HSM544 Full Course – November 2016

HSM 544 Week 1 Discussion 1 & 2

DQ 1

Identify the three major tasks of economics and discuss
why they are important. What are their roles in organization management?

 

DQ 2

Identify and discuss the factors that influence the
demand, in turn healthcare economics. What factor do you believe has the
greatest impact on healthcare economics and why?

HSM 544 Week 2 Discussion 1 & 2

DQ 1

Discuss the role of all parties (patient, providers, and
payers) to contain costs.Analyze the impact of cost-containment efforts on the
rising cost of healthcare.

DQ 2

What are the primary steps in a production function
analysis? How would you apply these steps in a healthcare organization?

HSM 544 Week 3 Discussion 1 & 2

DQ 1

Discuss the concept of managed care. Why was it created?
What were its goals? Have these goals changed? Has it worked? How it can be
improved?.

Pick one of the previous questions for your initial post;
all of them will be discussed throughout the week.

DQ 2

Discuss the connection between redistribution and social
insurance.

HSM 544 Week 4 Discussion 1 & 2

DQ 1

How does the role of nonprofit healthcare organizations
differ from profit healthcare organizations?

DQ 2

Health policy is moving closer (in distinct increments)
to a broader role in healthcare. Public health insurance can take many forms.
Discuss what you envision the government’s role to be (e.g., a continued
regulation on specific aspects or a more sweeping policy that leads to public
health insurance). In your comments distinguish between state- and
federal-government policy.

HSM 544 Week 5 Discussion 1 & 2

DQ 1

What steps can Congress and state legislatures take to
alleviate a serious national shortage of skilled providers. Research suggests
medical errors have been linked to inadequate staffing (i.e., quantity and
quality of skilled personnel). What steps would you take to mitigate shortages?

DQ 2

What is the impact of health policy on resourcing (i.e.,
funding, technology, capital assets, and other key, nonhuman means of
healthcare delivery)?

HSM 544 Week 6 Discussion 1 & 2

DQ 1

What means exist for U.S citizens to obtain healthcare
coverage? Should coverage be voluntary or mandatory?

DQ 2

What are the most important political issues that
challenge the creation of a national system of healthcare?

HSM 544 Week 7 Discussion 1 & 2

DQ 1

Describe a developed nations system of healthcare. Your
description should provide (only) one positive and one negative quality about
that system. Connect both of these qualities to either cost, quality, or
access.

DQ 2

Provide an example of a national-level policy directed at
health. Explain the policy.

HSM 544 Week 2 Case Study

Introduction

You are chief of staff to your brother-in-law,
Representative Howard Hughes, who was recently elected to fill out a term in
Congress.

He has been asked to participate in a panel discussion on
the Medicare funding crisis. You have been asked to prepare paper for him. The
panel is asked to respond to a proposal for reducing Medicare expenditures by
enrolling participants in HMOs. What does the Congressperson say?

The following key questions must be addressed in the
paper:

Is Medicare in a state of crisis? Are radical measures
necessary to preserve the program?

How is Medicare funded now? Why do elderly people feel
that Medicare is an insurance program and not a welfare program? Is this
perception accurate?

Should there be a Medicare program at all? Why should the
government be involved in providing insurance to elderly preople? Does Medicare
have detrimental effects on the market for healthcare or on the market for
health insurance?

Are these economic effects, offset by the positive
effects of the Medicare program for the elderly? What about the positive
effects of caring for the elderly for society? Are there any externalities
here?

Justify your position on either economic efficiency or
equity grounds (or both).

Your Congressperson wants to appear intelligent. Do not
be afraid to refer to economic theory or theories of distributive justice.

Assignment

Prepare a written response to the questions and requests
following the Case Study:

In general, the length of this case study should be no
less than six pages, double spaced.

The written assignment should be produced using a word
processing program, produced in memo format, and addressed to your
congressperson from you.

A guide for writing the case study is posted in Doc
Sharing.

Your assignment will be evaluated and graded based on the
criteria in the Doc Sharing guide.

Submit your assignment to the Dropbox, located at the top
of this page. For instructions on how to use the Dropbox, read these
step-by-step instructions.

See the Syllabus section “Due Dates for Assignments
& Exams” for due date information.

HSM 544 Week 3 Artical Review

Article Review

Complete the Week 3 Article Review. Post a review of an
article or other writing on a Week 1, 2, or 3 subject of your choice. The
article must be relevant to Week a Week 1, 2, or 3 topic. A guide for
completing the assignment, along with evaluation criteria, is in Doc Sharing.

Submit your assignment to the Dropbox, located at the top
of this page. For instructions on how to use the Dropbox, read these
step-by-step instructions.

