Category: Healthcare

Initial Post

Social marketing is the concept that was created by Philip Kotler in the 1970s (Aras, 2011, p.417). The main distinctive feature of social marketing is the focus on not only the profits and return on the advertising campaign but on the social well-being as well. The concept of social marketing was employed in various spheres including healthcare. The initiative was undertaken by the Turning Point Social Marketing National Excellence Collaborative, the organization financed by Robert Wood Foundation. There are six steps in social marketing. They are the description of the problem, conducting market research, creation of the marketing strategy, planning of the intervention, planning of the program monitoring and evaluation, and implementation of the interventions and evaluation (Aras, 2010).

In my opinion, the concepts of social marketing can be used in the instance described in Case 16. Taking into account that the Lewis family intends to promote the legislative change via the political process, the social marketing campaign can attract peoples attention to the problem and find the supporters. The effective social marketing strategy can help to implement the changes in the legislation and to prevent fatal outcomes after surgical operation.

Response Posts

To Kathleen Blain-Hyppolite

Hi, Kathleen,

Thank you for your response. You say that social marketing is used to promote healthy behavior. I also think so but I guess it should be added that it is not only able to promote health behavior but also to encourage the business to be socially responsible and not to produce products, which are harmful to health. Interestingly, social marketing is the concept, which has been drawn from the commercial sector but it is not the commercial concept anymore. The scholars argue that health care organizations should make people aware of the importance of a healthy way of life and social marketing is the tool for the achievement of this goal. It seems that social marketing is aimed at the prevention of health problems. I think that it is better to make efforts to prevent than to cope with them later. Besides, I guess social marketing can improve the efficiency of quality improvement programs in health care.

To Amanda Estillore

Hi, Amanda,

Thank you for your post. I think you have managed to uncover the essence of social marketing and to show the link between its targets and healthcare problems. I agree with you that social marketing is a concept, which is integrated with many other sciences. It uses commercial marketing methods for the achievement of social well-being. I guess it is already adaptable to the health care needs. The instruments and methods of social marketing can be used to make people aware of the importance of a healthy way of life. They can contribute to the prevention of health problems. I am not sure that the operating-room procedures are the primary object of the social marketing influence in health care. Rather, the minds of people and their attitude to their health are its most important targets. I agree with you that the development and implementation of the checklist of things are important for the prevention of surgical errors.

Reference

Aras, R. (2011). Social marketing in healthcare. Australasian Medical Journal, 4(8), 418-424.

This organization has a long and effective history of success of continuous improvement. What has led to that success?

This organization has a successful history of continuous improvement because it adopted policies that helped them to avoid many errors. First of all, the management relies on the involvement of employees who can make valuable recommendations or identify possible pitfalls at an early stage. Moreover, one should speak about the Evidence-Based Care Process Model or EBCPM. For instance, administrators studied peer-reviewed journals that could throw light on the most effective methods used by hospitals (McLaughlin, Johnson, & Sollecito, 2011, p. 116). Finally, the administration relied on the most innovative ideas of people who introduced the principles of quality of improvement. Among them, one can distinguish Edward Deming who identified the principles of continuous improvement. These principles helped this organization to achieve its goals.

What do they do that is transferable to other systems? What is not transferable?

Some strategies adopted by Intermountain-Healthcare are transferable. For instance, one can speak about the involvement of employees and administrators. Secondly, it is important to mention the use of an information feedback system that enables people to generate reports about improvements in work processes. These principles can be adopted in other settings. In turn, some elements cannot be transferred. For instance, the use of EBCPM can be possible only if academic studies are showing how a specific problem can be addressed by administrators and employees. This is of the issues that can be identified.

What investment does Intermountain Health make to support clinical integration?

The policies of this organization are based on the premise that clinical integration is dependent on the efficiency of communication between different units of care (McLaughlin et al., 2011, p. 116). This is why this institution invests capital into the development of communication infrastructure. Moreover, they pay attention to the development of protocols that describe the rules which medical workers should comply with. This investment helps Intermountain Healthcare improve the quality of care and reduce costs.

Response Post 1 (to Querby Metayer)

Hello, Query, I have reviewed your analysis of the case study. I think that it is necessary to speak more about the specific steps taken by Intermountain Healthcare to support continuous improvement. For instance, one can mention the active involvement of employees. Secondly, according to this response, the culture for improvement is not transferable to other organizations. Yet, it seems that this element can be emulated by other organizations if they encourage workers to take part in the design of work processes. This is one of the objections that should be considered. Still, this response can throw light on the most important concepts that were discussed during the course. These are the main aspects that can be identified.

Response Post 2 (to Kathleen Blain-Hyppolite)

Hello, Kathleen, I think that you are quite right in highlighting the role of measurement tools that helped Intermountain Healthcare achieve successful improvement. Yet, in my opinion, it is also necessary to speak about how this organization makes use of evidence-based strategies. Moreover, it is possible to demonstrate the connections between clinical integration and effective communication. This issue is important for understanding the investments made by Intermountain Healthcare in several decades. Yet, I believe that your response shows how and why Intermountain Healthcare attained its success.

Reference List

McLaughlin, C., Johnson, J., & Sollecito, W. (2011). Implementing Continuous Quality Improvement in Health Care. New York, NY: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Introduction

The medical workforce of most countries comprises of a greater number of generalists, the U.S has a higher proportions of specialists. This generally affects access and quality of provision which would determine whether there are any prejudices in delivery. There are several new technologies which are also being employed for social gain by several institutions, thus not realizing the wider collective mission in health liberation. The neglect of some facilities, to the extent of leaving them to market forces has also influenced the state of care in the state.

Generalists present principal, all-inclusive healthcare to population of all sexes, sickness or generations. Specialists, contrastingly, have a superior certification and training in a specific field. The errands of the two classes of specialists in healthcare are divisive, based on their ratio to the masses. There is especially inadequate information on the proficiency and practices of generalist and specialist physicians in their fields and the healing they govern. It is an inference that family practitioners and internists are unaware or uncertain on the recent advances in some methodologies of treatment (Golin, Reif & Smith, 2004). There is thus a need to progress the diffusion of proficiency from specialists to generalist physicians, especially now that their accountability is getting larger in the evolving therapeutic field. Achieving an equal number of both specialists is a superlative choice, but it would impose some transformations in the cost, access and quality of healing.

