Reference no: EM132253639

Instructions

Write your responses where it reads "Enter your response here." Write as much as needed to satisfy the requirements indicated.

1. Imagine you are a student in healthcare administration who is doing an internship in a large primary care organization in an urban city in Florida.

The organization has multiple locations and several types of services within a culturally diverse and underserved community. You are asked to prepare a brief about national issues related to eliminating healthcare disparities and improving wellness. Your brief will provide suggestions and initiatives that could improve patient outcomes in the organization and the community.

Include the following:

• A concise summary of the changes in patient population, patient demographics, and chronic disease within the United States (1 paragraph)

• An explanation of how health disparities, cultural competency, and health equality can impact health outcomes (1 paragraph)

• An explanation of how the National Standards on Cultural Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) can influence effective communication between patient, primary care physician (PCP), and organization (1 paragraph)

• A concise summary of how the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the Joint Commission requirements on cultural competency impact the organization's accreditation (1 paragraph)

Your Response

Over the years the number of patients booked in the United States hospitals have increased. Due to the population increase, the number of patients have also increased simultaneously. Most of the diseases recorded in the hospitals are the chronic diseases. A chronic disease is one lasting 3 months or more, by the definition of the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. Chronic diseases generally cannot be prevented by vaccines or cured by medication, nor do they just disappear.

The most common type of chronic disease in the united States is the Heart Diseases. An estimation of 610, 000 die of heart related diseases in the United States. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. More than half of the deaths due to heart disease in 2009 were in men.

Cultural competence is needed to provide care to patients with diverse values, beliefs, and behaviors. Culturally competent health care organizations have improved patient outcomes, increased respect and mutual understanding from patients, and increased participation from the local community.Disparities in health and health care not only affect the groups facing disparities but also limit overall gains in quality of care and health for the broader population and result in unnecessary costs. Addressing health disparities is increasingly important as the population becomes more diverse.

The Standards establish a blueprint for health and health care organizations to implement and provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services. The National CLAS Standards are comprised of 15 Standards that inform and facilitate the implementation of culturally and linguistically appropriate services.Therefore this are the guiding principles for an effective communications between the patients and medical staff in the healthcare facility.

Joint Commission standards are developed with input from health care professionals, providers, subject matter experts, consumers, government agencies (including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) and employers. They are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus and approved by the Board of Commissioners. New standards are added only if they relate to the patient safety or quality of care, have a positive impact on health outcomes, meet or surpass law and regulation, and can be accurately and readily measured

2. Obesity is now a major preventable health risk in the U.S. Most experts attribute obesity to people consuming too much high-caloric foods and being inactive. Unhealthy foods have saturated America's culture, with restaurant chains spending over $5.5 billion a year on advertising while a government-funded fruits and vegetables campaign only received $2 million. Explain how consumerism and advertising have impacted health outcomes in the US.

Your explanation should include the following:

• A list of the top five causes of death in the United States and a comparison with a list of the top five causes of death in your state. (1-2 paragraphs)

• Locate and copy and paste the web links for at least five advertisements of unhealthy products or services that might be contributing to the leading causes of death in your state. Then, locate and copy and paste the web links for at least five advertisements for healthy products or services that might contribute to the prevention of the leading causes of death in your state.

Include BOTH the web links AND the images for each advertisement within your Assessment document.

• Summarize how both types of marketing impact health outcomes. (1-2 paragraphs for the unhealthy products and 1-2 paragraphs for the healthy products)

Your Response

The majority of the deaths reports in the United States are attributed to about ten causes with the top three of them responsible for over 50% of all deaths that are recorded. The top leading cause of death have more or less remained constant over the years. The current leading causes of death in the united states include; heart diseases, cancer, respiratory diseases, accidents, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, pneumonia and influenza, kidney diseases and suicide.

There is no difference with the causes of deaths in the country and to where I stay. Suicides, Heart attacks, cancer, accidents and kidney diseases are the major sources of deaths in the California with heart attacks leading with 40.8% of all the reported cases. All causes of deaths are related to the a person's lifestyle.

