NURS 6050 Assignment: Assessing a Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation

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NURS 6050 Assignment: Assessing a Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation

Assignment Assessing a Healthcare Program

Assignment Assessing a Healthcare Program Policy Evaluation

Program/policy evaluation is a valuable tool that can help strengthen the quality of programs/policies and improve outcomes for the populations they serve. Program/policy evaluation answers basic questions about program/policy effectiveness. It involves collecting and analyzing information about

program/policy activities, characteristics, and outcomes. This information can be used to ultimately improve program services or policy initiatives.

Nurses can play a very important role assessing program/policy evaluation for the same reasons that they can be so important to program/policy design. Nurses bring expertise and patient advocacy that can add significant insight and impact. In this Assignment, you will practice applying this expertise and insight by selecting an existing healthcare program or policy evaluation and reflecting on the criteria used to measure the effectiveness of the program/policy.

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To Prepare:

· Review the Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Analysis Template provided in the Resources.

· Select an existing healthcare program or policy evaluation or choose one of interest to you.

· Review community, state, or federal policy evaluation and reflect on the criteria used to measure the effectiveness of the program or policy described.

The Assignment: (2–3 pages)

Based on the program or policy evaluation you selected, complete the Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Analysis Template. Be sure to address the following:

· Describe the healthcare program or policy outcomes. NURS 6050 Assignment: Assessing a Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation

· How was the success of the program or policy measured?

· How many people were reached by the program or policy selected?

· How much of an impact was realized with the program or policy selected?

· At what point in program implementation was the program or policy evaluation conducted?

· What data was used to conduct the program or policy evaluation?

· What specific information on unintended consequences was identified?

· What stakeholders were identified in the evaluation of the program or policy? Who would benefit most from the results and reporting of the program or policy evaluation? Be specific and provide examples.

· Did the program or policy meet the original intent and objectives? Why or why not?

· Would you recommend implementing this program or policy in your place of work? Why or why not?

· Identify at least two ways that you, as a nurse advocate, could become involved in evaluating a program or policy after 1 year of implementation

Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Analysis Template

An important part of a policy that will address its efficacy in terms of meeting the desired objectives is the evaluation of the policy. Because of their extensive training and history of advocacy, registered nurses play an extremely important part in the process of carrying out this examination. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is one of the most prominent pieces of legislation that has garnered a lot of attention. When it was first conceived, the policy had the overarching goal of broadening access to medical care for a significant section of the general population. The objective of this particular piece of writing is, consequently, to evaluate the efficacy of the ACA in the aforementioned context by investigating a variety of facets, such as its success and reach, amongst other things.

Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation   

Affordable Care Policy/Affordable Care Act
Description  

Affordable care policy was enacted in the year 2010 to reduce the cost of healthcare system. In other words, the Affordable Care Act was enacted to provide affordable insurance coverage to millions of Americans who were uninsured. Affordable care polity expanded Medicaid eligibility, created market insurance market place, stopped or prevented health insurance companies from limiting or denying insurance coverage to the pre-existing conditions (Chen et al., 2018). The plan also expanded the coverage for health benefits to essential health benefits. With the affordable health insurance, lower-income families qualified for subsidies for the coverage purchased the marketplace. The introduction of the Affordable Care Act has altered the processes of healthcare provision across different countries and within the United States of America. The Affordable care act has exposed the employers to a new set of challenges across the medical spectrum and on the other hand, it has brought numerous opportunities. In the recent times, the medical costs have skyrocketed and in the recent times, the medical insurers account for more compensation for workers.

 
How was the success of the program or policy measured? 

 

  

 

The success of Affordable Care Policy was measured through the number of insurance coverage. After the implementation of the policy, millions of poor Americans were insured. Majority of Americans were able to get quality healthcare services at cheaper costs. The success of Affordable Care policy was also measured through the improvement in quality healthcare services (Milstead & Short, 2019). The implementation of the policy involved billions of money, the main objective of allocating such money was to enhance the quality of services delivered through introduction of research processes and evidence-based practices. Also, the policy enhance training of healthcare professionals to acquire knowledge for managing some of the emerging diseases. The success of the policy can therefore be measured through the improvement in quality services in different hospitals and health centers. NURS 6050 Assignment: Assessing a Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation

 
How many people were reached by the program or policy selected? How much of an impact was realized with the program or policy selected? 