Cost

Economic forces are restructuring the delivery of therapy at diverse states, hence the need to delineate the position of specialists. Further, the fiscal opportunities of specialists are enhanced by the wide-ranging public craving to seek the care of specialists for singular medical conditions. The heed given by a specialist is more costly contrasted to care offered by generalists. The cost of physicians relates to the percentage of specialists against generalists in a section, instead of factors such as the severity of illness or diagnostic studies conducted. Access to prime health care would mean less hospitalization for habitual care, and thus lessen the expenses. Generalists utilize less medical assets than specialists, and thus, their lessening would condense the expenditure of healthcare.

Access

There would be augmented access to health care. Having more specialists habitually contributed to discontinuity of individual care, and the deficit of physicians in countryside areas. A balance between the two would thus facilitate intense deliberation on a larger population, and more healthcare providers to be pervasive across all regions to advance access of healthcare. Accessible care at a lesser cost would be more obtainable for the broad population, including the underprivileged and the uninsured (Clark et. al, 2001). There would be amplified access to apt care, contrasted to the present model in which obtaining specialists care is out of geographic and fiscal reach for some citizens.

Quality

The quality of specialist care has been condensed due to saturation, evidenced by the current training patterns. Having an identical number of both physicians would mean a decline on specialist physicians. The quality of therapy would augment as individual specialists would have a prospect to widen and sustain their proficiency. The quality of training would also be more concentrated because there would be less number of students to inculcate, and there would be deeper diffusion of acquaintance and meditation levels. A balance between the two would present higher-quality healthcare and superior provision of services especially if they are integrated with proficiency through certification in the other physician training.

There is an extensive agreement that medical care should be available to all masses. However, there is still no widespread access to therapy habitually as a result of policy formulations being guided by sham misconceptions (Light, 2003). One of these suppositions is that the US cannot meet the expense of catering for the uninsured, while in reality there are reasonable ways to administer them. The US believes that lessons learnt from triumphant smaller countries cannot apply to its expansive and varied population. Achieving a broader societal mission implies that there would be poorer wages, pitiable quality of healthcare and overcrowding in these facilities.

There are different scales of payments for diverse fields of healthcare, hence the discernment that other physicians are considered to be more significant. Through the provision of equivalent disbursement, more doctors will further their specialization, and find enchantment in their careers. They would thus feel liable for the broader populace who may not have passable contact to medical services. There would be more prospects for them to extend their services to other locations because of the higher zeal.

There is some unfairness to funding depicted in national planning and building of therapy facilities in underserved regions. There are no fresh allocations of assets to the regions which earlier did not obtain satisfactory funding. Treatment care and antagonism in the market is increasing due to stratagem changes. There are also numerous new machineries that are cost-effectively advantageous to the providers, Sultz & Young (2008), while having exceptionally nominal value in the assessment and supervision of patients.

The society is predisposed to meet the needs of persons who are not accessing apt treatment. Comprehensive access to healthcare is a central goal which calls for the forfeit of any other considerations. This hypothesis is valid, as the needs of patients sensibly take pre-eminence over the privileges of providers in the system, who include insurers, physicians and levy payers. Providers must thus be acquainted with their broader communal undertaking to serve, while patients who cannot access such services should be unconstrained when demanding easier and cheaper access.

The elementary duty of qualified medical personnel is to certify the safe and helpful delivery of investigative therapy measures to patients. Diagnosis is indispensable before any medical therapy or intercession can be approved. Erroneous diagnosis or receiving treatment prior to analysis displays grave unconstructive effects on patients (Coye & Kell, 2006). It is of value for the patient, the nursing vocation, and the general society that diagnostic inferences are precise, based on satisfactory and upright counteractive and methodical measures. This accuracy depends on the proficiency of the personnel administering diagnostic procedures.

Doctors who do not generate sufficient money for the organization are in jeopardy of loosing their contracts. Technology may thus be used unsuitably, for example, use of machinery for protective medicine rather than for the patients well being, or use of MRI technology where undemanding methods could be well-organized.

Different machineries have dissimilar provisions, potentials and adaptable software. Thus diagnosis measures are thus not as straightforward as their administration. The standards for application of these techniques fluctuate in different locations and to diverse people. This dictates transnational training on the diverse applications of the technologies. The supplier of the machinery must be in attendance when fitting the equipment to substantiate that they practically perform at the illustrated levels in the methodological qualifications required for diagnostic procedures.

Patient protections against unsuitable procedures must thus be measured. Apt protocols must be developed and followed for the explicit profiles of individuals, for instance, their body width and age. The supervisory must ensure that all staff members receive apt instructive training programs including relevant courses on apparatus quality assurance and patient radiation safety. Notifications and reports for medical procedures must be timely administered as per the regulations (Allard, 2010). Only ascribed physicians should use these innovative technologies, while receiving constant edification on other new machinery.

Patients need to be edified, so that they can review the machinery and its suitability as it relates to their individualism. Programs to curb the use of avertable surgery and the mishandling of technologies must be emphasized. Medical trainees must be taught how to be critical in comprehending literature and evaluation of claims, so that they may not be deceived by the supervision or fabricators of the technology.

Quality and access are communal and professional concerns, therefore the government and medical institutions should tackle the market concerns that are concerned. There are physical locations where there may be more healthcare givers but the access of medical services is still insufficient. There is an escalating trend of substitution of habitual medical practitioners with other segments of alternative therapists and overseas graduates (Sultz & Young, 2008). This ever-increasing switch presents a formidable dilemma for health strategy planners that could provoke unyielding fiscal, public and practiced outcomes.

There has been mounting costs of sustaining the health of the general population, reduced access to healthcare facilities normally due to affordability and insurances, and the overall plummeting in the quality of services offered to clients. The responsibilities of quality and access are placed on the government, but the private sector must also dynamically channel efforts to upgrade.

In the nonexistence of government intrusion, market forces will continue reconstituting the system with the aim of realizing fiscal gains. It is the obligation of the government, because the health of a nation influences its fiscal output. Further, the administration has a goal of sustaining the health of the populace. Therefore, it must assemble satisfying plans for securing enhanced medical facilities that are systematically sound and publicly satisfactory. It must channel programs which avail and access healthcare to the broad populace. This also entails the provision of water and ensuring apt environmental sanitation.

The government is in an advantageous position to originate programs in the health sector which can supervise common and private institutions, devise and sustain standards for operation, and reprimand lawbreakers. It is also powerful in administering inferences on where institutions originate and the health insurance policies of the nation. The government should in effect finance the health structure to the degree that therapy services become obtainable to every citizen.

