Federal Health Care Policies And Laws Assignment Paper

Buy ready-to-submit essays. No Plagiarism Guarantee!

Note: Our papers are 100% human-written. 

Check before you submit. Get Turnitin Score Report in 15 Minutes.

Don't risk the 'Red' score. Get the exact same Turnitin report your professor uses. Join 50,000+ students who submitted their essays with confidence this semester.

Get Turnitin Score Report Request Human Rewrite

Federal Health Care Policies And Laws Assignment Paper

Introduction

In the era of health care reform, many of the laws and policies set forth by government at the local, state, and federal levels have specific performance benchmarks related to care delivery outcomes that organizations must achieve. It is critical for organizational success that the interprofessional care team is able to understand reports and dashboards that display the metrics related to performance and compliance benchmarks.

Maintaining standards and promoting quality in modern health care are crucial, not only for the care of patients but also for the continuing success and financial viability of health care organizations. In the era of health care reform, health care leaders must understand what quality care entails and how quality in health care connects to the standards set forth by relevant federal, state, and local laws and policies. An understanding of relevant benchmarks that result from these laws and policies, and how they relate to quality care and regulatory standards, is also vitally important. Federal Health Care Policies And Laws Assignment Paper

ORDER  HERE A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

Health care is a dynamic, complex, and heavily regulated industry. For this reason, you will be expected to constantly scan the external environment for emerging laws, new regulations, and changing industry standards. You may discover that as new policies are enacted into law, ambiguity in interpretation of various facets of the law may occur. Sometimes, new laws conflict with preexisting laws and regulations, or unexpected implementation issues arise, which may warrant further clarification from lawmakers. Adding partisan politics and social media to the mix can further complicate understanding of the process and buy-in from stakeholders.

Instructions

Use an actual dashboard from a professional practice setting for your evaluation. If you decide to use actual dashboard metrics, be sure to add a brief description of the organization and setting that includes:

• The size of the facility that the dashboard is reporting on.
• The specific type of care delivery.
• The population diversity and ethnicity demographics.
• The socioeconomic level of the population served by the organization.

Note: Ensure your data are Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant. Do not use any easily identifiable organization or patient information. Federal Health Care Policies And Laws Assignment Paper

To complete this assignment:

1. Review the performance dashboard metrics in the Dashboard and Health Care Benchmark Evaluation media simulation, as well as relevant local, state, and federal laws and policies. Consider the metrics that are falling short of the prescribed benchmarks. Note: The writing you do as part of the simulation could serve as a starting point to build upon for this assignment.
2. Write a report for a senior leader that communicates your evaluation of current organizational or interprofessional team performance, with respect to prescribed benchmarks set forth by government laws and policies at the local, state, and federal levels. In addition, advocate for ethical and sustainable action to address benchmark underperformance and explain the potential for improving the overall quality of care and performance, as reflected on the performance dashboard.
3. Make sure your report meets the Report Requirements listed below. Structure it so that it will be easy for a colleague or supervisor to locate the information they need, and be sure to cite the relevant health care policies or laws when evaluating metric performance against established benchmarks. Federal Health Care Policies And Laws Assignment Paper

Report Requirements

The report requirements outlined below correspond to the rubric criteria, so be sure to address each main point. Read the performance-level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed. In addition, be sure to note the requirements for document format and length and for supporting evidence.

• Evaluate dashboard metrics associated with benchmarks set forth by local, state, or federal health care laws or policies.
  • Which metrics are not meeting the benchmark for the organization?
  • What are the local, state, or federal health care policies or laws that establish these benchmarks?
  • What conclusions can you draw from your evaluation?
  • Are there any unknowns, missing information, unanswered questions, or areas of uncertainty where additional information could improve your evaluation?

Analyze the consequence(s) of not meeting prescribed benchmarks and the impact this has on health care organizations or teams.

• Consider the following examples:
  • Organizational mission and vision.
  • • Financial: Operational and capital funding.
    • Logistical considerations: Physical space.
    • Support services (any ancillary department that gives support to a specific care unit in the organization, such as pharmacy, cleaning services, dietary, et cetera).
  • Cultural diversity in the community. Federal Health Care Policies And Laws Assignment Paper
  • Staff skills.
  • Procedures and processes.