 

  

The policy impacted millions of people across the United States. Affordable Care policy impacted about 61 million women across the United State. In other words, 61 million women were able to access contraception without any out-of-pocket costs. The expansion of Medicaid was associated with the 19,200 fewer deaths among older low-income adults from the year 2013 to the year 2017 (Glied & Jackson, 2017). Also, the policy led to the 15, 600 preventable deaths across the United States of America. The policy led to the significant reduction in the number of mortalities associated with different complications.

 
At what point in program implementation was the program or policy evaluation conducted? 

 

  

The policy evaluation was conducted at the legislation stage. There were several legislation processes to verify some of the aspects of the policy. There was evaluation in terms of the budgeting process, the costs of medication, as well as the impacts on the political, social, and economic environment.
What data was used to conduct the program or policy evaluation? 

 

  

Healthcare data from different institutions were used to inform different aspects of the policy. The data applied were drawn from different organizations including Center for Disease Control and infection, World Health Organization as well as the data from the Federal and states department of health.
What specific information on unintended consequences were identified? 

 

  

Some of the unintended consequences of the policy include poor legislation and opposition from different political divide. Also, the political activities are some of the unintended consequences of the policy. While developing the policy, some of the political factors were not put into consideration.

 
What stakeholders were identified in the evaluation of the program or policy? Who would benefit most from the results and reporting of the program or policy evaluation? Be specific and provide examples. 

 

  

Some of the stakeholders include healthcare consumers, healthcare providers, federal government, state government, as well as employers. Healthcare consumers include citizens and all other beneficiaries of healthcare services. Also, legislators are key part of the Affordable Care Policy. Some of the people that will benefit most include consumers who would experiences a significant reduction in the healthcare costs. Also, political actors will be able to benefit from the healthcare policy (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2017).

 
Did the program or policy meet the original intent and objectives? Why or why not? 

 

  

 

The policy met the original intent and objectives. Millions of Americans experienced significant reduction in the healthcare costs. In other words, all people from different social-economic status were to receive quality and less costly healthcare services as intended. Also, there was a general improvement in the quality healthcare services delivered to patients (In Powers, 2020). Today, millions of Americans continue to enjoy cheap/affordable and quality healthcare services to patients and all the citizens.

 
Would you recommend implementing this program or policy in your place of work? Why or why not? 

 

  

 

I would recommend implementing this policy in my workplace. One of the main objectives of my organization is to improve the quality of healthcare services. Also, the organization aims at ensuring the delivery of affordable healthcare services to different members of the community. Affordable Care Policy can therefore be implemented to meet the above objectives.

 
Identify at least two ways that you, as a nurse advocate, could become involved in evaluating a program or policy after one year of implementation. 

 

  

 

As a nurse advocate, I would get involved in evaluating the provision of training for the healthcare professionals as well as the benefits anticipated from the increased activities such as research processes. In other words, I would get involved in the evaluation of key benefits and well as roles of healthcare professionals as stipulated in the policy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
General Notes/Comments  

 

The implementation of Affordable Care Policy involved different stakeholders skilled or with experience in different areas of practice in the healthcare systems. Also, with effective planning at every step, the government managed to implement different aspects of the policy without significant interference from other institutions. The policy met the original intent and objectives. Millions of Americans experienced significant reduction in the healthcare costs. In other words, all people from different social-economic status were to receive quality and less costly healthcare services as intended.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

The ACA was intended to ensure that the quality and affordability of healthcare services in the United States were improved. The analysis revealed that it largely achieved its original objective based on the number of people who are ensured in the aftermath of its inception. Nurses have an important advocacy role to play in the success of the program.

References

Chen, J., Vargas-Bustamante, A., Mortensen, K., & Ortega, A. N. (2018). Racial and ethnic disparities in health care access and utilization under the Affordable Care Act. Medical care, 54(2), 140. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4711386/

Glied, S., & Jackson, A. (2017). The future of the Affordable Care Act and insurance coverage. American journal of public health, 107(4), 538-540. Retrieved from: https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2017.303665

In Powers, J. S. (2020). Healthcare Changes and the Affordable Care Act: A Physician Call to Action.