See the Syllabus section “Due Dates for Assignments
& Exams” for due date information

HSM 544 Week 5 Case Study

Introduction

Your brother-in-law, Representative Howard Hughes, lost
his bid for reelection. However, thanks to your efforts, he established himself
while in Congress as an astute analyst of the health field and as a
consequence, has taken a position as partner at the prestigious Atlanta
investment firm of Keller, Keller, Keller, Keller, and Disher. You have decided
to take him up on his offer to join him as a manager in the healthcare
division.

The other partners have little insight into healthcare
other than receiving care. Your brother-in-law has been asked to give a
presentation on the current status of the health sector and opportunities for
investment.

Your job is to provide him with infomation on the
healthcare industry. Key interest items are in the below questions. To be
effective, detail needs to be spectific, complete with sufficient depth and
detail.

The paper must answer the following questions:

How is the role of government likely to change?

Will government be more or less involved in the health
sector?

What impact will increased government involvement have on
healthcare as a business opportunity?

Where do you see a potential for growth in the health
sector?

What opportunities would make for wise investments (e.g.,
hospitals, home health, mental health, rehabilitation services, managed care,
physician group practice management, etc.)?

Is technology a good investment risk? If yes, what sort
or types of technologies are likely to be in great demand, assuming a national
shift to integrated delivery system model and a focus on prevention along with
treatment?

Assignment

Prepare a paper that provides detailed responses to above
questions and requests following the case study requirements and expectations
in the Case Study doc under Doc Sharing.

Your assignment will be evaluated and graded based on the
criteria in the relevant Doc Sharing document.

Submit your assignment to the Dropbox, located at the top
of this page. For instructions on how to use the Dropbox, read these
step-by-step instructions.

See the Syllabus section “Due Dates for Assignments
& Exams” for due date information.

HSM 544 Week 6 Artical Review

Article Review

Complete the Week 6 Article Review. Post an executive
summary of a Week 4, 5, or 6 subject relevant article of your choice.
Submission must meet the expectations and requirements provided in the article
review document under Doc Sharing.

Submit your assignment to the Dropbox, located at the top
of this page. For instructions on how to use the Dropbox, read these
step-by-step instructions.

See the Syllabus section “Due Dates for Assignments
& Exams” for due date information.

HSM 544 Week 7 Course Project

Course Project – Guide

Requirements:

Write a research paper (not less than 18 pages or more
than 22 pages) double spaced based on your chosen subject, in which you convince
your readers to support your recommendation.

Introductory material:

Cover letter or memo, title page, table of contents,
executive summary:

Body of the report:

Introduction, conclusions, recommendations, findings, and
methodology, organized clearly with effective headings and subheadings:

Supplementary information: Appendixes, exhibits
(supplementary charts and graphs) and a list of illustrations, if appropriate.

Use Applied Business Research Techniques:

Guide your approach to solving the business problem and
use tools such as the Internet, Keller’s Virtual Library, and other on-line and
in-library resources to conduct business research to gather information and
support for your proposal. Go to http://www.google.com for a good research
engine.

Using Keller’s Virtual Library:

Log on to http://library.devry.edu/ through your Internet
Service Provider (ISP) and browsers (such as Netscape or Microsoft Internet
Explorer), click on Graduate Resources and follow the instructions on the page.

Follow the simple on-line instructions to conduct your
information search. The home page has an easy-to-use Help Guide that provides
an overview of the database and answers to specific questions about usage.

Tips for Success

Getting started:. Good communication begins with critical
thought. Think about the chosen subject.

-Who is your audience?

-What is your purpose?

-What do you know about the situation?

Let your answers to those three (3) questions guide you
as you research your topic, acquire information, and develop your business
recommendation. You may also use the answers to those three (3) questions to
guide you as you outline your subject. Don’t use information just because you
have it, use information because it will help you accomplish your objective.

GRADING CRITERIA FOR TERM PAPER:

The greatest value in a course comes from applying the
concepts, theories, and principles explored during class. The term paper will
be graded according to the criteria below and is worth 21% or your total grade.
This term project gives you an opportunity to select an a problem or situation
with which you are familiar and identify a health care management issue in which
an element of that organization is or is not meeting expectations. Then,
drawing on the concepts and principles from readings, exercises, current
events, and class discussions, write a term paper in which you:

• Introduce the issue (Background)

• Define the problem,

• Search the literature,

• Analyze the problem,

• Offer possible solutions,

• Propose a single solution,

• Develop an implementation plan, and

• Justify why/how it your solution will solve the
identified problem.

Your paper must include, but is not limited to, the
following sections:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: (20 points)

Once your paper is completed, you will need to summarize
the paper’s main points for your reader. Explain succinctly the problem/issue
you are writing about along with a summary of your paper’s main points. Include
the solutions offered along with your identified best solution and plan and how
it will solve the identified problem/issue. Maximum Length of an Executive
Summary is 1-2 pages.

