HA 610 Health Policy and Management University

HA 610 Health Policy and Management University

Unit 1 Discussion

In recent news, heated debate among lawmakers persists regarding the condition of the current Veteran’s Administration (VA) and its role to provide significantly better health care and shorter wait times for this growing population segment. Because many of our Veterans require both physical and psychological attention (primarily related to PTSD), discuss how state and national policies should adapt now and in the future toward helping our Vets better assimilate back into society–body, mind, and spirit.  Do you advocate for privatization of the VA system or any social entitlement, such as Medicare or Medicaid as a method for improvement? Explain.

HA 610 Health Policy and Management HERZING

Unit 2 Discussion

Please share your research, experience, and thoughts: What is the real and perceived performance of the US health care system? Are the views different among patients, providers, payers, policy makers? Why or why not?

HA 610 Health Policy and Management HERZING

Unit 3 Discussion

Please share your research, experience, and thoughts: Since health care tends to be local, as a policy maker, what would you do to encourage the large community (retailers, restaurants, employers, schools, etc.) to improve the health of the community? For these initiatives should the government play a role or should they be sponsored by other entities? In many states, the Certificate of Need (CON) requirement is still being practiced. Is it right to limit competition among health care institutions in a proximate region–simply because of, say, political clout or who has the deeper pockets? Defend your response.

HA 610 Health Policy and Management

Unit 4 Discussion

Please share your research, experience, and thoughts: Briefly discuss your views of management and leadership. Do you believe they are the same or different? If you believe they are different, do you think that they have the same importance for the future of nursing? Do you feel that one is more important than the other? How can novice nurse-managers and administrators learn important management functions and develop leadership skills? Should they? Who today represents a “model” leader? What is their distinction?

HA 610 Health Policy and Management

Unit 5 Discussion

Healthcare today seems to center on physical care, often relying on advanced diagnostics with highly specialized clinicians needed to administer it—and as quickly as possible. In fact, many procedures are being performed “same day” that were unthinkable a few decades back. While these advancements help a hospital’s bottom line with rapid thru-put for physical procedures, let’s think about psychiatry as a healthcare crisis that requires considerably more time and specialization to realize results. Do you believe that psychiatric and psychological disorders are becoming destigmatized, and consequently being given the same attention by providers (insurance and facilities) as physical ailments? Should mental health be equal to physical health as a social responsibility? Does the PPACA (Affordable Care Act) offer balance in this situation? Explain.

HERZING – HA610 Health Policy and Management

Unit 6 Discussion

Please share your research, experience, and thoughts: Using the ethical principle of justice, determine whether health care in this country should be a right or a privilege. Are the uninsured and the insured “unequals” that should be treated according to their differences? Does the type of health insurance that one has also create a system of “unequals”? If so, are the unequals being treated according to their differences?  Specifically, what should health care providers “do” to positively contribute to help foster a healthier society? Your research, experience, and opinion are welcomed in this forum.

HERZING – HA610 Health Policy and Management

Unit 7 Discussion

Please share your research, experience, and thoughts: In today’s society, we are dealing with a New Era, health care access and coverage for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Community in the United States are on the rise. While these changes are expected to increase health insurance coverage and access for LGBT individuals and their families, many challenges and questions remain, including:

What will be the impact of state policy choices on access and coverage?

How will new protections against discrimination be translated into practice and where do gaps remain?

Now that gay marriage is legal in most states, is the more conservative institution of healthcare positioned for this change?

Should this group become a protected class under law?

**Note that some states are designing legislation to abolish counseling for transgender individuals–which tends to always fail. Should policy simply be to provide “treatment” and surgery for these individuals? Recently a transgender teen threw herself in front of a bus and died because her counseling had failed–and surgery seemed farther away.

HERZING – HA 610 Health Policy and Management

Unit 8 Discussion

Please respond to the following questions based upon these course objectives:

Analyze how policies influence the structure and financing of health care, practice, and health outcomes.

Develop institutional, local, state and/or federal policy initiatives.

Consider the role of government and various professional organizations in the process of planning and implementing policies at management levels for diverse healthcare environments.

Examine the effect of legal, ethical, and regulatory processes on nursing practice (and/or change to providers), healthcare delivery, and outcomes while maintaining balance with administrative and fiscal responsibilities.

Interpret research, bringing the nursing perspective, alongside perspectives of their administrative colleagues, for policy makers and stakeholders.

Advocate for policies that improve the health of the public and the profession of nursing and health care administration.

Please answer the following questions with supporting examples and full explanations.

For each of the learning objectives, provide an analysis of how the course supported each objective.