The government plays a critical task in the fashioning of all aspects of the health segment. Fortifying this leadership and ensuring unfailing policies and practices across all health care functions will ensure impartial and reachable provision to the common populace without opinionated market forces. It can exploit its position as a watchdog, healthcare procurer, contributor and payer.

The dwindling in valuable supply of physicians to provide medical care is a distressing concern, as substitute measures to fill these positions are being originated. There are several choices which have been considered, including escalating the number of medicinal scholars, lessening the free time of physicians, and hastening the progress of group practices (Laird & Lakhan, 2009). The gap may also be catered for by transferring activities to other types of providers, for example, nurse practitioners, physician subordinates, chiropractors and acupuncturists.

Increasing the number of practicing physicians is both indispensable and favorable for meeting the populace healthiness demands. However, augmenting the number of medical scholars is a long-lasting tactic which may be satisfied after roughly a decade. More instantaneous solutions are based on the amplified conscription and sustained support of the persons who are already in principal care provision. Physician assistants have been underutilized, and their proficiency can help in improving the experienced shortages.

There are other alternatives employed by the administration, for example promoting the execution of precautionary healthcare, where the general population would invent measures to evade ailments. This would thus lessen the expenses and time required to see doctors. Uninsured residents are being urged to insure themselves and learn how to exploit health insurance. This may nonetheless increase costs if not well practiced, thus the need for aides related to the physician field.

The healthcare subdivision obliges labor and human resources for the apt running of care. Current supply of nurses must always meet the demanded requirements, and thus the most pertinent strategy would be applied. The gap should be packed by other therapists, as the long-term goal of schooling other physicians continues.

Hospitals are fashioned to meet the well-being requirements of precise populations. They are centers for proficient therapy, habitually provided by general practitioners. They thus must be protected from preventable penalties of calamities such as economic inadequacies. Hospitals are principal signs of community progress, and are exceptionally indispensable for financial maturity; therefore, required measures must be taken to certify their continued subsistence.

The essentiality of a health center depends on its use compared to the other existing hospitals in the section (Guadagnino, 2007). This would be evaluated based on the frequency of emergency patient appointments and the inpatient habitation. The compliance of hospitals to provide care to financially defenseless populace in areas where there are fewer facilities and medical practitioners judges their believability. Financially practicable hospitals can be considered through various criterions, including productivity, capital configuration and liquidity. Productivity is premeditated by the working margin of the institute, while liquidity means having accessible currency to cater for working cost and adjusts to declining proceeds. The capital structure is judged by computing the long-standing liability to capitalization; it is the extent to which the connotation of a health centers effects is counterbalanced by its long-standing arrears (Guadagnino, 2007).

The shutting down of hospitals, regrettably, is politically opinionated. Allotment of funds in different community hospitals habitually depends on the political interests in the region. Despite a hospital not being fiscally viable, it may receive basic support from interest groups, without actually empowering its administration with apt room to attain viability.

Hospitals are basic neighborhood possessions which should be maintained at any costs. Their services should, to a scope, be considered like any other service in the market which intends to realize profits, advancing its services, and sustaining its operations and qualified personnel. There should be sound proceeds to stakeholders in an institute, thus unbeneficial services must be avoided.

There are diverse departments in a hospice, such as maternity, inpatient, dentists. These may have their own level of supervision, under the administrator of the broad-spectrum institution. Therefore, as an alternative of closing the whole hospital, departments resulting in the lack of fiscal viability should be identified, and either closed or allocated more assets to progress their situation. A hospital may fail because it does not have the aptitude to control a singular department, for example, dealing with psychiatric patients. Disposing the assets being utilized in such areas, and allocating those to other departments, can in effect amplify fiscal viability.

Conclusion

The involvement of the government in health care systems should be controlled. This is typified by the attitude it has adopted as illustrated by making care an entitlement rather than a privilege. The U.S is among the uppermost spenders in remedial facilities, yet universal admittance of the care has not been achieved. This may be cited by the competitiveness of institutions to amplify their profits, rather than serving the wider community mission. The government is better placed to ensure the proper management of health-care by both private and communal institutions and provide necessary assistance for those not fiscally capable.

References

Allard, D. (2010). Medical events from radiation exposure during the use of computed tomography, fluoroscopy, and medical accelerator teletherapy. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania department of environmental protection office of waste, air and radiation management bureau of radiation protection Harrisburg, PA 17101.

Clark, et. al (2001). Comparison of quality of care by specialist and generalist physicians as usual source of asthma care for children. AAP news: PEDIATRICS Vol. 108 No. 2001, pp. 432-437.

Coye, M. & Kell, J. (2006). How hospitals confront new technology. Health affairs, Vol 25, no. 1, pp. 163-173.

Golin, C., Reif, S. & Smith, S. (2004). Adherence counseling practices of generalist and specialist physicians caring for people living with HIV/AIDS in North Carolina. PubMed.gov: J Gen Intern Med. 2004; 19(1):16-27.

Guadagnino, C. (2007). Interim report on rationalizing NJ hospital resources. Physicians news digest. Web.

Laird, C. & Lakhan, S. (2009). Addressing the primary care physician shortage in an evolving medical workforce. International archives of medicine. Web.

Light, D. (2003). Universal health care: lessons from the British experience. PubMed: Am J Public Health. 2003 January; 93(1): 2530.

Sultz, H. & Young, K. (2008). Health care USA: understanding its organization and delivery. Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Risk managers are skilled professionals who develop and deliver instruction on patient safety for physicians. They comprehend the quality-improvement codes that support patient safety programs. They have finely sharpened skills in identifying risks that cause medical errors, and they work with and control system based issues daily. Additionally, they are familiar with the principles of medical malpractice.

To successfully understand and deal with medical errors and promote the improvement of healthcare delivery systems, a patient safety program for physicians should incorporate:

Outline of a Patient Safety Curriculum for Physicians

Summary and conclusion

In conclusion, the six different subjects a risk manager should include in a curriculum designed for physicians to engage them in patient safety practices are: history and background of patient safety, culture of medicine, system-based theories, quality improvement, communication and application of patient safety and quality-improvement theory, tools, and initiatives in clinical practice.

Reference List

Carayon, P. (2011). Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care and Patient Safety, Second Edition. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Woods, D. D. (2010). Behind Human Error. Surrey, England: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.

