Date
5-20-2026
Department
Graduate School of Business
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Organization and Management (PhD)
Chair
Terrence Duncan
Keywords
access, equity, sustainability, digital transformation, integrated care, system friction points
Disciplines
Business | Public Health
Recommended Citation
Mendoza, Miguel A., "Beyond Crisis: Patient Access and Sustainability" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8372.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8372
Abstract
Critical systems underwent drastic workflow adaptations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these operational alterations persist today, while others have been reduced or eliminated. This is a qualitative study on the operational, technological, and human-centered challenges experienced by healthcare organizations providing primary care services in Southwest Ohio during and immediately after the pandemic. This flexible research design implements in-depth, semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals leading primary care operations to capture a longitudinal perspective on pandemic-era service delivery, and the legacy systems still in place today. Thematic analysis revealed seven themes that determine the effectiveness of care delivery models. Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) and Equity in Access accounted for 24.7% of coded responses. Other findings highlight the impact of workforce burnout, care fragmentation, and digital transformation. While technological innovation initially expanded access, the data revealed a digital divide that disproportionately affected populations in the region due to multiple factors that included digital literacy, connectivity constraints, and collapsed infrastructure. Misalignment between the rapid adoption of technological innovation and the social realities of underserved communities threatens the efficacy of integrative care models. The findings also suggest that the healthcare system is currently caught between the momentum of innovation and the constraint of professional exhaustion. To address this, the research proposed a transformational framework prioritizing sustainability and highlighting the points of friction to the system. By integrating social, technological, and organizational dimensions, healthcare leaders can transition from reactive crisis management toward resilient system design that ensures care continuity for disadvantaged populations.