Milstead, J. A., & Short, N. M. (2019). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (6th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2017). The Cost of ACA Repeal. https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/research/2016/06/the-cost-of-aca-repeal.html

NURS 6050 Assignment Assessing a Healthcare Program Policy Evaluation Required Readings

Milstead, J. A., & Short, N. M. (2019). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (6th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. NURS 6050 Assignment: Assessing a Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation

Chapter 7, “Health Policy and Social Program      Evaluation” (pp. 116–124 only)
Glasgow, R. E., Lichtenstein, E., & Marcus, A. C. (2003). Why don’t we see more translation of health promotion research to practice? Rethinking the efficacy-to-effectiveness transition. American Journal of Public Health, 93(8), 1261–1267.

Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Shiramizu, B., Shambaugh, V., Petrovich, H., Seto, T. B., Ho, T., Mokuau, N., & Hedges, J. R. (2016). Leading by success: Impact of a clinical and translational research infrastructure program to address health inequities. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 4(5), 983–991. doi:10.1007/s40615-016-0302-4

Williams, J. K., & Anderson, C. M. (2018). Omics research ethics considerations. Nursing Outlook, 66(4), 386–393. doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2018.05.003

Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

NURS 6050 Assignment Assessing a Healthcare Program Policy Evaluation Rubric Detail

Select Grid View or List View to change the rubric’s layout.
Content
Name: NURS_6050_Module05_Week10_Assignment_Rubric

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List View

Excellent Good Fair Poor
Program/Policy Evaluation

Based on the program or policy evaluation you seelcted, complete the Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Analysis Template. Be sure to address the following:

· Describe the healthcare program or policy outcomes.
· How was the success of the program or policy measured?
· How many people were reached by the program or policy selected? How much of an impact was realized with the program or policy selected?
· At what point in time in program implementation was the program or policy evaluation conducted?
Points Range: 32 (32%) – 35 (35%)
Response clearly and accurately describes in detail the healthcare program or policy outcomes.

Response accurately and thoroughly explains in detail how the success of the program or policy was measured.

Response clearly and accurately describes in detail how many people were reached by the program or policy and fully describes the impact of the program or policy.

Response clearly and accurately indicates the point at which time the program or policy evaluation was conducted.

Points Range: 28 (28%) – 31 (31%)
Response accurately describes the healthcare program or policy outcomes.

Response accurately explains how the success of the program or policy was measured.

Response accurately describes how many people were reached by the program or policy and accurately describes the impact of the program or policy.

Response accurately indicates the point at which time the program or policy evaluation was conducted.

Points Range: 25 (25%) – 27 (27%)
Description of the healthcare program or policy outcomes is inaccurate or incomplete.

Explanation of how the success of the program or policy was measured is inaccurate or incomplete.

Description of how many people were reached by the program or policy and the impact is vague or inaccurate.

Response vaguely describes the point at which the program or policy evaluation was conducted.

Points Range: 0 (0%) – 24 (24%)
Description of the healthcare program or policy outcomes is inaccurate and incomplete, or is missing.

Explanation of how the success of the program or policy was measured is inaccurate and incomplete, or is missing.

Description of how many people were reached by the program or policy and the associated impacts is vague and inaccurate, or is missing. NURS 6050 Assignment: Assessing a Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation

Response of the point at which time the program or policy was conducted is missing.
Reporting of Program/Policy Evaluations

· What data was used to conduct the program or policy evaluation?
· What specific information on unintended consequences was identified?
· What stakeholders were identified in the evaluation of the program or policy? Who would benefit the most from the results and reporting of the program or policy evaluation? Be specific and provide examples.
· Did the program or policy meet the original intent and objectives? Why or why not?
· Would you recommend implementing this program or policy in your place of work? Why or why not?
· Identify at least two ways that you, as a nurse advocate, could become involved in evaluating a program or policy after 1 year of implementation.
Points Range: 45 (45%) – 50 (50%)
Response clearly and accurately identifies the data used to conduct the program or policy evaluation.

Response clearly and thoroughly explains in detail specific information on outcomes and unintended consequences identified through the program or policy evaluation.

Response clearly and accurately explains in detail the stakeholders involved in the program or policy evaluation.