Donabedian, A. (2002). An Introduction to Quality Assurance in Health Care. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Marx, D. (2001). Patient Safety and the Just Culture: A Primer for Health Care Executives. New York, NY: Columbia University.

Introduction

This article discusses training and development in healthcare field. The value of training and education in this field is discussed together with the importance of measuring competencies learned through training forums. The process of tracking and evaluating training effectiveness is also outlined and finally a conclusion is drawn.

Training and Education in Health Care

Training and education in the field of healthcare are very vital. This is simply because the field is evidence based and always improving. Professionals in this field need to be informed and trained on the latest advances in the field. Minor adjustments in this field often have amplified results. Keeping abreast with new developments through education and training therefore helps to ensure that the best evidence based practices are upheld.

It is worth noting that education in theory and practice has to be done hand in hand. Having a solid theoretical background is vital to ensuring that training is carried out well however, theory alone without training will be meaningless. Education and training help in enhancing the efficiency of medical care; errors are pointed out and remedial measures suggested. Sharing of knowledge through symposiums and other platforms helps to ensure that only the best practices are upheld (HSRIC, 2013).

Education and training may also be carried out on communication tools. How a provider interacts with patients is of significance as it determines how much the provider will understand the life of the patient. Interacting well with a patient is especially significant for the cases of counseling. It helps the provider to pick the best approach of treatment (HSRIC, 2013).

Education and training also helps in ensuring that healthcare providers are compliant with the requirements of the healthcare field as pertains to their practice. Non-compliance with the set rules and regulations may lead to a revocation of a practitioners certificate. Being informed on ones area of practice also reduces the risk of being involved in legal suits as a result of malpractices (HSRIC, 2013).

Importance of Measuring Competencies

Measuring of competency levels is significant in the healthcare field for various reasons as discussed below.

• Healthcare Reform: The need to reform the healthcare field has necessitated measuring of competency of practitioners and new graduates. It is assumed that one of the factors that will ensure that reforms in healthcare succeed is competent practitioners (kak, Burkhalter, & Cooper, 2001).
• Organizational Performance: Healthcare providers engage in general and specific competency checks to find out the efficiency of their organizations in respect to the services they offer. Such checks help an organization to engage in remedial measures which might take the form of education interventions or other forms (kak, Burkhalter, & Cooper, 2001).
• Liability and Ethics: Institutions are liable for the services their employees offer. Institutions are therefore morally obligated to guarantee that their employees are competent enough to serve at the capacities that they serve (kak, Burkhalter, & Cooper, 2001).
• Risk Management: It is possible to evaluate how well an organization is versed with emergency procedures related to certain practices through the use of competency assessments. Analysis of the results of competency assessments can be used to offer more training to an organizations staff (kak, Burkhalter, & Cooper, 2001).
• Introduction of New Products: When organizations introduce new products, competency checks can be used to identify staff members who will readily offer the products or services and those who may require some training to pick up (kak, Burkhalter, & Cooper, 2001).
• Training Exercises: Measuring of competency levels of trainees after a training exercise may help to evaluate the effectiveness of the exercise. A generally low score on competency may be an indication that a training exercise was carried out inappropriately. Competency evaluation of a training exercise may shade some light on areas that need emphasis or better approaches (kak, Burkhalter, & Cooper, 2001).

Tracking and Evaluating Training Effectiveness

Any training exercise usually has a set of objectives to achieve. The evaluation of a training process should use methods which will specifically seek to identify whether the training objectives were met and to what extent. Basically, tracking and evaluating a training exercise involves two processes namely: finding out whether skills were acquired during the training exercise and determining whether these skills are being practically applied towards the improvement of performance (Carr, 2002).

There are various methods which are used in finding out weather skills have been learned. This exercise is best carried out at the individual level and is helpful to the training department as it shades light on what is to be improved on. Use of questionnaires, knowledge reviews, observations, employee portfolio, and skill gap analysis are some of the popular methods used in determining what has been learned (Carr, 2002).

In determining how the skills are being applied in the workplace to improve productivity, assessment of competency application is carried out. This is usually carried out at the organizational level. This is done by analyzing the performance measures of an organization and the training return on investment (ROI) (Carr, 2002).

Conclusion

Education and training in the field of healthcare is of great significance. Being an evidence based field, professionals in this field ought to be updated continuously on changes and progresses made. It is also important to ensure that skills taught through seminars and other platforms are learned well and applied to improve organizational performance. This is done by tracking and evaluating training processes periodically.

References

Carr, W. F. (2002). Designing an effective training evaluation process. International Society for Performance Improvement. Web.

HSRIC. (2013). Education and Training. Health Services Research Information Central. Web.

kak, N., Burkhalter, B., & Cooper, M. (2001). Measuring the Competence of Healthcare Providers. Health Care Improvement Project: USAID. Web.

For this analysis, I have chosen two health-related data sources local (2012 STD Data Summary) and national (Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2013). The first one includes information about sexually transmitted infections only in Georgia. The source itself is also used to encourage the citizens to get free STD testing (Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness par. 3). To underline the issue, the Georgia Department of Public Health provides everybody with the ability to get to know more about this public health issue. It includes the statistics relevant to the 2008-2012 years (The Georgia Department of Public Health 2).

The second source presents the statistics reporting sexually transmitted disease data throughout the United States. Thus, it includes the national profile, in which the information about Atlanta can be found. In the Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2013, the data shows the current health condition of the population of the whole country to assist health care providers in the successful prevention of infections. It also aims to encourage people to make healthier choices that are likely to protect their health and the health of their families (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 5).

The data is to be valid and integral to receive accurate results. It is crucial for any research, especially the ones connected with healthcare, because they can be used as the basis of clinical trials (Rosenberg 48). The data provided by the Georgia Department of Public Health includes the data about the most common diseases, which is represented by identifying the years. It looks complete and sound, as consider numerous variables that are decently explained. In particular, the tables present the rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, P&S syphilis regarding a number of cases as well as sex and race of individuals. There are several footnotes that provide specifications.

The tables and figures are followed by summarizing the most important information (Georgia Department of Public Health 1). The data presented in Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2013 is more expanded. It includes numerous tables and figures made to provide detailed information regarding diseases, locations, and individuals. It includes background, overview, and summarizing of the issues. The report refers to the state and territorial health departments, sexually transmitted disease control programs, and public health laboratories that provided surveillance data to CDC (U.S. Department of Health And Human Services 2). Thus, the data gained from the chosen sources occurs to be valid and integral. Moreover, the ability to check is of advantage and makes individuals rely on it.

