Case Study #1: Healthcare in British Columbia
Problem Statement
Let’s kick off So let me get this straight with a case study that’s both familiar and important to everyone as a patient, and some of you as healthcare workers.
In Canada, the public healthcare system is an extremely complex, virtual enterprise serving a geographically dispersed population. Healthcare services are delivered in-person and virtually by public organisations, private companies, non-governmental organisations, families, and patients themselves. It is funded through taxation and by patients, who may enroll in health insurance plans.
In British Columbia, healthcare services are delivered by a Provincial Health Services Authority, five regional Health Authorities (Fraser, Interior, Island, Northern, Vancouver Coastal), an affiliated faith-based healthcare service provider (Providence Healthcare), and by another order of government (First Nations Health Authority). Provincial health spending for 2024-25 will hit $32.9 billion, about 1/3 of total program spending and accounting (Global News 22-Feb-24). This doesn’t include expenditures by individuals for treatments and services not covered by the province. Roughly 286,300 people were employed in British Columbia's health care sector in 2021, about 11% of employment in all industries in British Columbia (Government of Canada).
Despite substantial expenditures by government and patients, nearly a million people (20%) in British Columbia don’t have a family physician (Vancouver Sun 5-Feb24), Emergency Departments are overwhelmed. Healthcare workers are burning out and struggle to help patients.
Let’s see if we can make better use of existing resources to improve healthcare. In my next post, we’ll confirm objectives so all members of this big team are on the same page. This is the first step in any enterprise transformation.
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