Explain how the material learned in this course, based upon the objectives, will be applicable to professional application.

Reflect back on your journey through this course and answer the following:

What was the most valuable thing you learned in this course?

HERZING – HA610 Health Policy and Management

Unit 1 Assignment

Finding Balance

Instructions

Introduce yourself to your classmates and to me. Write using first person, such as—Hello class, my name is ME, and I want to tell you a little bit about myself and why I am interested in healthcare administration…

Within the context of your introduction, share your perspective on the importance of “finding balance” between the roles of healthcare delivery providers, such as nurses and assorted clinicians in a hospital environment next to the business/financial component that drives variables such as costs, length of stay, discharge protocols, admit/surgical denials, and any others. Further consider that there is (or should be) a synergy among/between patient care providers and bean counters, yet it requires money to keep the beds open and salaries paid—just as it takes the care provided by trained professionals on the units. How effective is writing “policy” on matters such as these?

This first assignment should be at least two pages in length, double spaced, 12 point font, and the title page is not part of the page count. If you cite, be sure to include your sources within the essay, and at the end in a separate Reference List. However, because this assignment is more of an opportunity to opine, sources are not mandatory. Proofread your work for organization, spelling, grammar, flow, style and mechanics. Double check the rubric to ensure that you have included all of the required criteria.

Follow proper naming conventions when saving your file:

Unit #_Title_Your Name

Example: Unit2_Writing a Prompt_Jane Doe

Evaluation Criteria

You will be evaluated on your ability to complete the following tasks according to points designated:

10 points – Introduce yourself

20 points – Identify and analyze a problem

20 points – Outline and analyze proposed solutions

20 points – Explain the background of the issue including its history and previous attempts to address the problem

10 points – Name any inherent values that need to be assessed

10 points – Determine the resources, both financial and human, needed to bring the issue forward and to reach a resolution

10 points – Describe a plan of action or policy based on your conclusions

HERZING – HA610 Health Policy and Management

Unit 2 Assignment

Legislative Issues

Instructions

Purpose: To provide students with the opportunity to explore a current health legislative issue that relates to a health disparity at the state or national level.

In your syllabus under written assignment for your research paper you are asked to focus on one dimension of performance of the United States health care delivery system. The student is expected to perform a thorough search of the literature, the media, and discussions with stakeholders such as legislators, consumers, and other health care professionals about your chosen focus of the health care delivery system. You will prepare an 8 to 10 slide PowerPoint presentation with text notes added that will present the following areas of the selected health issue:

What is the current legislative or regulatory issue, and why is it being debated?

Who is most affected by the legislation?

What are the current socioeconomic, political, cultural, and ethical issues surrounding this topic?

Who are the stakeholders?

Evaluation Criteria

You will be graded on your ability to respond to the following questions in a comprehensive manner that demonstrates an understanding of the legislative process that focuses on the selected health disparity and the implications of the policy for nursing and/or health care executives.

20 points – What is the current legislative or regulatory issue, and why is it being debated?

20 points – Who is most affected by the legislation?

20 points – What are the current socioeconomic, political, cultural, and ethical issues surrounding this topic?

20 points – Who are the stakeholders?

20 points – Clarity, organization of the presentation

HERZING – HA610 Health Policy and Management

Unit 4 Assignment

Memo

Instructions

You are the Chief Operating Officer of a large healthcare system, composed of acute, long-term care, and community-based organizations in addition to long-term care managed care plans.

Given your current studies in health policy and management, the Chief Executive Officer of this large healthcare system has requested that you prepare a high-level briefing for the system’s Board of Directors in which you describe:

(a) factors that have contributed to dramatic growth in health care spending over the past 50 years; and

(b) how health care payment and delivery models are transforming to promote greater accountability for cost and quality in the health care system.

Please conclude your memo with your analysis of the most promising approaches for constraining cost growth while maintaining or improving quality, as well as the limitations or open questions that accompany new reimbursement and delivery models that are intended to promote “accountable care.”

The memo must be four pages in length. Please include references to course readings as well as any relevant outside sources that support your analysis. Citations and a references page (not included in page length) are required.

**You must use a recognizable memorandum format for this exercise—and it is recommended that subject areas be segmented using sub headers. Include your institution’s logo on the first page of the memo (fictitious). Be creative.

Memorandum

To: [Audience]

From: [Person and/or Department issuing the memo]

Date: [Date Sent]

Subject: [Subject of the Memo]

[Opening – Get to the point in the opening paragraph. Keep things simple and short. Make it easy and fast to read. Visit the Memo Template page on Vertex42.com for more tips. ]

[Summary – Summarize any historical or contextual information needed to support the opening paragraph.]