McCaston suggests utilizing the information from the researches so that they fill in the gaps present in each of them to overcome the limitations of the secondary data. It means that the studies are to have a common independent variable and different independent ones. Moreover, analysis of additional key data and indicators can help us acquire more explanation as to why a problem exists (McCaston 6). Thus, the source will provide integral and reliable data.

To select a data set, one is to consider several points. Starting the selection, it is important to determine appropriate data type, source, and instrument(s) that allow investigators to adequately answer research questions (Data Selection par. 2). It depends on the purpose of the research and its nature. Cost and convenience often occur to be the integrity issues during the selection. The integrity of the data is determined by the connection of one data to another. It is to be easily traced and create a whole with other information so that no gaps are left.

Works Cited

Data Selection. n.d. Web.

Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness. n.d. STD Test Statistics in Atlanta, GA. Web.

McCaston, Katherine 2005, Tips for Collecting, Reviewing, and Analyzing Secondary Data. Web.

Rosenberg, Michael. The Agile Approach to Adaptive Research, Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Print.

The Georgia Department of Public Health 2013, 2012 STD Data Summary. Web.

U.S. Department of Health And Human Services 2014, Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2013. Web.

Introduction

Various aspects of human identity determine the interactions between the genetic and environmental factors in determining the health of an individual. Gender, race, and class are complex traits that have great impact on the health of an individual. They help in determining the social dimensions of the health of individuals. All these traits have genetic underpinnings. However, they have varying levels of genetic underpinnings. People of a certain race may have a high predisposition to acquire various health conditions (Veenstra 2). In addition, certain diseases may only affect people of a certain gender. On the other hand, the social class of an individual may increase the probability of the individual from suffering from lifestyle diseases. Therefore, it is vital for the healthcare programs of various countries to take into consideration these factors. The programs should not discriminate people based on gender, race, or class. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is the American healthcare policy that strives to increase the affordability of healthcare to all Americans. Obamacare strives to improve the health status of disadvantaged groups.

Obamacare

Obamacare has helped in revolutionizing the public and private healthcare insurance industry. It ensures that people who would otherwise not get health insurance to access have health insurance. In so doing, Obamacare has helped improve the health of Americans. Thus, it is prudent to say that Obamacare is one of the vital pieces of legislation that the government of President Obama has enacted. Obamacare prohibits healthcare insurance providers from dropping people from insurance coverage when they get sick. According to Obamacare, insurance providers should not drop people from insurance coverage when they get sick unless they have very strong reasons. Such reasons may include misrepresentation of an existing health condition. The act forces organizations to investigate the health conditions individuals before agreeing to offer insurance cover to individuals. This helps in reducing the financial burden that people may incur if insurance firms drop them from coverage when they fall sick.

Impact of Obamacare on Healthcare Accessibility

Obamacare enables individuals who would otherwise not get health insurance to have access to health insurance. It enables people who are uninsured due to pre-existing health condition to access insurance through a temporary high-risk pool (Leonard 794). This helps Americans access health insurance and, therefore, save huge sums of money that they would have used to cater for hospital bills. In addition, it would ensure that people who have a higher risk of getting certain diseases due to their gender, race, or class to access health insurance. Research shows that people with African or Asian ancestry have a risk of suffering from various cardiovascular diseases than people from other racial origins. African Americans are usually less wealthy than people from other races. Therefore, by ensuring that they access healthcare insurance, Obamacare helps in improving the healthcare of people who have racial or class disadvantages.

Obamacare also enables individuals to receive free preventive health services after every six months at no additional cost. The preventive health services include screening of cancer and heart diseases. This helps in the identification of potential risks to the health of individuals. Thus, Obamacare has helped in improving health of Americans. It is a major step towards the provision of universal healthcare (Woodward 583). When doctors detect diseases in their early stages, they are easy and less expensive to treat than if they were in an advanced stage. This enables households to save enormous sums of money that they would have spent on hospital bills if the patient discovered the ailment at an advanced stage. In addition, free preventive healthcare services enable people who would otherwise not receive healthcare to access healthcare services. This would ensure that people who have low incomes to access healthcare services.

Impact of Obamacare on Womens Healthcare

Obamacare has several provisions that benefit women profoundly. Women do not have to pay more to access various reproductive health services. Prior to the enactment of Obamacare, some health insurance schemes used to charge women higher premiums since they have higher healthcare exenses than men. Obamacare eliminated the additional costs that health insurance companies used to charge women. Therefore, women pay a sum of money that is equivalent to what men pay to access health insurance. Therefore, Obamacare has led to the elimination of discrimination on women by insurance companies. Since people do not choose the sex they would prefer, it would be unethical to charge women more simply because of their gender.

Enactment of Obamacare enabled women to access a large number of preventive healthcare services. Insurance companies would cover these additional services. Obamacare enabled women to access gestational diabetes screening. Gestational diabetes is a serious pregnancy-related ailment. Insurance companies would also cover the costs of counseling sexually active women who contract sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, they would cover the cost of mammograms and colonoscopies. Insurance companies would also cover the costs of HPV DNA testing for women who are more than 29 years old. Women are major victims of domestic violence. Therefore, counseling victims of domestic violence would help to improve the health status of women. Obamacare requires insurance companies to cover the costs of screening and counseling victims of domestic and interpersonal violence (Fanning 9). Prior to the enactment of Obamacare insurance companies did not cover the costs of these services. Therefore, Obamacare has greatly improved the health status of women. In addition, it has reduced the amount of money that women pay to access various healthcare services.

Conclusion

It is vital for countries to have healthcare policies that all people have access to healthcare services. Obamacare strives to ensure that there is universal health coverage. It ensures that insurance companies to do not discriminate various people. Obamacare prohibits insurance companies from preventing people with pre-existing conditions from accessing medical insurance cover. Generally, women have higher healthcare needs than women. Obamacare ensures that insurance companies do not charge women higher premiums. In addition, it ensures that people receive free preventive health services after every six months. Preventive health services help reducing the occurrence of various ailments. In addition, it helps in reducing the cost of healthcare. This would ultimately improve the health status of all Americans. Obamacare focuses on womens health. Obamacares focus on womens reproductive health is one of the major factors that made Obama receive the support of more women than Romney during the recent elections. Critics of Obamacare argue that it increases the tax burden on Americans. However, the increase in taxes would help in saving the lives of millions of Americans. This would enable them to contribute towards the economic growth of the U.S.

