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Shouldice Hospital

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Executive Summary
Shouldice Hospital is the world’s leading centre of excellence in abdominal wall hernia repair . Shouldice’s reputation has been built on an exterior quality service and a high rate of successful hernia repair operation. A 99% success rate in hernia surgery has long been the benchmark for medical professionals internationally.
Shouldice has averaged 7,000 operations annually, while last year it performed 7,500 operations. The patient number increased a lot in recent years. The hospital’s current capacity cannot meet extensive increased patient demand. The senior manager of the hospital needs to find the best option to expand the capacity to service unsatisfied demand while maintaining control over the high quality service delivered.
Shouldice Hospital has a unique operation system to ensure its success. The notable features contributed to its service delivery system are innovative hernia repair technique; specialized program of care and recovery; and sociable atmosphere in the hospital. However, the utilization of overall capacity is not high. Current operation system does not run very efficiently. Shouldice needs to take steps to redesign its operation system to increase the capacity utilization.
External analysis shows that Shouldice can use currently available high technology to further improve its operation quality. There are certain medical and health related laws to regulate hospital’s operation. In addition, Shouldice needs to commit to social responsibility to implement environment friendly operation process. This will benefit the public and hence bring profit to the hospital in the long run.
Three options were suggested to Shouldice Hospital to expand its current capacity. First one is to add one more day of operation on Saturday. The second one is to add another floor of rooms to the hospital to increase 50% of number of beds. And the third option is to combine option 1 and 2.
An evaluation of three options was performed based on Shouldice’s current objective, quality concern, cost-effectiveness concern and compliance of laws, as well as 5 years’ financial analysis. Then, option 3, to increase 50% of beds and add one more day of operation is recommended to the hospital.
Shouldice needs to take certain actions to ensure the successful implementation of the expanding plan. Employees’ awareness and fully consent of the capacity expanding plan are very important to ensure that the high quality service can still be maintained.
Finally, adding one more operation room can be considered in case the expanding plan still cannot meet increased patient demand.

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