Response clearly and accurately explains in detail who would benefit most from the results and reporting of the program or policy evaluation.

Response includes a thorough and accurate explanation of whether the program met the original intent and outcomes, including an accurate and detailed explanation of the reasons supporting why or why not.

Response includes a thorough and accurate explanation of whether the program should be implemented, including an accurate and detailed explanation of the reasons supporting why or why not.

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Points Range: 40 (40%) – 44 (44%)
Response accurately identifies the data used to conduct the program or policy evaluation.

Response explains in detail specific information on outcomes and unintended consequences identified through the program or policy evaluation.

Response explains in detail the stakeholders involved in the program or policy evaluation.

Response explains who would benefit most from the results and reporting of the program or policy evaluation.

Response includes an accurate explanation of whether the program met the original intent and outcomes, including an accurate explanation of the reasons supporting why or why not.

Response includes an accurate explanation of whether the program should be implemented, including an accurate explanation of the reasons supporting why or why not.

Points Range: 35 (35%) – 39 (39%)
Response vaguely or inaccurately identifies the data used to conduct the program or policy evaluation.

Explanation of specific information on outcomes and unintended consequences identified through the program or policy evaluation is vague or incomplete.

Explanation of the stakeholders involved in the program or policy evaluation is vague or inaccurate.

Explanation of who would benefit most from the results and reporting of the program or policy evaluation is vague or inaccurate.

Explanation of whether the program/policy met the original intent and outcomes and the reasons why or why not is incomplete or inaccurate.

Explanation of whether the program or policy should be implemented, and the reasons why or why not, is incomplete or inaccurate.

Points Range: 0 (0%) – 34 (34%)
Identification of the data used to conduct the program or policy evaluation is vague and inaccurate, or is missing.

Explanation of specific information on outcomes and unitended consequences identified through the program or policy evaluation is vague and incomplete, or is missing.

Explanation of the stakeholders involved in the program or policy evaluation is vague and inaccurate, or is missing.

Explanation of who would benefit most from the results and reporting of the program or policy evaluation is vague and inaccurate, or is missing.

Explanation of whether the program or policy met the original intent and outcomes and the reasons why or why not is incomplete and inaccurate, or is missing.

Explanation of whether the program or policy should be implemented, and the reasons why or why not, is incomplete and inaccurate, or is missing.
Written Expression and Formatting – Paragraph Development and Organization:

Paragraphs make clear points that support well developed ideas, flow logically, and demonstrate continuity of ideas. Sentences are carefully focused–neither long and rambling nor short and lacking substance. A clear and comprehensive purpose statement and introduction is provided which delineates all required criteria.
Points Range: 5 (5%) – 5 (5%)
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity.

A clear and comprehensive purpose statement, introduction, and conclusion is provided which delineates all required criteria.

Points Range: 4 (4%) – 4 (4%)
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 80% of the time.

Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment is stated, yet is brief and not descriptive.

Points Range: 3.5 (3.5%) – 3.5 (3.5%)
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 60%- 79% of the time.

Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment is vague or off topic.

Points Range: 0 (0%) – 3 (3%)
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity < 60% of the time. NURS 6050 Assignment: Assessing a Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation

No purpose statement, introduction, or conclusion was provided.
Written Expression and Formatting – English writing standards:

Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation
Points Range: 5 (5%) – 5 (5%)
Uses correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation with no errors.

Points Range: 4 (4%) – 4 (4%)
Contains a few (1-2) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

Points Range: 3.5 (3.5%) – 3.5 (3.5%)
Contains several (3-4) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

Points Range: 0 (0%) – 3 (3%)
Contains many (≥ 5) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors that interfere with the reader’s understanding.
Written Expression and Formatting – The paper follows correct APA format for title page, headings, font, spacing, margins, indentations, page numbers, parenthetical/in-text citations, and reference list.
Points Range: 5 (5%) – 5 (5%)
Uses correct APA format with no errors.

Points Range: 4 (4%) – 4 (4%)
Contains a few (1-2) APA format errors.

Points Range: 3.5 (3.5%) – 3.5 (3.5%)
Contains several (3-4) APA format errors.