Marketing is believed to be the cause of most of the diseases causing death. Marketing comes in different forms; through the advertisements on media, magazines, billboards among others. Increasingly, food companies play an important role in stemming the rising burden of nutrition-related chronic diseases.

The companies always use very high definition pictures and advertisements to catch the viewers' attention. At the end of the day, the viewer will want to relate himself to the product not knowing the side effects. A good example is when KFC advertises a new product, the consumer will always want to be the first to consume it.

3. Summarize how the following industries affect healthcare in the 21st century. (3-4 sentences each)

• Pharmaceutical research and manufacturing

• Information technology

• Regenerative medicine

• Patient-centered care

• Medical supply industry

• Healthcare marketing

• Long-term care

• Labor unions

Your Response

Pharmaceutical research and manufacturing industries are responsible for the production of medicines that are used to treat many diseases in the hospitals. The research conducted in new infections and types of diseases has play a bigger role by ensuring people are living a free and healthy life. The pharmaceutical research and manufacturing companies produces variety of drugs to choose from.

Continuous technological developments in healthcare have saved countless lives and improved quality of life for even more. Not only had technology changed experiences for patients and their families but it is also had a huge impact on medical processes and the practices of healthcare professionals.

Regenerative medicines therapies, underpinned by the core principles of rejuvenation, regeneration and replacement, are shifting the paradigm in healthcare from symptomatic treatment in the 20thcentury to curative treatment in the 21stcentury. Regenerative medicines is behind the success of the healthcare industry.

The principles behind patient centered care is that all patients in any healthcare facility need to be handled with dignity and respect and involving them in all decisions about their health. The existence of the healthcare facility is because there is a patients who need to be attended to. So the patient need to be treated like a customer.

It is very important for the healthcare facility to maintain equipment efficiency to provide quality care and cut costs. The healthcare industry, whether labs, clinics or hospitals, use a vast variety of specialized equipment and devices and medication to serve patients better.

These can only be supplied by the medical supply industry who are licensed to do so.
Keeping the information you provide current and relevant is important for establishing credibility both online and in-person. Healthcare evolves continuously so you must consider the changes and adapt while keeping patients informed. Knowing who you are marketing to including patients and potential employees is important.

In the modern world, getting insured is the way to go. Long time care insurance will help the patients no deplete his or her resources.Having this type of insurance is becoming popular because it can enable a person to remain in their home and be treated for their illnesses. In the United States, it is estimated that over 7 million people with acute illnesses can be able to access medication at home.

Labor Unions play a major role in the healthcare industry. These union employers work hand-in-hand with members to provide labor union benefits that meet their needs and Providing employees with labor union benefits such as healthcare coverage are beneficial for employers seeking to build a reliable and efficient atmosphere with rich communication.

4. You have 15 minutes to speak to your state governor regarding the prevention of a specific chronic disease. This conversation needs to be clear, concise, convincing, and factual. Write out specific talking points for this conversation. (1 page)

They should include:

• Introduction of the specific chronic disease and the population it affects

• National and state trends for the chronic disease

• Financial impact of the chronic disease

• Legislation or policy changes required to improve health outcomes for patients with the chronic disease

Your Response

According to the centers for diseases control, heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. Every year, 610,000 people die of heart diseases in the united states, that's why 1 in every 4 deaths. One of the common heart disease is the Coronary Heart Disease.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains the leading cause of heart disease in both men and women in the U.S. Cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, physical activity, obesity and diabetes are the 6 major independent risk factors for coronary heart disease that can be controlled. The American Heart Association (AHA) has deemed obesity as a major risk factor for heart disease. 65 million men and women exceed the healthy weight range defined by the US dietary guidelines.

Heart disease in an epidemic in the United States and public health action is needed to prevent it. Today, there is a great opportunity to develop and implement program plans to effectively prevent heart disease in the United States. One major factors that contribute to this opportunity is the cumulative knowledge in heart decease that exists today than ever before. Another major factor is the awareness of health professionals recognizing the downward trends, the future forecasts of burdens and all this awareness has called a need for action.

