Posts

Post an assessment of the consequences (on payers, providers, and the general population) of continuing current levels of health care spending in the United States as well as the potential consequences of reducing the level of spending.

/in /by

Health Care Spending

 

No one is immune to the rising costs of health care. Consider the following news stories:

“In 2008, the average premium for a family plan purchased through an employer was $12,680, nearly the annual earnings of a full-time minimum wage job” (Halle & Seshamani, 2009, Introduction, para. 1).

“President Obama’s health care law is putting new strains on some of the nation’s most hard-pressed hospitals, by cutting aid they use to pay for emergency care for illegal immigrants, which they have long been required to provide” (Bernstein, 2012, para. 1).

“Doctors in America are harboring an embarrassing secret: Many of them are going broke. This quiet reality, which is spreading nationwide, is claiming a wide range of casualties, including family physicians, cardiologists and oncologists…Doctors list shrinking insurance reimbursements, changing regulations, rising business and drug costs among the factors preventing them from keeping their practices afloat” (Kavilanz, 2012, para. 1, 2, 5).

In this Discussion, you examine the overall state of health care costs in America, the different factors impacting the finances of health care organizations, and the effect of rising costs on all stakeholders.

 

To prepare:

Review the Learning Resources on the level of health care spending in the United States.

Consider the ramifications of continuing at this level of spending as well as issues involved with reducing spending.

Reflect on which stakeholders (payers, providers, and the general population) should be responsible for making decisions on health care spending.

 

I need to Post an assessment of the consequences (on payers, providers, and the general population) of continuing current levels of health care spending in the United States as well as the potential consequences of reducing the level of spending. Explain which stakeholders should make health care spending decisions and why.

 

And 

 

Read a selection of my colleagues’ responses and Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches:

Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, and evidence.

Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own review of the literature in the Walden Library. (I will send the responses soon)

Validate an idea with your own experience and additional sources.

 

 

Required Readings

 

Baker, J., & Baker, R. W. (2014). Health care finance: Basic tools for nonfinancial managers (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.

Chapter 1, “Introduction to Health Care Finance” (pp. 3–10)

 

In this chapter, you are introduced to the four key elements of financial management as well as the two types of accounting. These help set the stage for the weeks to come.

 

Chapter 4, “Revenues (Inflow)” (pp. 31–40)

 

This chapter focuses on how health organizations receive revenue for services and highlights the different sources of revenue.

McClellan, M. (2011). Reforming payments to healthcare providers: The key to slowing health care cost growth while improving quality? Journal of Economic Perspectives, 25(2), 69–92.

Copyright 2011 by American Economic Association. Reprinted by permission of American Economic Association via the Copyright Clearance Center.

 

This article discusses the need for cost control in health care costs, as well as the impact for patients, providers, and physicians. The author highlights provider payment reforms that may be key to promoting quality and cutting costs.

Kaplan, R. S., Witkowski, M., Abbott, M., Barboza Guzman, A., Higgins, L. D., Meara, J. G., & … Feeley, T. W. (2014). Using time-driven activity-based costing to identify value improvement opportunities in healthcare. Journal Of Healthcare Management, 59(6), 399–412.

Copyright 2014 by Health Administration Press. Reprinted by permission of  Health Administration Press via the Copyright Clearance Center.

 

This article discusses the importance of better outcomes and lower costs when delivering care to patients.

Miller, H. (2011). Transitioning to accountable care: Incremental payment reforms to support higher quality, more affordable health care. Pittsburg, PA: Center for Health care Quality and Payment Reform. Retrieved from http://www.chqpr.org/downloads/TransitioningtoAccountableCare.pdf

 

This report provides the myriad options for addressing the growing problem of the cost vs. the quality of health care. The paper presents “middle ground” possibilities as part of a payment reform. These include such approaches as “bundling,” “warranties,” and paying physicians based on an entire patient stay.

Dickson, J. K., Bulley, S., & Oliver, D. (2014). Efficiency and perceptions of cost in healthcare. British Journal Of Healthcare Management, 20(5), 222–226.

Nickitas, D. (2013). Health care spending: the cold, hard facts of cost, quality and care. Nursing Economics, 31(1).

 

This article discusses the high cost of health care in the United States and how this spending is adding to the federal budget deficit and impacting the finances of American families.

