Healthcare Best Practices Report

Write a 4-6 page report that analyzes how two highly ranked countries manage a specific disease and use that analysis to develop best practices for a health alliance organization.

Introduction
Note: The assessments in this course build upon each other, so you are strongly encouraged to complete them in sequence.

Best practices are defined to include high quality, accessibility, comprehensiveness, and portability elements of an efficient and effective health care system.

Health systems can be defined as the collection of organizations, people, and policies that are coordinated to improve population health. Health systems aim to improve population health by curative methods and methods to prevent diseases. Elements such as universality, accessibility, comprehensiveness, and portability are important considerations of a health care delivery system. Ultimately, health systems should be targeted and focused to cover nearly everyone, provide access to quality care, be affordable, and be portable if individuals move.

By addressing communicable diseases, a country can move from an epidemiological transition of high mortality to high longevity. Communicable diseases can typically be addressed by sanitation and clean water projects, updating slums with sewage systems, mosquito nets, vector elimination programs, and basic medication. Lowering infection rates typically leads to increased life expectancy. Chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, stroke, and respiratory illnesses, can be addressed with medical intervention, changes to the physical environment, city planning, and behavioral changes.

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.

How do governmental approaches compare when addressing a health care issue?
How does a nation’s political and economic makeup shape a country’s social services and the way health care services are delivered?
Which health care performance indicators are most often used?
Preparation
This assessment assumes the perspective of population health, by analyzing how two highly ranked countries deal with a disease, and extrapolating best practices from that analysis. Explore the Internet for examples and templates of reports. Review the links in the resources provided for this assessment for information about population health and risk-based contracting.

Instructions
Assume the role in the scenario below:

Scenario: You are a new graduate working as an executive assistant for the chief operations officer (COO) of a health care alliance partnership. This organization operates across multiple countries and is considering entering into risk-based contracting. You have been assigned to research and recommend best practices for management of a disease, which can be applied across countries.

Use the disease state or health issue you identified in the previous assessment or choose another one (for example, hip replacement) as the basis for this assessment.
Identify two countries with superior performance indicators for managing the disease or health issue.
Write a 4–5-page report for your organization. Use tables or charts as needed to succinctly convey information. Organize your report as follows:

Performance Indicators
Appraise current performance indicators and outcome measures for delivery, quality, affordability, and accessibility.
Compare key performance indicators for management of a disease among countries. (A chart or table could be created for this information.
Costs: Compare the disease or diagnosis cost information for each country against the Center for Medicaid and Medicare (CMS) case rate for the disease or diagnosis.
Best Practices
Recommend best practices for disease management that can be applied across countries.
Explain how best practices were selected.
Which country is superior in each category?
Organizational Implications
Evaluate the implications of implementing recommended best practices for the organization for delivery, quality, affordability, and accessibility. Consider:
Cost.
Revenue.
Markets.
Consumer Implications
Evaluate the implications of implementing recommended best practices for consumers for delivery, quality, affordability, and accessibility.
Provider Management
Identify the challenges for managing providers within a fee-for-services versus a risk-based contracting plan.
Additional Requirements
Your report must include the following requirements:

Formatting: Use current APA standards for style and formatting.
Number of Resources: Minimum of 3 peer-reviewed resources.
Length: 4–6 double-spaced pages, not including title and reference page.
Font and size: Times New Roman, 12-point.
Communication: Write clearly and concisely, with well-organized communication that is supported with relevant evidence. Use bullet points, phrases, tables or charts when applicable, to convey information succinctly.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

Competency 2: Evaluate the costs and benefits associated with implementation of a quality improvement initiative.
Recommend best practices for disease management that can be applied across countries.
Evaluate the implications of implementing the recommended best practices for the organization for delivery, quality, affordability, and accessibility.
Evaluate the implications of implementing the recommended best practices for consumers for delivery, quality, affordability, and accessibility.
Identify the challenges for managing providers within a fee-for-services versus a risk-based contracting plan.
Competency 3: Apply key performance measures to address a specific health issue within an international community.
Appraise current performance indicators and outcome measures for delivery, quality, affordability, and accessibility.
Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for professionals in health care administration.
Write clearly and concisely, with well-organized communication that is supported with relevant evidence.
Use current APA standards for style and formatting.

The resources provided here are suggested and provide helpful information about topics relevant to the assessment. 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. The MHA Program Library Guide can help direct your research.

This handbook provides guidelines and best practices for national health planning policies, strategies and plans.

World Health Organization. (2016). Strategizing national health in the 21st century: A handbook. http://www.who.int/healthsystems/publications/nhpsp-handbook/en/
Conklin, A., Nolte, E., & Vrijhoef, H. (2013). Approaches to chronic disease management evaluation in use in Europe: A review of current methods and performance measures. International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 29(1), 61–70.
Roberts, D. A., Ng, M., Ikilezi, G., Gasasira, A., Dwyer-Lindgren, L., Fullman, N., Nalugwa, T., Kamya, M., & Gakidou, E. (2015). Benchmarking health system performance across regions in Uganda: A systematic analysis of levels and trends in key maternal and child health intervention, 1990–2011. BMC Medicine, 13(285), 1–17.

Canadian patient-advocacy organization.

The Patient Factor. (n.d.). World Health Organization’s ranking of the world’s health systems. http://thepatientfactor.com/canadian- health-care-information/world-health-organizations-ranking-of-the-worlds-health-systems/
This article discusses political implications of health policy internationally.

Gómez, E. J., & Rugar, J. P. (2015). The global and domestic politics of health policy in emerging nations. Journal of Health Politics, Policy, & Law, 40(1), 3–11. This article discusses political implications of health policy internationally, which will be helpful for Competency 2.
This is the website for the national organization that represents and serves all types of hospitals, health care networks, and their patients and communities. This organization spearheads disease management and other initiatives and lobbies for hospitals across the U.S.

American Hospital Association. (2016). http://www.aha.org/

Provides a step-by-step guide to cost-benefit-analysis with real-world examples.

Mind Tools. (2018). Cost-benefit analysis: Deciding, quantitatively, whether to go ahead. https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_08.htm

Muenning, P., & Su, C. (2013). Introducing global health: Practice, policy, and solutions. Jossey-Bass. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.
Chapter 5, “Health Systems,” pages 109–139.
Chapter 6, “Social Policy and Global Health,” pages 143–168.
Chapter 7, “A Closer Look at Three Political Economies: China, Kerala, and Chile,” pages 169–191.
Chapter 8, “Global Governance and Health,” pages 193–210.
American College of Healthcare Executives. (2018). http://www.ache.org/
This is the website for the international society of 40,000 heath care executives leading hospitals, health care systems, and other health care organizations.