· Overview

In this assessment, you will propose an economic initiative that presents an opportunity for improved care quality.

Master’s-level health care practitioners are charged with the responsibility of constantly scanning the external environment for shifts in supply of and demand for services. Concurrently, leaders must examine strategic fit with their organization’s directional strategy and determine if adjustments need to be made for current service offerings, updates in equipment, changes in staffing models, and a variety of other decisions. Each decision that is proposed must be evaluated in terms of the health care setting as a system, alignment with the mission and strategy, available internal resources, potential contract and payer source implications, and the short- and long-term economic effects at both the micro and macro levels.

Note: Complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented.

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

· Competency 1: Analyze the effects of financial and economic factors (such as cost-benefit, supply and demand, return on investment, and risks) in a health care system on patient care, services offered, and organizational structures and operation.

1. Analyze the supply and demand for a proposed economic initiative within contexts relevant to a care setting.

. Competency 2: Develop ethical and culturally equitable solutions to economic problems within a health care organization in an effort to improve the quality of care and services offered.

2. Propose an economic initiative that presents an opportunity for a care setting at both the micro and macro levels, and that will provide ethical and culturally equitable improvements to the quality of care.

. Competency 3: Justify the qualitative and quantitative information used to guide economic decision making to stakeholders and colleagues.

3. Explain relevant economic and environmental data that support a proposal and analysis.

. Competency 5: Apply various communication methods in order to clearly, effectively, and efficiently relate information to stakeholders and colleagues related to economic data, findings, and strategies.

4. Communicate an economic proposal in a logically structured and concise manner, writing content clearly with correct use of grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

4. Effectively support a proposal with relevant economic data and scholarly sources, correctly formatting citations and references using current APA style.

Questions to Consider

As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.

. What factors determine the price and quantity of health care? What factors determine the demand for health care services?

. What suggestions do you have for improving the economic situation of your current health care setting? How might strategies or priorities need to shift to keep up with the changing health care economic environment?

. How do the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regulations impact documentation, billing, and reimbursement?

Suggested Resources

The resources provided here are optional. You may use other resources of your choice to prepare for this assessment; however, you will need to ensure that they are appropriate, credible, and valid.

Internet Resources

These resources provide regulatory information and data that will help you with your assignment:

. National Institutes of Health. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nih.gov/

8. Focus on the programs and activities of the organization.

. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). National Center for Health Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/

. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://cms.gov/

· Assessment Instructions

In this assessment, you will propose an economic initiative that presents an opportunity for improved care quality.

Scenario

As an emerging health care leader, the senior management has requested that you independently research and explore one of the economic opportunities that may be available in your care setting. This may be offering a new service line, working to improve a service line already offered, retiring an outdated or unprofitable service line, or any other economic initiative that you believe will be of benefit to your care setting in the short and long term. One example of this is a recently launched partnership with a local bicycle sharing company. Your care setting partners with them to host healthy community events that offer free screenings for early detection of various health issues. This helps fulfill some of your care setting’s preventive and healthy lifestyle initiatives, while also potentially driving referrals to other services provided by your care setting. You have been asked to submit your proposal in the form of a 2–4 page executive summary that includes your proposed economic initiative, supporting economic data, and an analysis of the proposal’s benefits for your department and for the care setting overall.

Directions

You have been asked to ensure that your report addresses the following. Note: The bullet points below correspond to grading criteria in the scoring guide. Be sure your work is, at minimum, addressing each of the bullets below. You may also want to read the scoring guide and the Guiding Questions: Executive Brief: Proposal of New Economic Opportunity document to better understand the performance levels that relate to each grading criterion:

. Propose an economic initiative that presents an opportunity for your care setting at both the micro (departmental, neighborhood) and macro (organizational, community) level that you believe will provide ethical and culturally equitable improvements to the quality of care.

. Analyze the supply and demand for your proposed economic initiative within contexts relevant to your care setting.

. Explain relevant economic and environmental data that support your proposal and analysis.

. Communicate your economic proposal in a logically structured and concise manner, writing content clearly with correct use of grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

. Effectively support your proposal with relevant economic data and scholarly sources, correctly formatting citations and references using current APA style.

Additional Requirements

. Length: 2–4 double-spaced, typed pages. Your proposal should be succinct yet substantive.

. APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current APA style.

. Resources: Cite a minimum of 3–5 authoritative and scholarly resources. Be sure to include specific economic data and support as part of your cited resources. Resources must be current and a maximum of 5 years old.