Works Cited

Fanning, Mary. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Why it is important for womens health. Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought, 6.1(2012): 1-11. Print.

Leonard, Elizabeth Weeks. The Rhetoric Hits the Road: State Resistance to Affordable Care Act Implementation. University of Richmond Law Review, 46.1(2012): 781-822. Print.

Veenstra, Gerry. Race, gender, class, and sexual orientation: intersecting axes of inequality and self-rated health in Canada. International Journal for Equity in Health, 10.3(2011): 1-11. Print.

Woodward, Cal. High court sanctions law edging US toward universal health coverage. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 184.11(2012): 583-584. Print.

In the framework of coding and billing prospects, it is possible to point out a series of trends that are likely to influence these fields in the nearest future. It is necessary to note that the majority of transformations that take place in the relevant field are connected with the progress in the technology and innovation market. Therefore, the development of new computer systems and software performs a significant contribution to the solutions of the most critical problems.

First, and foremost, it is essential to focus on the changes implemented in the code set of the American Medical Associations Current Procedural Terminology. Although this set has already overcome significant transformations within the past decade, it seems that the reformation progress is still in progress. According to the experts assumptions, more than thirty-five new codes in the oncology field are likely to be introduced next year. Meanwhile, the changes in this sphere are not an innovation, and the medical workers have already managed to get used to them. The idea of pairing codes has been widely discussed by various health care organizations. For instance, the American Medical Associations Relativity Assessment Workshop put a request for uniting codes in groups of two and three last year (Hoyt and Yoshihashi, 107). The relevant change is supposed to have positive outcomes as it simplifies the set of codes, by uniting them in groups.

Secondly, the transition from the ICD-9 to the ICD-10 coding system is also apt to have a positive impact on the healthcare field in general. Some organizations currently report the shortage of high-quality professionals in the coding field. The ICD-10 coding system is specifically designed to eliminate the biases and discrepancies that exist in the system, making it more systematic and consistent. Therefore, many specialists believe that the employment opportunities in the relevant field can grow significantly due to the switch from the ICD-9 to the ICD-10 (Beik, 82). However, this switch will touch upon not only employees but all the groups of stakeholders, including healthcare providers, payers, software vendors, and third-party billing services.

Lastly, the implementation of the Affordable Care Act is also expected to bring productive results in the nearest future. The relevant measure is primarily aimed at increasing the accuracy and timeless of payments as well as following strict standards in records and documentation. The target of implementing the measure resides in enabling insurance companies to keep track of the procedures their customer undergoes in the course of treatment. Therefore, the outcomes of this intervention are likely to be positive for all groups of stakeholders including patients, health care workers that receive a precise framework for operating, and insurance companies.

On the whole, medical billers and coders are expected to continue to assist the US healthcare system in reducing expenses, improving the quality patient care services and carrying out effective performance. The outcomes of the changes in this field are generally positive, although they will require healthcare workers extra effort to adapt to the new conditions and regulations.

Works Cited

Beik, Janet. Health Insurance Today: A Practical Approach Informatics: Practical Guide for Healthcare and Information Technology Professionals, Saint Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Health Sciences, 2014. Print.

Hoyt, Robert, and Ann Yoshihashi. Health Informatics: Practical Guide for Healthcare and Information Technology Professionals, Montreal: McGill-Queens Press, 2014. Print.

Plan to Implement the Change

Performance Improvement Model

The most feasible performance improvement model for the project at hand is the PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) cycle. According to this model, the first phase of change is a series of steps intended for outlining the intended intervention. Thus, the first necessary step is the assembling of the team responsible for the project. As was explained in the previous part, patient fall rate depends on many factors that cannot be addressed by targeting a single aspect of health care.

Thus, the team should include professionals from different disciplines. For instance, to understand the influence of nursing activities relevant to the issue, it would be beneficial to include nursing practitioners and, possibly, physicians. Next, pharmacists are desirable members of the team since at least some of the falls are associated with medication issues. Finally, a project leader with the necessary interpersonal skills and relevant experience should be included.

The second step is establishing the metrics that will be used to determine the success of the project. The most relevant parameter is the occurrence of falls in the Carolinas Healthcare Systems facilities. Thus, it can be adopted as a primary determinant of success. Other parameters, such as the proportion of falls resulting in injuries and the mortality rate associated with the phenomenon can be included if considered within the scope of the project.

As a part of this step, the estimation of the financial outcomes associated with the projects implementation may be necessary. The reduction in falls will likely result in the reduction of the expenses caused by the need for additional care. Thus, it will be necessary to identify as many potential improvements as possible and suggest a probable outcome based on the estimated savings.

In the third step, the probable causes of the falls need to be identified and, if possible, weighted to illustrate their relative contribution to the issue. This step is necessary to ensure that the direction chosen by the team will produce favorable results. This assessment can be done using visual aids such as cause and effect diagrams and may require an in-depth inquiry to collect the relevant information. Finally, based on these findings, the team will need to draft the intervention that would provide the desired change. In addition, it would be necessary to determine the scope of the interventions implementation. The intervention can be selected based on the evidence of its effectiveness from the academic literature and adjusted by the local conditions.

Once all planning is completed, it is possible to execute the intervention. Importantly, the supervision of the project is to begin simultaneously as required by the PDSA cycle (Taylor et al., 2014). Once sufficient data is gathered, it is then possible to proceed to study the projects impact. The success will be determined by matching the data to the predetermined milestones. In the case when the milestones are not met, the components of the intervention are inspected to detect the discrepancies. Once the issue is spotted, the intervention is adjusted and reintroduced in an updated form. The cycle continues until the consistency in the outcomes is demonstrated and the change is considered sustainable.

Human and Financial Resources

As was explained above, a balanced team is necessary for the successful completion of the project. The body of the unit will be comprised of the specialists directly involved in the delivery of the practices selected as the intervention components and will include nursing practitioners, clinicians, pharmacists, therapists, and certified nursing assistants, among others. In most cases, it will be possible to assign roles to these team members based on their formal areas of proficiency whereas in some instances, informal experience obtained in the setting may be considered (Renedo, Marston, Spyridonidis, & Barlow, 2015). In addition, several team members will be assigned managerial roles. Their responsibilities will include internal and external communication, resolution of conflicts, progress auditing, and reporting.