DEFINE THE PROBLEM/ISSUE: (10 points)

Identify and clearly state the problem which needs
improvement or is not meeting expectations. Remember, that what appears to be
the health care problem or issue may actually be just a symptom of a bigger
problem–dig deep to be sure you’ve identified the real problem/s. If there
appears to be more than one problem/issue, decide if they are separate or
related issues. State the problem in the form of a question.

LITERATURE REVIEW: (45 points)

Present what you discovered in your search of the
literature. Review theories, concepts, and studies discussed in class and in
our textbook AND review what other writers/researchers have to say about the
subject of your analysis. In short, demonstrate an understanding of the
literature and apply it sensibly to the problem. This is not a course in
applied commonsense; however, such practical intelligence is important,
especially in the application stage. A literature review is like playing a
video game in which you are in a chamber with many doors. As you open each
door, you uncover clues to help you progress to the next level. Similarly, in a
literature review, your objective is to open the “doors” that can point the way
to solving your business problem. Begin your literature review with a broad
look at your field of interest, then narrow your focus until you zero in on the
essential issues/s of concern.

NOTE: A literature review is a required element of this
assignment. A good “rule of thumb” is to review at least ten
resources, beyond the textbook and class readings, to ensure the effectiveness
of your research. Be sure to list them in the bibliography.

Suggestion: Begin your literature survey by accessing
Keller”s online library at www.keller.edu.

PROBLEM ANALYSIS: (45 points) This section should provide
a detailed analysis of the causes of the problem(s) or issue(s) you identified
in Section II. A major objective is to clearly illustrate how you are using
this course concepts (as well as what your learned from your literature review)
to better understand the causes of the problem(s) or issue(s). Show that you
are applying course material!

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: (25 points)

Explore three solutions that could be appropriate ways to
solve the identified problem/issue. Be sure these solutions are logical based
on your analysis and that they each would effectively treat the problem, not
the symptoms. Also, discuss the anticipated outcomes (both positive and
negative) of implementing each of the possible solutions you identified.

SOLUTION AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION: (25 points)

Outline your recommended solution to the
problem/issue—one of the alternatives explored in Section V or a combination of
those alternatives. State your solution clearly and specifically. Describe
exactly what should be done and how it should be done, including by whom, with
whom, and in what sequence. Here are some points to keep in mind as you write
this section: Have I indicated an awareness of the problem of implementation
(the how aspect)? Have I been specific enough? A specific solution would state
what style is most appropriate for the situation and how you will attempt to
the have the manager realize the appropriate style.

What aspects of the problem remain unresolved by my
solution?

Does my recommended solution and implementation plan
address the problem/issues and causes identified in the previous sections? Does
my solution consider and resolve the identified pros and cons?

How will I evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented
recommended solution?

What process checks or procedures will I put in place to
institutionalize the improvement?

Could my solution cause other problems/issues? What risks
are inherent in the solution you recommend? What contingency plans do you
recommend?

Assess the realism of your proposed action plan. For
example, is there adequate time, money, or other resources for your solution?
In addition, does your solution place too much reliance on other people being
“reasonable”—i.e., on what YOU think is reasonable?

JUSTIFICATION: (20 points)

Justify why your recommended solution and its
implementation will solve the identified problem/issue in the organization/unit
you selected. An important element of this section is to show very clearly how
you applied course concepts to arrive at a workable solution and a successful
implementation. Apply appropriate course material; support your conclusions
with appropriately referenced facts, quotes, and readings; and be sure your
justification addresses identified pros and cons.

REFERENCES: (20 points)

All citations in the paper must appear in the reference
list, and all references must be cited in the text. Choose references
judiciously and cite them accurately. A citation of an author’s work in the
text documents your work, briefly identifies the source for readers, and
enables readers to locate the source of information in the alphabetical
reference list at the end of the paper. To use the ideas or words of another
without crediting the source is plagiarism. Plagiarism in its purest form
involves copying of entire passages either verbatim or nearly verbatim, with no
direct acknowledgment of the source. The most common (and unconscious) form of
plagiarism is when a direct quotation is simply paraphrased. Paraphrasing does
not relieve you of the obligation to provide proper identification of source
data. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to make sure all quotes, ideas, or
conclusions not your own are given proper acknowledgment in your text.

GRAMMAR/COMPOSITION: (20 points) The paper uses
acceptable terminology in standard English and reflects the use of word
processing software and spell check. Acceptable sentence structure is reflected
with appropriate use of grammar and style and considerate of the audience for
which the paper is written.