HCA450
Quality in Health Care
Week 1
Discussion
DQ1 Define the concept of "quality" within the
health care industry. Why is it so important in health care? What are the
implications of poor versus high-quality health care, especially financial implications,
from various perspectives?
DQ2 Identify two challenges facing the delivery of quality
in health care today. One of these must be financial in nature. Discuss ways in
which the challenge can be overcome. What are the implications of implementing
the solution?
HCA450
Quality in Health Care
Week 2
Discussion
DQ1 Describe the various steps taken by a health care
organization as they relate to documenting quality in an organization. What
might be some of the challenges faced when deficiencies are noted and need to
be addressed?
DQ2 Please explain how quality might be measured in an
organization. What are the various tools that could be used, and how might
their use present challenges in implementation?
HCA450
Quality in Health Care
Week 3
Discussion
DQ1 Briefly describe the function of the Joint Commission.
How does it measure and ensure quality in an organization? What authorities
does it carry and how effective are they in assuring quality?
DQ2 Identify at least two federal and state health care
agencies (at least one of each) that regulate quality in health care
organizations. Should governments be involved in regulating health care, and if
so, to what extent?
HCA450
Quality in Health Care
Week 4
Discussion
DQ1 Discuss the history of the concept of the adoption of
EMRs by the health care industry: What are the various forces involved in
mandates and regulations affecting the adoption of EMRs? What do you see as the
advantages gained by adopting EMR and what are the disadvantages?
DQ2 What are some challenges and disadvantages to
incorporating and utilizing technology in an organization? How has new
technology assisted with measuring and delivering quality care? Please provide
an example of how you have seen technology change the way you receive health
care.
HCA450
Quality in Health Care
Week 5
Discussion
DQ1 What is the role of insurance payers in the quality of
services of a health care organization? Do they have an influence over the
quality of an organization? How so?
DQ2 What is the greatest financial obstacle to quality in
health care? Include research and anecdotal evidence to defend your claims.
HCA450
Quality in Health Care
Week 6
Discussion
DQ1 Discuss the quality care approach used in an
organization to improve patient safety and patient outcomes. Why was the
quality model selected and how does it align to the organization's mission?
DQ2 In the book, Professionalism in Health Care: A Primer
for Career Success, the author, Sherry Makely, outlines quality improvement
goals: eliminating adverse effects, reducing waste and unnecessary expense,
avoiding costly hospital readmissions, and preventing undesirable outcomes that
place patients at risk. Provide an example of a quality improvement initiative
that can be proposed in a health care organization. Describe how the initiative
would work to achieve the goals associated with quality improvement.
HCA450
Quality in Health Care
Week 7
Discussion
DQ1 Discuss the role of government in funding and regulation
as it relates to ensuring delivery of quality health care: How successful have
its efforts been? What effect have government efforts had on the private health
care industry (e.g., care facilities, insurance companies, and drug companies)?
DQ2 The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is often
referred to as an example of a government-run health care system. How do you
perceive the VA as a health care organization? What factors allow the VA system
to effectively compete when so many for-profit and nonprofit health care
organizations exist as an option?
HCA450
Quality in Health Care
Week 8
Discussion
DQ1 What are some of the different stakeholder perspectives
on quality that may be present across the health care spectrum? How might they
differ from each other? Why do we see this as a potential challenge?
DQ2 Provide an example of how quality improvement
initiatives may differ among various organizations such as the VA, hospital,
and LTC. What driving forces support each of these organizations, how does this
impact quality improvement?
HCA450
Quality in Health Care
Week 1
Assignment
Understanding Quality
Throughout this course, you will gain a deeper perspective
of quality in health care and its importance in the health care industry. In
this assignment, you will review a sample quality policy from a health care
facility or provider.
Write a 1,000-1,250 word paper in which you assess the
organization's quality policy. Include answers to the following questions:
Discuss aspects of the policy: What is included and
excluded?
What area of the organization is affected by this policy?
Why was this policy created?
Cite at least three references, including your textbook
Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines
found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An
abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric
prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for
successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite.
Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.
HCA450
Quality in Health Care
Week 2
Assignment
Quality Measurement by Health Care Professionals
A health care organization is comprised of different
professionals who serve different functions. Their roles may determine how they
view quality initiatives, including the different methods measurement and types
of improvement tools.
Design a graphic organizer (such as a chart or table) that
identifies a minimum of three quality measurement/improvement tools. Describe
how they are used for measuring quality by at least four professionals in a
health care organization. You must include at least one administrative health
professional, one midlevel provider, one physician, and one auxiliary staff
member.
Make sure to include a References page with at least four
references, including your textbook.
While APA format is not required for the body of this
assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and in-text citations and
references should be presented using APA documentation guidelines, which can be
found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric
prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for
successful completion.
You are not required to submit this assignment to
LopesWrite.
HCA450
Quality in Health Care
Week 3
Assignment
Benchmark - Quality Improvement Organizations
Through accreditation and certification processes,
organizations like the Joint Commission contribute to the quality of health
care in the United States. These organizations monitor and evaluate health care
organizations, creating and reinforcing standards for patient care and safety.
Write a 1,000-1,250 word paper in which you describe three
organizations responsible for monitoring quality in health care organizations.