The budget necessary for the project will be primarily allocated to the resources for ensuring patient safety and will include the costs of staff education and training, the salaries for project coordinators, and the purchase of equipment in the case when the current state of the facility is considered incompatible with the required level of patient safety (Spetz, Brown, & Aydin, 2015). Given the size of the facility and estimated savings resulting from the projects success of approximately $30,000, it is possible to suggest a budget of approximately $4,000. In this case, the ROI (return on investment) will be 30,000  4,000 / 4,000 = 6.5.

Goals

The ultimate goal of the project is the reduction of adverse effects related to falls among the patients of the facility. However, since the project is focused on the occurrence of falls rather than their outcomes, it would be more appropriate to use this metric as a primary determinant of success. To meaningfully assess this variable, it is recommended to use the proportion of the registered falls among the patients as well as the number of falls per certain amount of bed days. For the project, a fixed number of 1000 patient bed days is recommended since it allows comparing the outcome with the results reported in the academic literature.

After this, the results can be arranged in graphic format to detect trends. A positive trend comprised of four data points can be considered an indication of success. However, due to the complexity of the issue, a certain amount of inconsistency is expected throughout the evaluation process. Therefore, the median needs to be calculated based on the baseline measurements. Once five or more data points form a median that is lower than the initial one, the project can be considered a success.

Gantt Chart

Roles of Stakeholders

The stakeholders involved in the process include the team members, the staff of the facility, and the patients and their families. The roles of the latter are limited to participation in the educational programs intended to increase their proficiency with the newly introduced equipment and minimizing the risk of falling both in the hospital setting and at home.

The role of staff members will include the assessment of risk, documentation of the fall prevention practices, reporting the issues, educating the patients, adjusting practices by the reports, and performing care-related tasks. The roles of the members with specific responsibilities (e.g. pharmacists) will include the review of the medication lists and their adjustment by the goals. The role of the team members includes processing and analyzing the data, investigating the inconsistencies and shortcomings, adjusting the intervention, and communicating with the staff.

Plan to Evaluate the Change

Evaluation Plan

The first step of the evaluation process involves the measurement of the operational capacity of the project. To confirm the readiness of the staff for the facilitation of the intervention, the assessment of the initial state of the process must be performed. At this stage, the team will assess the proportion of the unit employees familiarized with the falls prevention program, the proportion of the patients assessed for the risk of falls by the staff, the percentage of the staff members and/or patients who are satisfied with the project and considering it a positive change, and the frequency and consistency of using the fall prevention strategies introduced by the project. This step is necessary to confirm the feasibility of the project, detect the inconsistencies early in the course of its implementation and make the necessary adjustments.

Once the feasibility of the process is validated, it is possible to proceed to the second step  the measurement of the outcomes  the incidence of falls, the proportion of the registered falls among the patients, and the number of falls per 1000 bed days. It is important to note that during the initial phase, the results obtained at this stage are unlikely to be positive. It is reasonable to expect a slight increase in the proportion of patient falls due to the greater awareness of the issue and the increased staff engagement (Morgan et al., 2017).

In addition, some of the interventions elements are more effective in the long run and will not produce a statistically significant effect in the short term (Miake-Lye, Hempel, Ganz, & Shekelle, 2013). Finally, it should be noted that since the reporting of the falls is voluntary, the resulting data may not be representative of the issue. It will thus be necessary to create a workplace culture where the reporting of falls is considered a positive contribution rather than a reason for punitive actions.

Once the data is obtained and processed, the results need to be communicated to the stakeholders in the third and final step of the evaluation process. By the PDSA cycle, the information must be available on a timely basis and in an accessible form to ensure the appropriate response. It should be understood that while some metrics (e.g. the rate of falls per 1000 bed days) provide a more accurate and reliable assessment, it may be challenging and obscure to non-experts (Davis, 2014).

Therefore, more straightforward metrics can be used for this purpose (e.g. the total number of falls per month). In the situation where the results are inconsistent with the intended rate of success, it would be necessary to investigate its causes and formulate a response by adjusting the intervention. This step serves two purposes. First, it ensures a timely response from the team. Second, it motivates the participants by providing a sense of progression.

Indicators of the Problem

The indicators of the problem are the adverse effects associated with the issue of patient falls. The most readily recognized one is the injury caused by the fall. This indicator is also the most evident one since it requires reporting and is easily traceable in the medical records. This indicator is relevant primarily for clinicians and administrators due to its impact on the quality of care and patient satisfaction level.

The expenses associated with additional care necessitated by the falls constitute another important indicator. It is worth pointing out that this indicator is both quantifiable and reliably documented. However, it is relevant primarily on the organizational level and is thus a minor concern for the staff of the facility. Finally, the state of the workplace culture, as well as staffs awareness of and preparedness for the issue, can be considered a meaningful indicator that determines whether the organization is susceptible to the issue. However, this indicator is not readily apparent and requires in-depth inquiry before the conclusions can be made.

Evaluation Criteria

The main criterion of the project is the number of falls occurring in the setting. However, representing the data in the form of total falls occurring in a certain time frame may create a distorted image. Therefore, the criterion can be presented as a rate of falls per 1000 bed days. This criterion can be calculated using a simple formula: number of falls per month / (daily number of patients x days in month x 1000 (number of bed days). As was mentioned in the previous section, it is reasonable to expect that the said rate may not be sufficiently indicative of the projects success to the hospital staff.

Therefore, reporting the total number of falls is recommended in respective situations. Next, the proportion of patients assessed for the risk of falls is an important secondary criterion that illustrates the projects progression. Finally, several intermediary criteria can be identified, such as the adherence to the fall prevention guidelines and the satisfaction with the program voiced by the staff and the patients. These criteria can be quantified using the data collection methods such as surveys and interviews.

Performance Improvement Tools

As can be seen from the description of the criteria, some of the data require specific tools for collection. Most notably, the perceived quality of the intervention can be reliably determined by using surveys and interviews. The former has an advantage of a relatively short time required for administration and data analysis and can be used for making snapshots of the projects progress throughout its course. Modern digital tools offer a simple and streamlined collection process and can instantly compile the collected data into an approachable and visually appealing format. The interviews, on the other hand, require more time to process but may offer in-depth insights into the ways of optimizing the project. Thus, their use should be limited to specific cases.

Once the data is obtained, it should be converted into a visual format for tracking and trending purposes. The most suitable format for the rates of falls is a run chart. This tool is accessible for non-expert audiences and creates a sense of progression necessary for the engagement of stakeholders (Davis, 2014). The data obtained in the surveys can be represented in pie and bar charts, both of which are available through data collection tools.