[Conclusion – End with a call to action.]

CC: [Send copies to anyone affected by the memo.]

Attachments: [List any attachments to the memo.  Only list items referred to in the body of the m

HERZING – HA610 Health Policy and Management

Unit 6 Assignment

Research Presentation

Instructions

In at least a three to four-student team (some teams may vary in the number of student partners due to class size), please prepare 20 slides on the topics that follow.

*Imagine that you and your coworkers/colleagues are delivering a presentation at the Annual Conference of Healthcare Executives in Orlando, Florida.

Prepare a 20-slide PowerPoint presentation with presenter’s notes in which you focus on a single dimension of performance of the US health care delivery system. Please examine how performance on this dimension is influenced by the organization and financing of health care in the United States and behavior of key health system stakeholders, what must be improved or reformed to achieve performance gains in your selected area, and the implications of your analysis for health policy and management. You may focus on performance in a broadly-defined area (such as quality of care, cost or access to care, balancing internal/external costs, dealing with regulatory agencies,) or you may define your focus more narrowly within one of these categories (e.g., quality of care for chronically-ill elderly patients, cost-effectiveness of new medical technologies, access to specialized care for low-income populations). In your analysis, please consider all stakeholders relevant to your specified focus—providers, payers and purchasers, patients, communities, policy-makers, and other groups that play a role in performance in your focal area—and be sure to examine performance and implications for reform at both the policy and delivery system levels.

The presentation must be 20 slides in length. Please include references to course readings as well as any relevant outside sources that support your analysis. Citations and a references page (not included in slide length) are required.

Each team member must submit your team’s collective presentation individually—although your team will receive the same score based on the quality and creativity of the collective demonstration. Remember to work as a team—and communicate with each other throughout the term. You will be placed into teams during Unit 2—and I strongly urge you to begin working on this project right away—meaning, don’t wait until the last minute to begin.

**Be sure to include “presenter’s notes” at the base of each slide.  Further, work together so that every one on your team “keeps the balance” (remember assignment one/unit one)—so, you may want to appoint a “team leader” early in the process. Every duty is important, so it’s up to you to phone/text each other, e-mail each other, share research, slide templates, anything/everything needed to make this demonstration a cohesive, collective endeavor—and because this project carries significant point value in this course, it must be your absolute best work. Remember that your presentation shouldn’t look like a writing assignment—it’s PowerPoint—a visual program, so use its features, but keep it professional at the same time. Further, use charts, graphs, tables to convey your information/data as well. Again, I must be able to read your speakers notes at the bottom of each slide; however, slides should not be too wordy—and if they are, they are virtually unreadable if sitting in an audience. Use bullet points and imagery to convey your info in conjunction with the speakers notes that explain (to me) what you are presenting. Have fun with this one, too!

**Find the balance–meaning, your presentation must represent both the clinical and administrative perspectives on these issues.**

Use the Unit 6 required resources to help you with this assignment.

Evaluation Criteria

100 points – Quality and depth of research

100 points – Appearance and professional construct of slides

50 points – Completeness of presenter’s notes

50 points – Cohesiveness of presentation and the presence of team work

HERZING – HA610 Health Policy and Management

Unit 7 Assignment

Capstone Demonstration on Policies and Regulations

Instructions

In this unit you have an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and insight of health policy at a “capstone level.” Please visit one of the health care management or nursing feedback websites, and read one or more current or past regulations or policies—and with your enlightened understanding on how important it is that regulations and policies be kept “current” in the context of our rapidly changing society and health care system, post a feedback remark onto a site of your choice (examples below); and to earn points for this assignment, save and upload comment(s) you posted. Make sure that your comment(s) are substantive and articulately expressed. Consequently, post no fewer than 250 words and no more than 500 words of verbiage to the site. Copy/paste your remarks onto a Word document and submit them to the Unit 7 Assignment. Be sure to include a title page and a reference list—if references were used to support your post.

You can use any of the websites listed below or a different website.

Enjoy the fact that you’ve added viable input to entities where positive “change” can be considered and quite possibly implemented.

Evaluation Criteria

50 points – Content

20 points – Presentation

Assignment Resources

Office for Human Research Protections (Links to an external site.) [Website]

Medicaid.gov (Links to an external site.) [Website]

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (Links to an external site.) [Website]

American Nurses Association (Links to an external site.) [Website]

US National Library of Medicine (Links to an external site.) [Website]

US Department of Veterans Affairs (Links to an external site.) [Website]