Your paper must be submitted as a 2- to 3-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and at least three sources cited in APA format.
Overview: The focus of this module was on quality care. For your final project, you will research a gap in access to quality, equity, or efficiency of healthcare, (including existing initiatives in place to address the gap and economic and regulatory factors that are currently in place to address the gap). To begin this project, you must first conduct some background research into the gap and the impacted population.
Prompt: Select a healthcare delivery process gap and population affected from the list below. This will be the base of your final project, the healthcare delivery systems research paper.
● Option One: A gap in quality related to care coordination for individuals with chronic illnesses
● Option Two: A gap in equity related to mental health access for veterans
● Option Three: A gap in efficiency related to rising cost of pharmaceuticals for the aging population
In your paper, you will explain why the chosen topic is a gap in healthcare and analyze the specific population impacted by the issue. Specifically, you should address the following:
● Describe a specific gap in the delivery of healthcare. Include the specific population affected by the gap.
● Briefly describe the history of this gap in access to healthcare. Has this been an issue historically, or is it a modern issue?
● Explain the impact that the socioeconomic background of the population has on their access to healthcare.
● Describe how the healthcare delivered to the population is affected by the gap in access.
● Predict any potential implications if this gap in access is not addressed.
Milestone Two Guidelines
Guidelines for Submission:
Your paper must be submitted as a 2- to 3-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and at least three sources cited in APA format
Overview: As you learned in your module readings, healthcare should be safe, effective, timely, efficient, equitable, and patient-centered. These six key dimensions form the basis for all quality and payment reform strategies implemented since the release of healthcare improvement plans.
Prompt: In this milestone, you will identify and analyze an initiative that addresses the gap you chose as the topic for your final project. Explain what the initiative is, identify the goals of the initiative, describe the circumstances around its development, and identify sources of funding. Tip: So far in the course, you have been introduced to the Kaiser Family Foundation and Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) websites. These websites may also be helpful to you as you conduct your research on an existing initiative. Your milestone should address each of the following points in detail:
● Explain an existing healthcare initiative that was put in place to address this gap in access.
● Explain the specific goals of the existing initiative in place to address this gap in access.
● Describe the circumstances around the development of the existing initiative. Consider when the initiative was developed and what factors were considered.
● Describe the resources required to fund the existing initiative.
● Explain why the existing initiative is not meeting its intended purpose and now requires improvement.
Milestone Two Guidelines (Final Project)
Guidelines for Submission:
Your healthcare delivery systems research paper should be 5 to 8 pages. It should be double-spaced, include one-inch margins, use 12-point Times New Roman font, and at least three sources cited in APA formatting.
Overview: The 2000 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report To Err is Human was a call to arms for the U.S. healthcare delivery system. It emphasized the need to explore the processes, structure, and outcomes related to the quality of care provided to individuals in our society. For your final project, you will research a gap in access to quality, equity, or efficiency of care (including existing initiatives in place to address the gap and economic and regulatory factors that are currently in place to address the gap). Access to care includes access to health insurance coverage, access to services and providers, and timeliness of the care received. All three of these components impact quality of care. Access can also include affordability. The quality of the care people receive in the healthcare system should not vary based upon their socioeconomic status. For your final project, you will select a healthcare delivery process gap and the population affected from the list below. Then, you will develop a healthcare delivery systems research paper.
● Option One: A gap in quality related to care coordination for individuals with chronic illnesses
● Option Two: A gap in equity related to mental health access for veterans
● Option Three: A gap in efficiency related to rising cost of pharmaceuticals for the aging population
This assessment addresses the following course outcomes:
● Draw connections between current healthcare delivery systems and the context in which they were developed
● Describe the impact of economic and regulatory drivers on healthcare delivery systems
● Identify major gaps in access to healthcare for determining areas of opportunity for improved access to quality healthcare
● Explain initiatives targeted at maintaining or improving the health status of specific populations
● Prompt
After choosing the topic for your course project from the options provided in the overview, you will work to develop your healthcare delivery systems research paper. Within the final research project you will address your chosen gap in access, including existing initiatives in place to address the gap, and economic and regulatory factors that are currently in place to address the gap. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
I. Introduction
A. Describe a specific gap in the delivery of healthcare. Include the specific population affected by the gap.
B. Briefly describe the history of this gap in access to healthcare. Has this been an issue historically, or is it a modern issue?
C. Explain the impact that the socioeconomic background of the population has on their access to healthcare. D.
Describe how the healthcare delivered to the population is affected by the gap in access.
E. Predict any potential implications if this gap in access is not addressed
. II. Existing Initiatives
A. Explain an existing healthcare initiative that was put in place to address this gap in access.
B. Explain the specific goals of the existing initiative in place to address this gap in access.
C. Describe the circumstances around the development of the existing initiative. Consider when it was developed and what factors were considered.
D. Describe the resources required to fund the existing initiative.
E. Explain why the existing initiative is not meeting its intended purpose and now requires improvement.
III. Regulation
A. Explain a current regulation regarding the existing initiative that has been identified and the context in which it was developed. Why is this regulation important?
B. Describe the regulatory level that the existing initiative is being addressed at. Consider the potential for multiple levels of regulation.
IV. Conclusion:
Explain the effectiveness of the existing initiative and associated regulations in addressing this gap in the delivery of healthcare to the target population.
Does the initiative align with initiative in place to support other gaps?
Are there conflicting interests to be aware of?