Points Range: 0 (0%) – 3 (3%)
Contains many (≥ 5) APA format errors.
Total Points: 100
Name: NURS_6050_Module05_Week10_Assignment_Rubric

 

Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Analysis

Introduction

The problem of readmissions was becoming a major setback in the year 2012. The center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)came up with a policy, the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) which aims at reducing cases of readmissions by penalizing hospitals that readmits patients within 30-day risk standard cases (Catalyst, 2018). The program aims to encourage good communication between healthcare facilities and patients.

Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation   

Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP)
Description The program was initiated by CMS to combat cases of unnecessary readmission to prevent costs that are incurred unnecessarily. The focus of Medicaid and Medicare was to ensure patients are covered in a better and cheaper way. This helps significantly in the reduction of cases (Gai & Pachamanova, 2019). This policy was all about imposing a fine for all facilities that had a higher readmission rate as compared to the region on the cases standardized.
How was the success of the program or policy measured? 

 

  

The program was successful in terms of reducing cases of readmission and promoting better care given to the patients. Readmission cases also significantly reduced across the country hence saving the CMS a lot of money.
How many people were reached by the program or policy selected? How much of an impact was realized with the program or policy selected? 

 

 The readmission cases have significantly reduced since the policy was implemented. The readmission reduced by 10% on average for all people insured by Medicaid and Medicare (Bailey et al., 2019). This is the huge realization that saves healthcare insurance programs from unnecessary spending.
At what point in program implementation was the program or policy evaluation conducted? 

 

 

 The program was conducted in the year 2012 and successfully implemented in 2013. This was achieved across all the states.
What data was used to conduct the program or policy evaluation? 

 

  

The program utilized the costs incurred as a result of readmission based on diseases that were best preventable through the guidance of nurses and doctors as well as good communication between patients and nurses (Gai & Pachamanova, 2019).
What specific information on unintended consequences was identified? 

 

 The intended consequences identified include increasing costs of readmissions which were expensive for the insurance of medical coverage.
What stakeholders were identified in the evaluation of the program or policy? Who would benefit most from the results and reporting of the program or policy evaluation? Be specific and provide examples. 

 

  

The stakeholders identified patients, nurses, doctors, and insurance firms. The people who benefited more are patients and insurance healthcare firms (McIlvennan, Eapen  & Allen, 2015). For instance, nurses were given extra work of educating patients while insurance firms were able to save on money spend on readmissions.
Did the program or policy meet the original intent and objectives? Why or why not? 

 

  

 

The program met the original intended objective of reducing readmissions.
Would you recommend implementing this program or policy in your place of work? Why or why not? 

 

  

I recommend implementing the policy in every healthcare facility since it is in line with preventive care which is much cheaper and safer for all people.
Identify at least two ways that you, as a nurse advocate, could become involved in evaluating a program or policy after one year of implementation. 

 

 One way of evaluation of the program is having a common regulator of medical insurance to ensure the safety of the patients. The best way to implement the program of reducing readmission is by the introduction of education and guidelines to all nurses at the training level.
General Notes/Comments The program was helpful for Americans and insurance firms.

 

 

Conclusion

Cases of readmission have been significantly reduced since the program was implemented. This has been a useful program for the center for Medicaid and Medicare in cutting medical costs. Also, the patients have benefited significantly from the policy since the readmission was reduced, the risk of diseases was reduced as well.

 

References

Bailey, M. K., Weiss, A. J., Barrett, M. L., & Jiang, H. J. (2019). Characteristics of 30-Day all-cause hospital readmissions, 2010–2016: Statistical Brief# 248. https://europepmc.org/books/nbk538941

Gai, Y., & Pachamanova, D. (2019). Impact of the Medicare hospital readmissions reduction program on vulnerable populations. BMC health services research, 19(1), 1-15. https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-019-4645-5

Catalyst, N. E. J. M. (2018). Hospital readmissions reduction program (HRRP). NEJM Catalyst. https://catalyst.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/cat.18.0194

McIlvennan, C. K., Eapen, Z. J., & Allen, L. A. (2015). Hospital readmissions reduction program. Circulation, 131(20), 1796-1803. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?output=instlink&q=info:YaEUFTWjnlUJ:scholar.google.com/&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5&scillfp=14450481527059171840&oi=lle NURS 6050 Assignment: Assessing a Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation