EXAMINE HOW HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS AND THEORIES ARE APPLIED TO CRITICAL ISSUES IN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS.

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Assignment 2: Middleville Regional Healthcare

Due Week 9 and worth 160 points

Middleville Regional Health Care is one (1) of three (3) hospitals serving a community of 350,000 people. Summary statistics on Middleville and its competitors, from the AHA Guide, are shown below in Table 1. All three organizations are not-for-profit.

Table 1: Middleville, Brierfield, and Greystone Health Care Systems

NameBedsAdmissionsCensusOP VisitsBirthsExpenses (000)Personnel
Middleville57513,000350221,0002,300$125,0002,000
Brierfield38017,000260175,0001,200$130,0001,875
Greystone35010,00018040,000900$80,0001,200

The governing board of Middleville hired a consulting company to evaluate its strategic performance, specifically in the areas of Human Resources, Information Technology, Financing, and Marketing. As part of the consultant’s evaluation, several leaders of Middleville’s units were asked their perspective of the organization’s performance.

You are working for the consultant. Your job is to identify the issues from the response that should be considered further by the consultant team and possibly discussed with the governing board and the CEO. The firm has a rule, “Never offer a criticism or negative finding without suggesting how the client organization can correct it,” so you must indicate what sort of correction you would recommend as part of your list. Because you know there were about two (2) dozen other interviews, you decide you should rank your issues in importance, to make sure the most critical are discussed.

Write a six to eight (6-8) page paper in which you:

  1. Explain the governing board’s role in these strategic initiatives, determining its responsibility and involvement.
  2. Evidence-based management means that operational and strategic decisions are made based upon the evidence that goals and objectives are actually being met. Quantitative measurements must be identified and measured. This data is then used to evaluate the HCO’s performance. Name three (3) performances Middleville can use to measure its success in providing quality healthcare to the community, and identify quantifiable, measureable indicators that can be used to do so. Explain the importance of each performance measurement.
  3. Given the statistics of Middleville and its two (2) competitors provided in Table 1, recommend to the HCO what areas it should focus on to maintain its competitive market share as well as continue to provide healthcare to the community in the 21st century.
  4. Some of Middleville’s Board members are very interested in pursuing advanced technology systems over the next five (5) years, while others are concerned about the enormous expense and need assurance that the investment in technology will be worthwhile. In both monetary and process terms, describe the costs and benefits associated with implementing EMR and associated health data systems. Lay out a plan for how various systems can be implemented.
  5. Middleville has faced many challenges in recruiting and retaining nurses and other clinical employees. The economy has hit the area very hard and budgetary limitations have reduced the amount of money available for salary increases. The Board knows it needs to provide other benefits to their valued employees. Provide at least two (2) suggestions to Human Resources to promote employee satisfaction and, therefore, retain experienced personnel.
  6. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.
  7. Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
  1. Typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
  2. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
  3. Include a reference page. Citations and references must follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

  • Examine how healthcare management concepts and theories are applied to critical issues in healthcare organizations.
  • Analyze the critical management issues, purpose, functions, and performance measures of different departments within healthcare organizations.
  • Explain how public policy has shaped the development of the U.S. healthcare system.
  • Use technology and information resources to research issues in health services organization management.
  • Write clearly and concisely about health services organization management using proper writing mechanics.

Compare and contrast the ways that state and local governments can work with health care organizations to foster integration between primary care and public health

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Compare and contrast the ways that state and local governments can work with health care organizations to foster integration between primary care and public health

Primary Task Response: Within the Discussion Board area, write 500–700 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas.

  • Compare and contrast the ways that state and local governments can work with health care organizations to foster integration between primary care and public health.
  • Additionally, discuss the importance of linking primary care and public health and some of the challenges in doing so.

Note: Use APA style and at least 2 scholarly references.

Q

From the e-Activity, synthesize the primary ways in which consumer and provider incentives work together to achieve cost reduction under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Provide at least one (1) example of such synthesis to support your response.

Defend or critique the key provisions of antitrust legislation in the United States. Analyze the major ways in which quality issues in health care affect antitrust healthcare policy. Provide at least one (1) example of antitrust laws in action to support your response.

EXPLAIN THREE WAYS YOU WILL ENSURE THE PHYSICAL SECURITY OF THE ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD.

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Information Systems Response
Rasmussen Hospital physicians are somewhat skeptical as to why the hospital needs to adopt an electronic health record.
Explain which reason you feel is the most important.
Identify four reasons you will share with the physicians explaining the reasons for the transformation to an electronic health record.

