Term Paper on "Public Health"

Term Paper 9 pages (2412 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

forces that now shape and that will continue to shape health care in the new millenium, with the emphasis on administration. Further to summarize the necessary skills for effective administration in the healthcare industry so as to provide the departure point for new ideas, proposals, restructuring as well as both voluntary and involuntary provisions of legislature.

The healthcare industry in the new millenium is facing many hurdles in providing healthcare for the public. New diseases are appearing daily as well as old diseases that were thought to be permanently gone such as smallpox and tuberculosis have reappeared. The healthcare system in the United States is in worse condition than even predicted by the doomsayers of a decade ago as well as funds being short, staffing is short and the list of individuals who have no insurance coverage is a long one indeed. Hospital administrators due to policy and budget pressures as well as the overall state of the economy have a tough job ahead in the next couple of decades as well as do the hands-on providers in delivering healthcare to an unstable world in this new millenium.

Recent Reports on the State of Healthcare:

In a report that was published by Moody's Investor Services recently only served to reinforce the already bad outlook particularly for the non-profit providers of healthcare. The report was redundant with minimal volume growth, declines in reimbursement growth rate from government and non-government reimbursement sources, expense funding pressures increasing, capital needs going unfunded as well as the management turnover associated stress. Staffing concerns is evidenced with a severe shortage of nurses, clinical workers and IT professionals. (Capgemini Forecast 2005) In fact, according to the Capgemini report entitled "HealthCare's Top Business Issues and Responses for 2005" more than 70% of hospitals are experiencing shortages in terms of nursing professionals. According to the Capgemini report hospitals are being forced to "continually increase compensation, exercise flexibility in scheduling, and be creative in their recruiting efforts, all of which increase personnel cost." Resulting from these financial stresses in acquiring nursing professionals the reports states that: "All sectors of the health industry will continue to undergo consolidation in 2005." The report explains that the small hospitals that are independent will "align with larger healthcare systems." Others will attempt financial performance enhancing through restructuring of through "mergers, acquisitions, or conversion from public to private status. (Capgemini Report 2005) There was an overall rise in acquisitions during the year of 2004.

Innovation, Transformation, and Collaboration:

There will be innovation and transformation that results in some organizations as response to the pressures being experienced in the healthcare industry at this time. How will they accomplish this in the present environments factored in healthcare issues? Proactive and adaptive management will be key for this to be accomplished. Some of the initiatives will evidenced through collaborative approaches in administration as well as among the hands-on professionals in the healthcare industry. Collaboration among individuals in any industry has been shown to be effective in reduction of operation costs, increases in efficiency as well as other benefits which, arise from collaborative efforts. In a Healthcare Financing Review the following are suggested for coping with the healthcare system and in improving it over the next couple of decades:

Support collaborative efforts among researchers, administrators, policymakers, clinicians and communities that enhance their ability to conduct and evaluate interventions and eliminate disparities in healthcare.

Develop definitions and standard in relation to cultural and linguistic issues in competent care provision.

Develop quality indicators for those in the industry to use in self-evaluation of services.

Improve and standardize measurements of community health status

Develop rigorous standards for managed healthcare plans.

Encourage networking as well as sharing of solutions among the many different groups in the industry as the wheel should not be invented again but the maximization of benefits and success in programs should be key. (Kim et al., 1996)

Link service delivery as well as other issues in the industry.

Seek other and new funding sources.

III. Project Management Recommendations:

To do this requires collaboration in the management department of such a project. The elemental management tasks will be inclusive of the following:

Coordination of project activities (with all partners & collaborators);

Maintenance of communication with partner that is effective and ensures activities within the project.

Reach completion by deadlines; and Making assurance that the client receives that which is needed and the objective accomplished;

Adherence to consistent processes throughout the industry to enhance precision in data collection and analysis;

Subcontract monitoring for quality;

Progress of partners monitoring;

Requirements pertaining to reporting being absolutely met.

Conclusion:

The main required qualities in management and administration in the healthcare industry over the next few decades will be the ability to recognize new and improved structures and processes and then to make the decision to implement those changes. Collaborative cooperation will be key in facing the challenges in the healthcare industry in the coming years.

Public Health Issues

Policies, Implementation, Procedure, and Structure

Objective:

The purpose of this work is to address healthcare systems at the local level as well as t the level of state and national healthcare in relation to policies, implementations, procedures and structures. Further this work will address the strengths and weaknesses within the healthcare system and finally to examine the future issues facing the industry in the first quarter period of the 21st Century.

I. Policies & Procedures:

Crowding in the emergency department of hospitals is that presently being addressed by the Joint Commission while the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) addressed the safeguarding of "personally identifiable health information." Top in the medical world news is that of infection control and nursing shortages. Infection control is one of the policy considerations of the Joint Commission. The Commission has developed its policy in relation to surveillance, prevention and control of infection. New processes are inclusive of new "data relay" via an Internet-based system that "provides medical examiners (ME) with the ability to electronically manage case information. A scene investigator, law enforcement officer, or medical examiner collects standardized data using the Death Scene Investigation Report (DSIR). This data from the DSIR is then entered into a database by the ME staff via a secure Webster." The report on the Michigan website reports the addition of a "bioterrorism/infectious disease" component being "incorporated into the system."

II. Problems Facing the Industry:

According to The World Health Education Initiative, one of the largest problems the industry faces is: "the shortage of registered nurses being experienced is already having ill effects on the U.S. Health care delivery system: 90% of long-term care organizations lack sufficient nurse staffing to provide even the most basic of care; home healthcare agencies are being forced to refuse new admissions; and there are 126,000 nursing positions currently unfilled in hospitals across the country." (Joint Commission Report 2004. The Joint Commission report states that the "staffing levels have been a factor in 24% of the 1609 sentinel events - unanticipated events that result in death, injury or permanent loss of function..." (Joint Commission Report, 2002) poll conducted by Whit Ayres on behalf of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of American (PHRMA) 16% of voters said "healthcare was the most important issue affecting their vote [in this year's Presidential election] third behind the economy and terrorism." Wechler (2005) Jill Older American's were stated to have named healthcare as the most important issue.

Federal Mandates:

The industry is approaching the HIPAA deadline of 2010 for security compliance, which requires that medical records be electronically implemented. President Bush created his budget in the National Health Information Infrastructure that is a ten-year plan, which intends to transform healthcare. Consumer-driven healthcare according to the predictions of Forrester Research is that "consumer-driver healthcare plan enrollment will rise to 12% of the commercial insurance market in 2008." (Forrester Research as cited by The Healthcare Intelligence Network)

The Medication Modernization Act of 2004 (MMA) is an initiative that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services are pushing in the adoption of electronic health records. This includes nationwide prescribing of medications by electronic means. The MMA has based prescribing via electronic means be mandatory by 2009 for those participating in the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit although three will be initial standards as the benefits of January 2006 Medicare begins. Capgemini U.S. LLC, the leading health consultant agency worldwide "draws on the collective experience of the firm's clinicians and other experts in health care, IT, strategic planning, revenue management and supply chain to help prepare providers and payers for the coming year. According to Lewis Redd, Capgemini National leader: "With a national focus on the benefits that can accrue from greater use of IT in healthcare, the industry is poised for a significant increase in IT spending.

Summary:

Stated as issues and concerns for those in the healthcare industry are the elements of defending against bioterrorism, aligning incentives for employee retention and development of a sustainable model in health coverage as well as in… READ MORE

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