IHP 610 (IHP 610)

Review the policy-making process. Analyze three different opportunities for individuals to influence the policy-making process. What are the pros and cons of each approach? Which individuals are most likely to use which approach? How can policy makers consider this information and weigh input from a variety of individuals? In your final project for this course, the policy memorandum, you will conduct a policy analysis and make recommendations. Review each of these prompts: Issue Prompt One...

Citizens in a suburb of Philadelphia rely on one community hospital, Hospital A, for emergency department and inpatient hospital services. Recently, Hospital A's payer mix has changed from one third commercial, one third Medicaid, and one third Medicare, to nearly two thirds Medicaid and one third Medicare. Average length of stay for inpatient visits has dropped 50 percent in the last three months. Emergency department providers have reported being overwhelmed. In the last month, providers h...

Review the supplemental readings on the accreditation process and standards. In your opinion, what is the role of accrediting bodies? When should governments manage accreditation standards and functions and when should other entities manage accreditation standards and functions? What types of factors should policy makers consider when discussing whether to outsource accreditation to private accrediting bodies? How should outsourced accreditation be evaluated? What is the potential impact on k...

People, including healthcare providers, typically behave the way they are incentivized to behave. Healthcare administrators, payers, and regulators spend a significant amount of time working to align incentives with desired behaviors and outcomes. Consider the following hypothetical scenario: You are the head of physician contracting at a small community hospital. The physicians who are employed by the hospital are paid an annual salary without any quality or outcome incentives. In contras...

Review Box 11-1 ("Vignette") in Chapter 11 of your textbook. Develop a strategy to help the governor evaluate whether to expand Medicaid and create a state-run insurance exchange. Be sure to advise the governor on how to engage with key stakeholders. Explain the role stakeholders should have in shaping these policy choices. Your strategy should suggest an approach to resolving value conflicts among stakeholders.

For Milestone Three of your final project, construct an outline of the key elements for analysis for your chosen issue. The full analysis (Milestone Four) should represent between one third and half of the policy memorandum. This outline should build on all of the information you set forth in the factual overview in Milestone Two, and should set the foundation for your full analysis in Milestone Four. Remember, this is just a draft, so you can revise this document if your approach changes or ...

Healthcare reform can take place at multiple levels of government and in the context of professional regulation. Pretend that you are a policy aide to a governor. How would you engage with key stakeholders to determine which reform efforts (in the areas of payment reform, medical malpractice, and patient access to preventive services) should be prioritized in your state? Clearly identify the potential key stakeholders and propose a plan for engagement.

For Milestone Two, you will develop a factual overview of your chosen issue. The factual overview should represent between one third and half of the policy memorandum. Remember, this is just a draft, so you can revise this document if your approach changes or you receive substantial feedback from your Instructor.

Healthcare stakeholders disagree about the impact of legal risks, medical malpractice claims, tort reform, and defensive medicine on the cost of care and the cost of health insurance in the United States, as well as the importance of such impact. How do legal risks, medical malpractice claims, tort reform, and defensive medicine impact the relationship between healthcare providers and patients? How should they impact the relationship? Make three suggestions to improve existing healthcare poli...

For your first milestone of your final project, you will select an issue prompt from the following three options: Issue Prompt One: Language Issue Prompt Two: Immunizations Issue Prompt Three: Access and Enrollment Assistance Once you have chosen a prompt, develop an executive summary to introduce your topic and preview the key elements you will address in more detail through the policy memorandum. Your executive summary should clearly state the prompt, provide a brief summary of the ba...