As the Health Information Management manager, you are concerned about the functionality of the electronic health record you will be selecting. You consult the functionalities identified by the Institute of Medicine as your guide.

List and explain the functionalities that constitute an electronic health record as identified by the Institute of Medicine.

You are concerned if your state or licensing authority authorizes the creation and storage of patient-specific information in an electronic medium.

Explain the three answers that state laws may provide as to whether you can or cannot create and store patient-specific data in electronic form.

List and explain five safeguards that you will implement for the computer systems at Rasmussen Hospital.

Healthcare providers at Rasmussen Hospital are responsible to safeguard patient information found in the electronic health record. They are also responsible to follow security and privacy regulations.

List two federal acts that address the healthcare providers’ responsibility in terms of safeguarding patient information.

Explain three ways you will ensure the physical security of the electronic health record.

Explain three ways you will ensure personnel security to safeguard the electronic health record.
List and explain eight (8) risk prevention techniques you will implement at Rasmussen Hospital to protect the integrity and confidentiality of data.

HIPAA’s Security Rule establishes security safeguards for protected health information. List the three safeguards within the Security Rule.
Patient health information is protected regardless if in a paper-based format or online such as in an email. List three agencies, laws or accrediting bodies that address the protection of patient- specific information contained in an email.

DISCUSS SOME OF THE PROBLEMS THAT EXIST WITH HEALTH INSURANCE ON A GLOBAL SCALE.

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Do you believe that other health systems around the world are better or worse than that of the United States? Why or why not? Discuss some of the problems that exist with health insurance on a global scale.

Your response should be at least 500 words in length.
54 words added to what I already have.
Since the populations around the world are quite different a system good for some of them may not be so good for others. The United States still lacks a health care system that provides insurance for all citizens. With an economy that is weak, and a high rate of unemployment, this represents a serious problem. In other countries, where insurance is mandatory, medical bill are rarely paid by the average citizen. Healthcare in the United States is must be given to everyone, but it’s the matter of affording to pay the medical bills, and being accepted by an insurance company that is the main issue. A potential solution to medical underwriting is to have a healthcare system similar to Germany, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Japan, where everyone has health insurance no matter what medical conditions a person has. There is no difference between coverage for a healthy person and one with diabetes. This solution is realistic because it works in other countries very well. This solution is politically viable because President Obama has created a healthcare plan that will insure that all Americans receive insurance. Groups that would advocate for these changes are Americans without healthcare, democrats, those who believe all Americans should have healthcare, and the poor. Groups that would oppose this solution would be doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies. A potential solution for losing healthcare when losing the job is allowing the person to stay with the insurance company from the previous job, until they are employed again whether it is at a job that offers insurance or not. This solution is realistic because when you have a job there will always be a paycheck. When a person does not have a job, or insurance, the money they do have is used for household needs. If someone loses a job that offered health insurance, has insurance until they find a new job, then there is something to help them if medical attention is needed. The group that would advocate for this would be those without health insurance, and jobs. The group that would oppose this would be insurance companies. My opinion of the current direction of the health care reform in the U.S. is that all Americans need health insurance. I do not think it is right for insurance companies to deny someone health insurance because of acne or any other pre-existing condition.

Ethical and Legal Considerations in Human Resources

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Phase 2 IP Ethical and Legal Considerations in Human Resources

Having a written plan for the recruitment and selection of employees is imperative in any organization, especially health care, due to the many issues that could arise (e.g., legal, union, not meeting government regulations). For this assignment, you have been tasked to create a recruitment and selection plan for an urgent-care clinic. Write a paper of 5–6 pages that, at a minimum, includes the following:

General overview of the recruitment process

Recruitment sources

How the recruitment of positions will be marketed/communicated

How the effectiveness of recruitment will be measured

What selection tools will be used to select potential employees

Any legal and ethical concerns and regulations that must/should be considered when making hiring decisions.

Analyze legal, ethical and economic factors that affect management of human resource in the healthcare

Assess the effects of external forces such as labor markets, technology, business strategy, unions and government regulations on human resource decisions

Your paper should be 5–6 written pages, excluding cover page, abstract page, and reference page.

Note: Use APA style to cite at least 5 scholarly sources 

ANALYZE THE PROCESS FOR DEVELOPING AN IT BUDGET WITHIN A HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATION

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From the first e-Activity, analyze the process for developing an IT budget within a health care organization, and select one (1) aspect of the budgeting process which is the most difficult to execute. Next, suggest one (1) technique which you could use to overcome the difficulty that you selected. Provide a rationale to support your response.