You may not use the Joint Commission, but are encouraged to consider
organizations at the state and national levels.
Identify each organization's purpose, duties, and methods of
monitoring quality. Describe their impact on quality of care in health care
organizations.
Cite at least three references, including your textbook.
Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines
found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An
abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric
prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for
successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite.
Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.
HCA450
Quality in Health Care
Week 4
Assignment
Benchmark - Electronic Medical Records Essay
Although technology advances in the health care industry
have been widespread, organizations continue to grapple with implementation
challenges. It is important to understand how organizations identify needs and
address obstacles. You can view this process through the lens of electronic
medical records (EMR) implementation and the perspective of a health care
leader.
Interview an upper-level manager (e.g., CEO, CFO, CIO, IT
manager) in a hospital or other health care facility that has instituted
electronic medical records. Your interview should last about 30 minutes in
length and may be completed face-to-face or over the phone. The interview
should focus on the implementation of the EMR system, including:
Factors that influenced the organization to institute the
EMR system.
Resistance to the decision-making process.
Obstacles experienced during the initial EMR rollout.
Overall impact on quality in health care since instituting
the EMR system.
Write a 1000-1,250 word paper summarizing the interview and
the interviewee's perspectives on the four points above. Your paper should also
include a brief history of electronic medical records in the health care
industry. How does the information gained in the interview match up with your
readings/research on the subject?
Cite at least three references, including your textbook.
Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines
found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An
abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric
prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for
successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite.
Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.
HCA450
Quality in Health Care
Week 5
Assignment
Benchmark - Finances and Quality in Health Care PowerPoint
Presentation
You have recently been hired as the chief financial officer
(CFO) of a large hospital. Your hospital has experienced major growth and is
proposing a new department of quality improvement. This new department has to
be approved by the board of directors. The chief executive officer (CEO) has
asked you to prepare a presentation for the board of directors to stress the
importance of quality from a financial standpoint.
Prepare a 15-18-slide PowerPoint presentation describing the
importance of delivering quality care on the finances of the organization. Make
sure to include the following:
An overview of the concept of quality in health care.
A description of the current finances of the organization
and how quality would enhance the bottom line.
The consequences of not implementing the new department
within the organization, including legal and marketing implications.
As you are crafting your presentation, consider your
audience: a group of board members that you need to persuade to approve the financials
for a new department. You need to make a strong, clear argument to support the
need for a quality improvement department. You will also need to be creative to
keep your audience's attention. Include speaking notes with each slide
outlining the presentation.
While APA format is not required for the body of this
assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and in-text citations and
references should be presented using APA documentation guidelines, which can be
found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric
prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for
successful completion.
You are not required to submit this assignment to
LopesWrite.
HCA450
Quality in Health Care
Week 6
Assignment
Federal Health Care Essay
You volunteer with a nonprofit organization that works to
connect low income populations with health care resources. The volunteer
coordinator expressed an interest in determining how quality improvement was
incorporated at each site.
Research five regional Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals and
federally qualified health centers. In an essay of 1,000-1,250 words, summarize
your findings for each hospital or health center in regards to current quality
improvement measures. Focus on continuous quality improvement and the benefits
these have for the populations receiving care.
Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines
found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An
abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric
prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for
successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Please
refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.
HCA450
Quality in Health Care
Week 7
Assignment
CLC - Organizational PDCA
This is a Collaborative Learning Community (CLC) assignment.
Visit the website of a major health care organization such
as a hospital, health system, or federally qualified health center, and conduct
a thorough research study of the organization. Develop a
"Plan-Do-Check-Act" (PDCA) process to address a quality issue and the
concept of continuous quality improvement (CQI) as discussed in your readings.
If a member of the CLC group happens to work for a health care organization,
you may use that team member's organization.
Create a 15-20-slide PowerPoint to explain the PDCA. Make
sure to be creative and explain each stage of the PDCA clearly within detailed
speaker notes. For this assignment you will walk through each stage of the PDCA
to demonstrate a full knowledge of continuous quality improvement.
Cite at least four references, including your textbook.
While APA format is not required for the body of this
assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and in-text citations and
references should be presented using APA documentation guidelines, which can be
found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric
prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for
successful completion.
You are not required to submit this assignment to
LopesWrite.
HCA450
Quality in Health Care
Week 8
Assignment
Quality Improvement Proposal
You have just been hired as the special assistant to the
chief executive officer (CEO) of your health care organization, Thunder
Hospital. Your duty is to head up the new quality improvement department. The hospital
is experiencing growth, but is also facing patient safety problems. The
hospital is averaging approximately five patient falls per week, medication
errors, and a 25% rise in hospital-acquired infections.
Based upon what you have learned in this class, prepare a
12-15-slide PowerPoint presentation in which you propose a quality improvement
plan to present to the CEO addressing one of these issues. Identify the type of
quality improvement plan you will use and include consideration of the effects
that implementation of the proposal will have upon at least three different
stakeholder perspectives. How will your plan improve overall quality in that
area?
Cite at least four references, including your textbook.
While APA format is not required for the body of this
assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and in-text citations and
references should be presented using APA documentation guidelines, which can be
found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric
prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for
successful completion.
You are not required to submit this assignment to
LopesWrite.