Unfortunately, the public health investment to prevent heart disease is insufficient for effective intervention. Although the knowledge and experience is present to prevent heart disease, the funding doesn't quite match up. According to the CDC, heart disease accounts for $209 billion dollars in direct costs and $142.5 billion in indirect costs, a total of $351.5 Billion dollars in medical care expenditures. This toll can expect to rise as more and more as American's each year grow in age. This data confirms that heart disease is an epidemic in the United States and is a major component of health care costs.

Over the next decade, the number of American's over the age of 65 will increase dramatically. In 2010, 34.7 million Americans were above the age of 65 and this number is expected to rise to more than 54.2 million by 2020 (Centers for Disease Control, 2010). Heart disease death are also expected rise between 2010-2030 and heart disease survivors will grow at a faster rate than the entire US population. This forecast will increase the heart disease burdens, increase demands for care and raise the cost of expenditures. Income for these individuals will be lost, productivity will be lost, dependency will occur as well as total disability in some cases. Intervention has never had a need as great as it does today.

Physicians and healthcare providers can begin early screenings to detect cardiovascular disease complications because not all symptoms are eminent in all patients. If patients proposes a risk for heart disease, interventions can be put into place to change their lifestyle to prevent heart attack or stroke. Most patients don not usually check their heart if they are not presented with complications, by then it may be too late. Early screenings and presentations of heart disease risk factors should be common practice in facilities that deal with geriatric patients.

5. The primary care network where you work is interested in the uses of telemedicine to improve outcomes and to lower operational costs for multiple underserved communities. Identify and describe two telemedicine programs that you feel would be beneficial. Explain at least two benefits of these programs, and at least two potential barriers. (2-3 paragraphs)

Your Response

A telemedicine refers to the use of medical information shared from one site to another using electronic communications to improve patient's clinical health status. In this case I would suggest the use of Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) and Mobile Health or M-health. RPM is the collection of personal health and medical data from a patient or resident in one location that is then transferred electronically to a nurse, caregiver, or physician in a different location for monitoring purposes.

RPM is already being used to a great extent in senior living in order to prevent falls and monitor the vital health statistics of residents. mHealth uses mobile communications devices, such as smartphones and tablet computers, and hundreds of software applications for these devices, which can do almost anything imagined for supporting healthcare.

Telemedicine has been shown to reduce the cost of healthcare and increase efficiency through better management of chronic diseases, shared health professional staffing, reduced travel times, and fewer or shorter hospital stays. Using telemedicine technologies reduces travel time and related stresses for the patient.

One of the major barriers of telemedicine are Physician licensing and Reimbursement. Insufficient capital expenditure and lack of reimbursements are serious financial issues for the telemedicine field. Similar to licensing laws, reimbursement models vary across the country. Certain criteria have to be met in order for practitioners to receive reimbursement. physicians face a number of challenges if they wish to practice in another state using telemedicine, including regulations that vary state-by-state. In some cases, practitioners may need a full medical license in both the state they live in and the state where the patient resides

6. The United States is projected to experience a significant shortage of primary care physicians (PCPs) and registered nurses (RNs), which is expected to intensify with the aging baby-boomer population. According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS, 2013), it has been estimated that by 2020 the country could experience a shortage of 20,400 or more primary care physicians, which often affects those living in inner-city communities and rural America.

These shortages will be alleviated by the increased number of physician assistants and nurse practitioners, which will grow by 30% (HHS). According to Shi and Singh (2015), by 2020 there could be a deficit of Registered Nurses of over 300,000. As the need for healthcare grows, the uneven distribution and growing deficit of resources and providers leaves a large percentage of Americans at risk.

Reference: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services,Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis. (2013). Projecting the supply and demand for primary care practitioners through 2020.

• Explain why there may be a shortage of PCPs in rural and inner-city communities. (1-2 paragraphs)

• How is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) addressing the shortage of PCPs and RNs? (1-2 paragraphs)

• What other programs are available to address the shortage of primary care physicians and nurses? What action are the programs taking? (1-2 paragraphs)

• How is the shortage impacting healthcare delivery? Be specific by providing examples and support your response with academic resources. (1-2 paragraphs)

Your Response

Primary care physicians (PCPs) are becoming extinct. It's true. Not many medical students choose primary care as their career path. Older PCPs are retiring early. Many others are closing their practices or seeking employment at the local hospital. And there has always been a shortage of primary care physicians in rural and urban poor areas. Today only 30% of all physicians practice primary care (compared to about 70% in most other developed countries and about 70% in the United States fifty years ago) and this percentage is shrinking at a steady rate.