From the second e-Activity, determine the key reasons why change management in health care IT is a hot-button issue. Next, among the eight (8) fundamental stages for the process of change described by Kotter, select the most significant stage, and suggest one (1) way to complete the stage in question. Provide a rationale to support your response.

Eactivity – Use the Internet or the Strayer Library to research articles on IT budget development process within health care organizations. Be prepared to discuss.

Read the article titled, “Change Management in Health Care”, located at http://www.zzjzfbih.ba/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Change-Management-in-Healtcare.pdf. Be prepared to discuss.

Q

Describe one of the contemporary models of health from another country, and explain its strengths and weaknesses. In addition, address how that country has integrated Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) within their healthcare system.

EXAMINE THE REIMBURSEMENT PROCESSES OF DIFFERENT HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS.

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Medical Reimbursement
Unit outcomes addressed in this Assignment:
Understand the various data sets utilized in the payment for post-acute care.
Course outcome assessed/addressed in this Assignment:
Examine the reimbursement processes of different health insurance plans.
Instructions:
Go to the CMS.gov Home Health Compare website at:  http://www.medicare.gov/HomeHealthCompare/search.aspx
Source:Home Health Compare. Medicare.gov. Retrieved from http://www.medicare.gov/HomeHealthCompare/search.aspx
Explore the site including the green link “About the Data” and the blue side bars “Home Health Spotlight” and “Additional Information” and answer the following questions:
List a way in which “Home Health Compare” can be utilized;
What is the difference between “process” and “outcome” care measures?
What are the current data collection periods” for the home health available measures?
What is the data source for the majority of the process and outcome measures?
How is the data collected?
What is meant by the term “risk adjusted” as it relates to outcome measures?
Review the Medicare coverage for Home Health. What are the typical services covered and not covered?
What is the HHABN and how it is utilized?
Conduct a search for a home health agency in your state by using the “find a Home Health Agency” search box. Narrow your search by using the “Modify Your Results” if you choose.
Choose three agencies to compare and click “compare now”.
What type of services are provided? Are there any services not provided?
Write a 2–3 paragraph summary of the results of the “Quality of Patient Care” results for your three agencies. Include the following:
Provide an explanation of the data and why the information is important for the selected measures.
How your selected agencies compare to the state and national averages for the selected measures.
Why is preventing unplanned hospital care important?
Requirements
Provide the answers to the questions and your 2–3 paragraph summary in a Word document

EXAMINE THE DIRECT AND INDIRECT IMPACT ON IMMEDIATE- AND LONG-TERM PUBLIC HEALTH.

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The US Census Bureau reports that there are nearly seven billion people in the world (US Census Bureau, 2011). The increase in population size over recent decades has created, and will continue to create, environmental and public health concerns. A larger population consumes already limited resources and energy and creates more waste and pollution. A larger population also exacerbates public health issues. For example, a boost in population size can lead to an increase in rates of infectious disease, homelessness, and poverty.

Currently, different parts of the world have varying population growth rates. Population growth in more developed countries is slowing down. For example, between 2005 and 2010, women from North America had an average of only two children in their lifetime. However, population growth rates in developing countries are still quite high. Specifically, between 2005 and 2010, women from Africa had an average of 4.6 children in their lifetime (United Nations: Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2007).

In this assignment, you will estimate future population sizes and their potential link to environmental health.

Using the readings for this module, Argosy University online library resources, as well as resources from reliable academic or governmental organizations, write a paper that addresses the following:

  • Estimate the predicted population size for the world in the year 2060. Be sure to justify your estimate as well as cite and explain the resources you used.
  • Identify a single disease that significantly increases in prevalence when the human population increases in size. Address the following based on this information:
    • Why is this issue likely to increase with an increasing population size?
    • Are there any countries in particular that will be affected by this issue more than others? What will cause this discrepancy?
    • How are food supply and nutrition impacted by the increasing population size? When considering nutrition, do you think some countries will be more susceptible than others? Explain and support your answer.
    • What are governmental agencies currently doing to prevent or mitigate concerns of inadequate food supply and nutrition because of population growth?
    • Based on your research, do you believe that these policies would change if the population growth increases dramatically by 2060?

Support your statements with scholarly references and appropriate examples.

Write a 2–3-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

On average, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 23 percent of the global disease burden can be attributed to the environment (World Resources Institute, n.d.).

