Policies And Procedures Analysis

You hear all about policies and procedures in the workplace, but why do we need them? We need these policies and procedures for the focal reason that without them nothing could be achieved. Organizations would plunge into chaos if these two items were non-existent and daily operations would quickly come to a screeching halt. Policies and procedures are a reflection of how an organization operates its daily business. They illuminate what an organization wants to do, why it wants it done, and how to best execute their plan (Sarkissian, n.d.). Policies and procedures must be in place not only for organizations to meet their needs, but to ensure they are in compliance with the laws and regulations customary for their perspective business practice. Failing to create and or follow the established organizational guidelines will result in negative outcomes to several programs not only within the business and with the respected laws violated.

The Differences Between Policies and Procedures

When determining the difference between a policy and procedure in a health care setting there is an importance we must understand. Policies are viewed as the official method an office conducts its professional business (Medical office procedures, n.d.). An example of this would be a billing policy that states that every balance greater than 90 days old will automatically be sent to collections.

Procedures in contrast are viewed differently. For this case, it is not directly related to actual medical procedures in relation to office visits or strep throat swabs which are known as services performed specifically for a patient on a certain date. Procedures are more along the lines of how each and every strep swab is run each and every time for each patient ...

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...l, having policies and procedures in the workplace are always a good idea.

Conclusion

Policies are the guidelines we use to regulate organizational affairs. They manage the conduct of people and actions of a given system. It helps clarify the stance of a organization on an important topic and explain how the organization plans to conduct business. Whereas policies are an organization's course of action, and procedures delineate the routine methods of tackling objectives (Sarkissian, n,d.). Procedures outline the necessary steps in sequence that are to be used in order to attain policies. While both are different, they are essential to any health care facility in ensure operational needs are met and compliances to laws are established and followed. For those organizations who fail to implement and follow policies and procedures, financial penalties will be enforced.