
stakeholders and community policymakers can collaborate with Bon Secours to promote the
common vision for optimum health care in the community.
References
Smith, K. (2015, November 18). Healthcare CIOs Discuss Challenges and Priorities for Coming
Year. Retrieved June 30, 2017, from http://www.impact-advisors.com/newsroom/news-
item/healthcare-cios-discuss-challenges-and-priorities-for-coming-year/
Tikkanen, R. & Abrams, M. (2020). U.S. Health Care from a Global Perspective, 2019: Higher
Spending, Worse Outcomes? Commonwealth Fund Issue Briefs. 10.26099/7avy-fc29.
Beck, O. (2016, December 02). Fitch Affirms Bon Secours Health System (MD) Revs at 'A';
Outlook Stable. Retrieved July 02, 2017, from
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161202005722/en/Fitch-Affirms-Bon-
Secours-Health-System-MD.
Bon Secours Mission Statement (2016). www.bonsecours.com/hampton-roads/community-
commitment/advocacy.