The patient Protection and Affordable care Act (PPACA) are resolving on the issues of shortage of PCPs. Some of the factors to be considered is reshaping the traditional primary care. from a stream of patients waiting to see one harried doctor to a more efficient team practice in which patients with routine problems are seen by nurse practitioners and physician assistants, trained specialists with master's degrees.

To make primary care a more attractive choice, medical experts are exploring a number of fresh ideas, from the more efficient team approach to shortening medical school training from four years to three. Today, Harvard is educating primary care doctors away from the doctor-sees-all-patients practice to a medical team model, which can lighten the doctor's workload and paperwork and still offer excellent care.

7. Tuberculosis (TB), once the leading cause of death in the U.S., is still one of the most common and deadliest diseases worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are approximately 1.3 million TB-related deaths each year and one third of the world's population is infected with TB. This disease remains an urgent public health problem in many countries, and globalization has created an environment in which TB can affect any population, including the U.S. Typically, the U.S. has fewer than 10,000 confirmed cases of TB per year. While significant progress has been made toward the elimination of TB in the U.S., the disease is still present and contagious.

• Describe how the CDC tracks, determines prevalence, and promotes prevention of TB in the U.S. (1-2 paragraphs)

• Describe how the CDC is addressing methods of transmission that impact the spread of TB globally. (1-2 paragraphs)

Your Response

Over the years, there has been a decrease in spread and infection of Tuberculosis. Disease Control and prevention (CDC). The National Tuberculosis Indicator project (NTIP) uses a standardized method for calculating indicators associated with the national TB program objectives and for tracking program progress across sites and over time. This enables CDC and TB programs to assess the impact of TBcontrol efforts at state and local levels. To prevent further spreading of the disease, CDC ensures all the reported cases are followed keenly and an isolation may be necessary if it is a severe one.

With over 60 years of expertise in fighting diseases, CDC plays a critical role in ensuring the citizens are very safe from chronic diseases in this case Tuberculosis.

This communicable disease has serious posed challenge to CDC in controlling the spread of TB worldwide. CDC is trying to ensure that the disease becomes extinct by educating people on the importance of being always free from any substance that might lead to contracting the disease. Moreover, drugs are manufactures for the people who have contracted the disease. Vaccines for the adults are also in process of being released by the CDC. Special drugs for the drug resistant TB has also been developed.

8. Each year up to 750,000 U.S. residents travel abroad to receive medical care. This phenomenon is called "medical tourism" and is a multi-billion dollar industry that is growing. The most common procedures performed on medical tourism trips are cosmetic surgery, dentistry, and heart surgery.

• Describe why U.S. citizens are traveling abroad for medical treatment, including the potential benefits and risks involved. (1-2 paragraphs)

• Visit the following website and describe any differences you note related to medical tourism in different countries. (1-2 paragraphs)

Website:Patients Beyond Borders. (2014). Medical tourism statistics & facts.

Your Response

Health care has become so expensive in the United States that a growing number of Americans (and their employers) are finding it more cost efficient to fly across the globe for certain medical procedures. The savings are so great, and the quality high enough, that a handful of American insurance companies are now encouraging the practice and covering the travel and treatment costs. On the other hand, medical tourism has a number dangers which include; contraction of infections, communication barrier, Blood supply issues and travel concerns.

According to the website, the most visited countries are India, Thailand, Turkey and Singapore. These countries have the best healthcare facilities and also affordable. Brazil has a score index of 72.32 in medical industry. With healthcare, a constitutional right in this South American country, healthcare services are provided by both public and private institutions, with primary healthcare being the responsibility of the federal government. But even with its social policies towards healthcare, millions of Brazilians have chosen to go with private healthcare coverage, making the private sector big players in the urban areas of the destination and an option for medical tourism patients.