Roles of Stakeholders

The evaluation process requires the coordinated action of all stakeholders. The nursing staffs role is the collection of data from patients. In addition, it is expected that the staff can provide their feedback on the project, serving as a source of information. The roles of analyzing information, delivering it to the participants, and incorporating feedback into the intervention are distributed within the project team.

Implications and Conclusion

Patient falls remain one of the primary issues in the healthcare setting. The problem is especially relevant for the older segment of patients due to a variety of additional risk factors such as the loss of strength due to aging, the adverse effects of medications, and environmental hazards. In addition, the falls among older population facilitate a greater risk of severe injury and produce more complications (Ambrose, Paul, & Hausdorff, 2013). However, the most important aspect of the issue is its preventable nature. The majority of falls can be traced to the gaps in care delivery and inappropriate workplace culture.

The successful implementation of a project at hand is expected to provide an improvement in several areas. First, the reduction in falls will minimize the occurrence of the adverse effects associated with it, thus improving patient outcomes. By extension, the reduction in the need for extended care associated with fall-related injuries will reduce the workload and decrease the work-related stress, which is expected to have an indirect positive impact on the quality of care. Finally, the reduction in fall-related care and length of stay is expected to decrease both the operating cost of the facility and indirect costs associated with malpractice allegations (Cumbler, Simpson, Rosenthal, & Likosky, 2013).

It should be acknowledged that the issue of falls is complex and therefore, requires a coordinated effort of several stakeholders. In this regard, a nursing leader becomes an important player in the process. The leaders roles include the establishment of communication between different groups of participants, reporting the results to the stakeholders, processing feedback for progress tracking, dealing with the emerging issues, and maintaining a healthy workplace culture. Thus, a nurse leader with relevant specialty competencies plays a key role in the projects success.

References

Ambrose, A. F., Paul, G., & Hausdorff, J. M. (2013). Risk factors for falls among older adults: A review of the literature. Maturitas, 75(1), 51-61.

Cumbler, E. U., Simpson, J. R., Rosenthal, L. D., & Likosky, D. J. (2013). Inpatient falls: Defining the problem and identifying possible solutions. Part I: An evidence-based review. The Neurohospitalist, 3(3), 135-143.

Davis, K. (2014). Different stakeholder groups and their perceptions of project success. International Journal of Project Management, 32(2), 189-201.

Miake-Lye, I. M., Hempel, S., Ganz, D. A., & Shekelle, P. G. (2013). Inpatient fall prevention programs as a patient safety strategy: A systematic review. Annals of Internal Medicine, 158(5), 390-396.

Morgan, L., Flynn, L., Robertson, E., New, S., FordeJohnston, C., & McCulloch, P. (2017). Intentional rounding: A staffled quality improvement intervention in the prevention of patient falls. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 26(1-2), 115-124.

Renedo, A., Marston, C. A., Spyridonidis, D., & Barlow, J. (2015). Patient and public involvement in healthcare quality improvement: How organizations can help patients and professionals to collaborate. Public Management Review, 17(1), 17-34.

Spetz, J., Brown, D. S., & Aydin, C. (2015). The economics of preventing hospital falls: Demonstrating ROI through a simple model. Journal of Nursing Administration, 45(1), 50-57.

Taylor, M. J., Mcnicholas, C., Nicolay, C., Darzi, A., Bell, D., & Reed, J. E. (2014). Systematic review of the application of the plan-do-study-act method to improve quality in healthcare. BMJ Quality & Safety, 23(4), 290-298.

The attempts to improve healthcare service delivery and the quality of service have a significant impact on the population. In my letter, I will speak on behalf of the population of Idaho (Submit a letter to the editor, n.d.). The problem is the quality of services in different healthcare institutions in Idaho.

The reason that has encouraged me to express my opinion on the problem of value-based healthcare is the news article by Galvin (2017). In the article, the author discusses the most recent official discussions of the model under consideration in Washington. In particular, the article provides personal opinions of primarily positive healthcare experts. As for my personal opinion on the mentioned article and its validity, I believe that the majority of benefits of a value-based healthcare system stated by the experts should be regarded as reasons to take further steps to develop implement this approach to healthcare in Idaho. In other words, there are no inconsistencies in factual information.

The implementation of a value-based healthcare system in Idaho is expected to improve the health of the population in our state. The minimization of costs is essential but it does not affect the quality (Hillary, Justin, Bharat, & Jitendra, 2016).

Among the statements included in the article under consideration, there are claims related to barriers to the implementation of the model. The brightest examples of such barriers, the experts believe, are the unreadiness of providers to shape a new vision and the necessity to improve care payment mechanisms. Apart from that, the experts suppose that the implementation of virtual visits will be among the key innovations, improving the quality of healthcare. As for me, I suppose it to be the key step to improve care quality.

In general, the implementation of a value-based healthcare system would have a positive impact on the population of Idaho due to its ability to improve the quality of service in all institutions and medical centers. Nowadays, the idea of value-based healthcare is becoming more popular in Idaho. A few local healthcare organizations have already implemented a value-based reimbursement model. Taking into account the advantages for patients that the system involves, it is necessary to support the implementation of new standards to measure the effectiveness of healthcare providers work.

To increase health promotion in Idaho and other states, it would be beneficial to follow the recommendations of experts and allocate more resources to provide virtual visits and patient education. Based on my personal experience, some people in Idaho are unhappy with the effectiveness of healthcare services that they receive, and this is why the introduction of new quality standards and rewarding healthcare providers for the outcomes of their work would be beneficial for patients of different age groups. On a national level, additional measures to assess healthcare quality are especially important as they would help to reduce hospital readmission rates (Kripalani, Theobald, Anctil, & Vasilevskis, 2014). Nowadays, Idaho is ranked among the states with the lowest readmission rates whereas other states need to improve the results.

References

Galvin, G. (2017). Affordability and quality key to future of value-based care. Web.

Hillary, W., Justin, G., Bharat, M., & Jitendra, M. (2016). Value based healthcare. Advances in Management, 9(1), 1.

Kripalani, S., Theobald, C. N., Anctil, B., & Vasilevskis, E. E. (2014). Reducing hospital readmission rates: Current strategies and future directions. Annual Review of Medicine, 65, 471-485.

Submit a letter to the editor. (n.d.). Web.