• • Address the following:
    • What are the challenges that may potentially contribute to benchmark underperformance?
    • What assumptions underlie your conclusions?
• Evaluate a benchmark underperformance in a heath care organization or interprofessional team that has the potential for greatly improving overall quality or performance.
  • Focus on the benchmark you chose to target for improvement. Which metric is underperforming its benchmark by the greatest degree?
  • State the benchmark underperformance that is the most widespread throughout the organization or interprofessional team.
  • State the benchmark that affects the greatest number of patients.
  • Include how this underperformance will affect the community that the organization serves.
  • Include the greatest opportunity to improve the overall quality of care or performance of the organization or interpersonal team and, ultimately, to improve patient outcomes, as you think about the issue and the current poor benchmark outcomes.
• Advocate for ethical and sustainable action(s), directed toward an appropriate group of stakeholders, needed to address a benchmark underperformance.
  • Who would be an appropriate group of stakeholders to act on improving your identified benchmark metric?
  • Why should the stakeholder group take action?
  • What are some ethical actions the stakeholder group could take that support improved benchmark performance?
• Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.
  • Proofread your report, before you submit it, to minimize errors that could distract readers and make it more difficult for them to focus on the substance of your evaluation and analysis.
• Support main points, assertions, arguments, conclusions, or recommendations with relevant and credible evidence.
  • Be sure to apply correct APA formatting to source citations and references. Federal Health Care Policies And Laws Assignment Paper

Executive Summary

For this report, an evaluation is provided on the performance of a healthcare organization concerning prescribed benchmarks set by the government laws and policies at locate, state, and federal levels. In this summary, identify areas where the organization does not meet the benchmarks, evaluate the effects for limited performance, and propose ethical and sustainable actions to address the problems. The aim is to improve the quality of care and performance as reflected in the given performance dashboard.

Dashboard Metrics Evaluation

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of Saint Anthony Hospital in Chicago. Accordingly, Saint Anthony Hospital has been one of the top health organizations providing health services to families on the West and Southwest sides of Chicago, irrespective of their ability to pay, for over 125 years. The hospital is well-equipped to provide healthcare to the community members. The organization primarily offers medical and surgical care to different populations, emphasizing low and middle-income people. This report aims to understand and address the benchmark underperformance in light of the healthcare regulations implemented in Saint Anthony Hospital in Chicago. Federal Health Care Policies And Laws Assignment Paper

Brief Description of Organization Setting

Saint Anthony Hospital is located in Chicago and is a prominent health institution providing medical services to the community. The organization is medium-sized and serves diverse people of Chicago (The new SAH – Saint Anthony Hospital – Chicago, n.d.). The hospital has specialized units, including an emergency department, an expanded surgical suite, and a diagnostic imaging and laboratory service department. The facility is equipped to offer comprehensive medical and surgical care. It caters to diverse health needs, including medical care, surgical procedures, pediatrics, orthopedics, and obstetrics, to mention a few. The community served is characterized by diversity. The patients are from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, including Hispanic, African-American, Caucasian, and Asian. The diversity enriches the health setting and reinforces commitment to providing culturally competent care. The facility primarily focuses on serving people and families from low to middle-income backgrounds. The challenges and health needs of the population form a critical part of the organization’s mission to ensure high-quality health services are provided to community members.

Evaluation of Dashboard Metrics

At Saint Anthony Hospital in Chicago, a comprehensive evaluation was made on the performance dashboard, encompassing various aspects of patient care. The review has identified several metrics not meeting the prescribed benchmarks established by the local, state, and federal healthcare policies and laws (Karami et al., 2017). The metrics include readmission rates, infection control, patient satisfaction, and timely access to care. For the rates of readmission rates, the hospital is experiencing an increase in patient readmissions, especially within 30 days of discharge. The metric directly impacts patient outcomes and costs of healthcare. The readmission rates affect commitment to delivering quality care and could have financial implications for the organization. Federal Health Care Policies And Laws Assignment Paper

Based on the guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health departments, infection control is not consistently met in all hospital areas. Adherence to hand hygiene protocols, sterilization processes, and containment of health-associated infections require improvement. Despite the efforts, patient satisfaction scores have consistently declined as measured by the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. Mainly, this shows gaps in delivering patient-centered care and meeting the expectations of the diverse patient population. The commitment to providing timely patient access is hindered by extended wait times in the emergency department and prolonged appointment scheduling. Mainly, this impacts patient experiences and raises concerns about the efficacy and effectiveness of health delivery.

The policies and laws relevant to the benchmarks include the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that emphasizes the reduction of hospital readmissions and the need for high-quality services over quantity in healthcare delivery (Kuznetsova et al., 2021). The Joint Commission’s guidelines on infection control and prevention are critical to maintaining health standards. The benchmarks on patient satisfaction are linked to patient rights, while timely access to care is aligned with regulations set by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The benchmarks are met in some instances, but a significant portion of the performance data falls short. The discrepancy calls for examining the existing health policies and a commitment to aligning the services with the standards set by laws and policies. There is a need to address the shortfalls to remain compliant with the regulations and ensure that the patient’s well-being and long-term sustainability are enabled at Saint Anthony Hospital. Federal Health Care Policies And Laws Assignment Paper

Consequences of Benchmark Underperformance

The consequences of not meeting the prescribed benchmarks are far-reaching. They affect an organization’s mission resource constraints, compromise the commitment to cultural diversity, and undermine the skills of the staff members. The lack of adequate procedures and processes leads to benchmark underperformance. The assumptions for these conclusions stem from analyzing historical performance data and observations within the organizations. Like other health organizations, Saint Anthony Hospital has a mission of providing high-quality and patient-centered care to the community. The underperformance threatens to compromise the mission. When the organization falls short of the metrics through readmission rates and patient satisfaction, the challenge is posed to the commitment to providing the best possible care to patients. Such a lack of alignment with the mission impacts the organization’s reputation and eradicates trust.