In this assignment, you will use an interactive map to identify world patterns of environmental hazards through mortality rates. WHO has published a map providing the percentage of deaths around the world that are attributed to environmental issues from 2004. Access this map using the link given below and review the values listed for different countries:

  • World Health Organization (WHO). (2004). Public health and environment (PHE): Percentage of deaths and DALYs attributable to the environment, 2004 deaths. Retrieved fromhttp://web.archive.org/web/20130721135735/http:/gamapserver.who.int/gho/interactive_charts/phe/total_percentage/atlas.html

Based on your research, complete the following:

  • Identify the top five countries that have the highest percentage of deaths attributable to environmental problems. Are the countries that you identified considered developed or developing nations?
  • Identify the five countries that have the lowest percentage of deaths attributed to environmental problems. Are the countries you chose considered developed or developing nations?
  • Examine whether developed nations have higher or lower mortality rates caused by environmental issues (as defined by WHO) than developing nations.
  • Examine the countries with higher mortality rates from environmental issues on the WHO map. Do they have high or low population sizes when compared to those countries with lower mortality rates?
  • Explain your position on whether the population size is directly correlated with the environmental issues. Are there other factors or health determinants, such as social or economic factors, impacting this issue?
  • Examine whether the environmental issues would subside if population sizes decreased and were maintained.

Using the readings for this module, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet, respond to the following:

  • Choosing one nation from the higher percentage and one from the lower percentage, identify a minimum of two of their environmental problems that can be linked to their mortality rates.
  • Examine any similarities between their environmental problems and those in your neighborhood.

Support your statements with scholarly references and appropriate examples.

Write your initial response in a minimum of 350 words. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

Recent environmental disasters have significantly impacted the human population in multiple ways. In this assignment, you will identify a recent environmental disaster and discuss potential correlated health impacts.

Begin this assignment by identifying one recent example of an environmental disaster. For example, the BP oil spill or the earthquakes in Haiti or Japan.

Using the readings for this module, the Argosy University online resources, and the Internet, write a research paper including the following:

  • Provide a description of the environmental event/disaster you have identified. Include the following points:
    • Consider if the event was caused by humans or natural.
    • Examine the direct and indirect impact on immediate- and long-term public health.
    • Identify data regarding mortality and/or morbidity outcomes, if available.
    • Explain the geographical impact with respect to health. Also consider the number of lives lost, environmental damage, economic fallout, and long-term repercussions or impact.
    • Examine the research on the likelihood of this event recurring.
  • Identify and describe the immediate- and long-term emergency response plans and efforts to the disaster you have selected. Be sure to identify which groups, organizations, and/or governments led or are leading the response efforts and the various players who participated or are participating in this response.
  • Examine the lessons learned from previous responses to similar disasters. List at least three recommendations for protecting public health from a recurrence and/or the aftermath of similar disasters in the future.

ASSESS THE READINESS OF THE HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATION OR NETWORK IN ADDRESSING THE HEALTH CARE NEEDS OF CITIZENS IN THE NEXT DECADE

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Health Care Network/Organization

Research a health care organization or a network that spans several states within the U.S. (Example: United Healthcare, Vanguard, Banner Healthcare, etc.).

Prepare a 1,000-1,250-word paper that focuses on the organization or network you have selected.

Your essay should assess the readiness of the health care organization or network in addressing the health care needs of citizens in the next decade, and include a strategic plan that addresses issues pertaining to network growth, nurse staffing, resource management, and patient satisfaction.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide. An abstract is not required.

Q2

Evaluation of the Australian Healthcare System

What are some of the challenges facing the Australian government in dealing with the delivery of the healthcare system, which is large and complex? What changes are needed to make the healthcare system efficient and effective? This assignment should be 1-2 pages long. Document any sources you use in APA format. For more information on APA, please visit the Online Library, which is available through the Resources tab.

EVALUATE THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF HEALTH CARE INSTITUTIONS.

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: Using Financial Ratios to Assess Organizational Performance

Using the financial statements from your selected health care organization in Assignment 1, develop a financial plan for the next three (3) years.

Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:

  1. Suggest the financial ratio that most financial analysts would use to evaluate the financial condition of the company. Provide support for your rationale.
  2. Speculate on the organization’s ability to meet its financial obligations as they come due. Provide support for your rationale.
  3. Based on your ratio analysis, determine whether the profitability trends are favorable or unfavorable and explain your rationale.
  4. Using financial ratio analysis, predict whether or not the company will be viable in five (5) years based on its performance over the past three (3) years. Provide support for your prediction.
  5. Use at least two (2) quality academic resources. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

  • Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
  • Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

  • Evaluate the financial statements and the financial position of health care institutions.
  • Describe the overall planning process and the key components of the financial plan.
  • Use technology and information resources to research issues in health financial management.
  • Write clearly and concisely about health financial management using proper writing mechanics.