Alliance for Health Reform. (2013). Cost of health care. In Covering health issues (6th ed.). Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.allhealth.org/sourcebooktoc.asp?SBID=5

 

This chapter discusses the background behind the rising health care costs, the factors that increase costs, and the consequences of attempting to bluntly cut costs. The chapter suggests some solutions, such as increased cost sharing, changes in provider reimbursement, and investing in health information technology.

Alliance for Health Reform. (2012). Medicare. In Covering health issues (6th ed.). Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.allhealth.org/sourcebooktoc.asp?SBID=5

 

This chapter provides facts on Medicare and offers some background information on the issues surrounding this program. The chapter also discusses current legislation affecting Medicare and potential results on patients, providers, and physicians.

Alliance for Health Reform. (2012). Medicaid. In Covering health issues (6th ed.). Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.allhealth.org/sourcebooktoc.asp?SBID=5

 

In addition to providing facts and background information on Medicaid, this chapter discusses many facets of the system, including the spending and “dual eligibles” component. The chapter also includes a discussion of how recent legislation has changed the program.

 

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2015). Introduction to NURS 6211. Baltimore, MD: Author.

 

  • attachment

    usw1_nurs_6211_discussion_rubric.doc

Why is it important to understand the appropriate application of the term or concept?

/in /by
Weekly Vocabulary Exercise: Health Care Structures and Divisions

HCS/120 Version 1

 1

University of Phoenix Material

Weekly Vocabulary Exercise: Health Care Structures and Divisions

Complete the worksheet according to the following guidelines:

· In the space provided, write each term’s definition as used in health care. You must define the term in your own words; do not simply copy the definition from a textbook.

· In the space provided after each term’s definition, provide an explanation that illustrates the importance of the skill, concept, procedure, organization, or tool to which the term refers. In your explanation, you may wish to consider the following:

How has it influenced health care?

Why is it important to understand the appropriate application of the term or concept?

Save the completed worksheet as a Microsoft® Word document with your name in the file name.

Submit the file to your facilitator.

Note. You must define 30 basic health care terms related to health care structures and divisions in this worksheet. Therefore, in addition to the terms already provided for you below, finish the additional spaces on the worksheet with terms from your reading or discussion you were not previously familiar with and had to research.

Submitted by: [Type your name here.]

Term Definition in your own words Use the term in a sentence as it applies to the health care industry.
Hospital A hospital is an institution or a facility where qualified medical personnel provide medication and medical services to people that require them. My father was admitted to the hospital when he became increasingly sick.
Ambulatory care facility This is medical care that is provided to patients on an outpatient basis. After he was released from hospital he still had to go to the ambulatory care facility for follow up checkups.
Wellness center This is a facility where specialists in various discipline in health care come together to provide treatment to the betterment of patients’ bodies and minds. The opening of a wellness center in town will help release the work load from the community hospital.
Physician’s office This is a physical location where a health care professional meets patients for consolations primarily related to healthcare. I usually go to my physician’s office instead of the hospital due to the personalized care he provides me with.
Hospice care facility This is a facility whereby care as opposed to curing is provided to medical care patients. My grandmother who has terminal pancreatic cancer has been relocated from the hospital to the hospice care facility due to the increased level of care there.
Long-term care facility This is a facility where patients are provided with both personal and medical care since they are unable to live independently in the society. Alice’s grandparents are both suffering from senile dementia and are therefore admitted to a long-term care facility.
Home health care This is the care that is given exclusively from home as opposed to a health facility as a result of an injury or illness. Richard’s parents are wealthy enough to ensure that after the accident he got home health care for medical care.
Mental health facility This is a facility that is health facility that is dedicated to the treatment and care of solely mental care patients. Due to the gruesome nature of his crimes, the murderer was confined to a mental health facility to determine his state of mind.
Nonprofit facility This is a facility that provides medical care that charges little to no fee for their services. The non-profit facility is welcome surprise to the community since not everyone can cater for the high prices government and private hospitals charge.
Public health This refers to the health of a country’s population as regulated and promoted by the country. Public health is a good indicator of the wealth of a country.
CCRC This is an acronym for Continuing Care Retirement Communities and is a facility that offers independent and assisted living and nursing care to the residents of the facilities. My grandparents will be relocated to a CCRC after their property has been sold.
Emergency room This is an area in a hospital where emergency medical cases are addressed. The car accident survivors were rushed to the emergency room for treatment.
Physical therapy This is treatment of medical conditions using physical manipulations such as massage and heals treatment. The football player is undergoing physical therapy after a successful surgery.
Radiology This is a branch of medicine that deals in x-rays and high energy beams during treatment and diagnosis of diseases. He was sent to the radiology department so as to determine is his femur was fractured.
Pediatrics This is a branch of medicine that deals in the treatment of illnesses that afflict children His love for children made him go into pediatrics
Surgical ward This is a ward in a healthcare facility that caters for patients that are undergoing a rage of simple or complicated medical procedures. The surgical ward is one of the most sanitary places in the entire hospital
Oncology This is the branch of medicine that is focused on the treatment of tumors. That clinic does not have an oncology department and so he cannot be treated for cancer there
Ultrasound This is a scan that is conducted on a pregnant woman with the purposes of examining the fetus. Her last ultrasound showed that the baby was breach
Hematology This is a branch of medicine that deals in the treatment of diseases that affect the blood. They had to contact the hematology department to determine whether there was enough blood for transfusion
Cardiology This is a branch of medicine that deal in illnesses of the heart. The cardiologist told him that his thin arteries were responsible for the irregular heart beat
ICU This is a branch of a medical care facility that provides care for the critically ill. When his condition became too critical, he had to be taken into the ICU for further monitoring
Orthopedics This is a fraction of medical care that deals in the correction deformation or illnesses in bones and muscles. Due to the rickets he had as a child, he has to be in close contact with the orthopedics department to treat the bow in his limbs
Neurology This is a branch of medicine that deals in the treatment of illness that has to do with nerves and the nervous system. The neurology department determined that his main problem was a pinched nerve
OB/GYN This is an abbreviation for obstetrics and gynecology, two branches that deal in delivery of babies and treatment of diseases that relate to the female reproductive organs. During pregnancy, one has to visit an OBGYN to determine the safety of the mother and the child.
ENT This is a physician that deals in the treatment of illnesses that affect ears, nose and throat. Her child inserted a bean pellet in her nostril and they had to call the ENT in the middle of the night
Gastroenterology This is a branch of medicine that deals with illness of the stomach and intestines. To get ones stomach pumped after poisoning, one had to visit the gastroenterology department of the hospital

