Assignment:
This written assignment has two parts and involves combining the case studies from lessons 1-4. Foreach of the case studies, you are responsible for selecting the appropriate case at the end of the applicable chapter and response to the question. In each of the cases you will respond as if you are the hospital administrator. For part 1 of this written assignment, please see case studies relating to lessons 1-4 below. Please combine your response to these case study questions into part I of your written assignment.
Part I
Case Study . Better Service to Current Patient Population
You are the administrator of a 250-bed hospital. A recent report from the county tells you that the population within a 25-radius of your facility is getting younger - the median age in the area has decreased from 35 years of age to 29 years of age. This was an expected impact of the new state university campus that has opened about five miles away. What do you need to review and analyze to ensure that you can provide the services required by this changing population in your area?
Case Study 2. Using Statistics to Support Expansion Plans
Evaluate the data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Data & Surveys (www.ahrq.gov/data) shown in Figure 2-8 in your textbook. After reading the statistics and referencing Figure 2-8 determine what services you would recommend if you were the administrator of a health care facility in Illinois, to expand what is available at your facility. Support your recommendation with specific statistics from the table.
Case Study 3. Determining Opportunities to Increase Revenues
Evaluate the data available in Figure 3-6, which is from the Health, United States, 2010 report from the US Department of Health and Human Services, available in Figure 3-7. If you were the administrator of a heath care facility, what actions would you recommend to ensure your organization can increase revenues? Support your recommendations with specific statistics from Figure 3-6.
Case Study 4.
"Researchers now believe that most medical errors cannot be prevented by perfecting the technical work of individual doctors, nurses, or pharmacists. Improving patient safety often involves the coordinated efforts of multiple members of the health care team, who may adopt strategies from outside health care."
"The report reviews several practices whose evidence came from the domains of commercial aviation, nuclear safety, and aerospace, and the disciplines of human factors, engineering and organizational theory. Such practices include root cause analysis, computerized physician order entry and decision support, auto-mated medication dispensing systems, bar coding technology, aviation-style preoperative checklists, promoting a ‘culture of safety,' crew resource management, the use of simulators in training, and integrating human factors theory into the design of medical devices and alarms."
Discuss this concept of utilizing standard business quality initiatives and the logic of adopting them to use in healthcare. Choose one of the practices identified in paragraph 2, research it, summarize it, and include how you might apply this concept in your healthcare facility.
The practices identified in paragraph 2 are:
• Root cause analysis
• Computerized physician order entry and decision support
• Automated medication dispensing systems
• Bar coding technology
• Aviation-style preoperative checklists
• Promoting a "culture of safety"
• Crew resource management
• The use of simulators in training
• Integrating human factors theory into the design of medical devices and alarms
Part II
For part II of the written assignment, explain why the following course objectives are important for hospital administrators:
1. Identify the responsibilities of the healthcare administrator.
2. Evaluate various types of healthcare facilities and the different types of services performed in these facilities.
3. Analyze the financial side of healthcare, including reimbursement methodologies.
4. Explain the link between quality of care and health care administration.