Additionally, the underperformance of the benchmark leads to resource constraints in different ways and increased readmissions, including inpatient beds, staff time, and financial resources. The financial implications are substantial, with penalties associated with excessive readmissions lowering capital funding and operations. The constraints limit the ability to invest in technologies, staff developments, and critical improvements. Saint Anthony Hospital delights in serving a multicultural community in Chicago. Commitment to cultural diversity is a core value that ensures equitable healthcare access. Benchmark underperformance in the satisfaction of the patient could signal the existence of a disconnect between the care provided and the unique needs and expectations of people from different cultural and ethnic groups, hence compromising the commitment to cultural diversity, leading to disparities in health access and outcomes.  Federal Health Care Policies And Laws Assignment Paper

Benchmark Underperformance for Improvement

The underperformance of the benchmark with the most substantial impact is the high rate of readmissions. Mainly, this issue affects the mission and the most significant number of patients. Not addressing the problem affects the quality of care. At the same time, this also jeopardizes the health of the community. The opportunity for improvement is centered on redesigning patient discharge processes and providing targeted interventions for patients who are at risk (Zhuang et al., 2022). Mainly, the changes could play an integral role in improving the quality of care and, ultimately, patient satisfaction through bettered outcomes.

ORDER  NOW

Advocacy for Ethical and Sustainable Actions

Addressing the high readmission rate at Saint Anthony Hospital would require a well-coordinated effort led by a committee for quality improvement in conjunction with the medical and nursing staff. The stakeholders are positioned to initiate targeted interventions to improve the identified benchmark metric (Rabiei & Almasi, 2022). The reasons for the approach tend to be diverse. One of the propositions is expertise and insight. The committee can bring together professionals who deeply understand health quality and performance improvement. Their expertise allows for analyzing the root causes of high readmission rates, allowing for evidence-based interventions. Besides, collaboration with the medical and nursing staff is integral. Health providers have direct contact with patients and know the need to address the issue of high readmission rates. Federal Health Care Policies And Laws Assignment Paper

Additionally, readmissions must be reduced to ensure they align perfectly with the mission to provide a high standard of care to the community. The commitment to the task is not just a statement but a promise to the patients and reflects the dedication to the health and well-being of the people served. A series of actions can be undertaken in the facility to improve the services rendered. They include having a post-discharge follow-up, implementing care transition programs, collaborating with community partners, and making data-driven decisions. These solutions could play an integral role in improving the quality of services rendered at the facility.

Conclusion

The report contains the results for a benchmark of underperformance at Saint Anthony Hospital. The findings show that the issue of hospital readmissions remains profound in the organization. Saint Anthony Hospital should take immediate action to address the benchmark’s underperformance. Improving the readmission rates and compliance with health policies and laws could help enhance the quality of care and secure the organization’s financial viability. Collaboration is needed to meet the challenges and continue providing high-quality care to the community. Federal Health Care Policies And Laws Assignment Paper

References

Karami, M., Langarizadeh, M., & Fatehi, M. (2017). Evaluation of effective dashboards: Key concepts and criteria. The Open Medical Informatics Journal, 11(1), 52-57. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874431101711010052

Kuznetsova, M., Frits, M. L., Dulgarian, S., Iannaccone, C., Mort, E., Bates, D. W., & Salmasian, H. (2021). An analysis of the structure and content of dashboards used to monitor patient safety in the inpatient setting. JAMIA Open, 4(4). https://doi.org/10.1093/jamiaopen/ooab096

Rabiei, R., & Almasi, S. (2022). Requirements and challenges of hospital dashboards: A systematic literature review. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1450850/v1

The new SAH – Saint Anthony Hospital – Chicago. (n.d.). https://sahchicago.org/the-new-sah

Zhuang, M., Concannon, D., & Manley, E. (2022). A framework for evaluating dashboards in healthcare. IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 28(4), 1715-1731. https://doi.org/10.1109/tvcg.2022.3147154

Use an actual dashboard from a professional practice setting for your evaluation. If you decide to use actual dashboard metrics, be sure to add a brief description of the organization and setting that includes:
• The size of the facility that the dashboard is reporting on.
• The specific type of care delivery.
• The population diversity and ethnicity demographics.
• The socioeconomic level of the population served by the organization. Federal Health Care Policies And Laws Assignment Paper