As you progress through your program, you are encouraged to continue to use your weekly vocabulary exercises to build a master glossary as a quick reference guide to use in your coursework and in your health care career.

Copyright © 2014 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved.

What makes an organization diverse?

/in /by

CASE STUDY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1.       What diversity issues are present in the case?

2.        2. How would you define diversity? What makes an organization diverse?

3.        3. How should Ralph open up the diversity conversation to the Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) as a whole?

4.        4. What conflict management tools should Ralph use to address the perceived cultural bias issues with the Corporate Leadership Team (CLT)?

5.        5. What effect did promoting Roosevelt to Senior Vice President (SVP) have on the organization? Why?

6.        6. Why did Ralph promote Roosevelt to Senior Vice President (SVP)? What did that signal to the organization and CLT?

7.        7. Which team is more important to have as high performers, the Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) or the Corporate Diversity Department (COD)? Why?

8.        8. What impact will increasing diversity have on team performance? Why?

9.        9. What leadership traits will be important for Mikayla to develop for the Chief Diversity Officer (COO) position?

10.   10. Is the current workforce diverse? In all professions?

11.    11. How much does the composition of the Board of Directors contribute to Ralph’s decision-making?

 

Describe the influence competition has on the services offered by health care organizations and the choices patients have.

/in /by

Competition in Health Care

One of the trends marking the continuing transformation of the U.S. health care industry is the dramatic increase in the pace of competition. The heightened competition is taking place among hospitals, health plans, physician groups, and drug companies, and between physicians and hospitals, and hospitals and health plans. Listen to the Looking Ahead: The Future of Health Care Policy podcast from National Public Radio (NPR). Then, prepare a three- to five-page paper in which you:

  • Describe the different forms of competition that take place among various types of health care organizations.
  • Evaluate the benefits and pitfalls of competition in health care and suggest alternatives if competition was not the primary driver of operations in the U.S. health care system.
  • Explain the elements of successful competition and the use of competitive intelligence.
  • Describe the influence competition has on the services offered by health care organizations and the choices patients have.

Your paper must be three to five double-spaced pages (excluding title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Utilize a minimum of two scholarly sources that were published within the last five years. One source must be obtained from the Ashford University Library and focus on competition health care. All sources must be documented in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

  • attachment

    03ch_spath_strategic.pdf