Week 1 Assignment: Healthcare Quality in the United States
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Instructions
The United States spends more on healthcare as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) than any other country in the world, yet, the country ranks nearly last in nearly all quality and outcome measures when compared to other high-income countries.  For this week's assignment, in a narrated powerpoint:
Examine the current state of quality and safety in the United States healthcare system by reading through this week's required reading resources and other outside sources as necessary and,
1) Provide a critique of the state of healthcare quality and safety in the United States,
2) Select two (2) elements of healthcare that need improvement and explain why healthcare leaders, managers, and policymakers should focus on improving those two elements; and,
3) Develop benchmarks (at least one per element) that you would use/recommend to stakeholders, that would help determine the success of quality improvement efforts
Your powerpoint MUST follow APA 7th edition guidelines and incorporate a minimum of three (3) current (within 5 years), scholarly/peer-reviewed references.
Your powerpoint SHOULD be between 8-10 slides in length, excluding your cover and reference slides.  Proofread your assignment and review the rubric before final submission.
Domains and Associated Competencies:
1. Healthcare and Healthcare Environment
a. Healthcare Systems and Organizations
2. Business
a. General Management
b. Quality Improvement
Assignments are due in the Assignment portion of the classroom by Sunday, 11:55 p.m. EST each week. Make sure you read and understand the directions and requirements for each Assignment. Please ensure you cite your references in APA format with a minimum of 3 references.  The assignment will be graded based on the following areas: Foundation and synthesis of knowledge, application of knowledge critical thinking, writing skills, and organization of ideas and format.  Refer to Library Online Resource Center for any research assistance.  Refer to the Student Handbook for policies relevant to academic honesty and other procedures and policies related to this course.

Due on Jun 9, 2024 11:59 PM

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Guidelines:
• Post the initial response to each discussion by 11:59pm, EST, Wednesday, Day 3.
• Initial responses are to be original in content and demonstrate a thorough analysis of the topic.
• 250-300 words
W2: Impact of Stakeholders on Healthcare Quality
Must post first.
The following discussion topic comes from your week two (2) readings. Outside research to address these issues is encouraged. Please remember to provide attribution for your learning.
Prompt: For this discussion assignment, select one (1) internal and one (1) external stakeholder that you believe is the most vital in regards to affecting healthcare quality in the United States. Describe the impact that each has on healthcare quality.  Based on the knowledge you have gleaned about the stakeholders you selected, critique both stakeholders regarding the role(s) they have played to improve healthcare quality. Make sure to defend your selection of each of the stakeholders you selected.
W3: Factors that Inhibit Healthcare Quality Improvement
Must post first.
The following discussion topic comes from your week three (3) readings. Outside research to address these issues is encouraged. Please remember to provide attribution for your learning.
Prompt: For this discussion assignment, identify three (3) of the MOST IMPORTANT factors that you believe inhibit healthcare quality improvement.  Explain how the factors you selected inhibit healthcare quality improvement.  Describe actions that you could take as a healthcare manager to eliminate or minimize each of the factors so they no longer inhibit progress towards quality improvement.

 
W4: Continuous Improvement and Accountability
Must post first.
The following discussion topic comes from your week four (4) readings. Outside research to address these issues is encouraged. Please remember to provide attribution for your learning.
Prompt: For this discussion assignment, conduct research to identify a real-life adverse event that has occurred in a healthcare environment in the last five years.  Provide an overview of the adverse event you selected and explain the outcome and impact the event had on the patient, healthcare professional(s) involved, and the healthcare organization.  What actions could healthcare administrators take to reduce the reoccurrence of the event you described?
Examples of adverse events include, but are not limited it:
1. Surgical events - wrong patient, wrong site, wrong procedure, retained foreign body
2. Product/device related - contaminated products, air embolism
3. Patient protection events - patient elopement, suicide
4. Care management issues - medication errors, mismatched blood transfusion
5. Environmental factors - burn, electric shock, wrong gas
6. Criminal events - sexual assault, impersonation, physical assault











W5: High Reliability in Healthcare
Must post first.
The following discussion topic comes from your week five (5) readings. Outside research to address these issues is encouraged. Please remember to provide attribution for your learning.
Prompt:  Watch the following 2018 presentation by Allan Frankel, MD, Founding Partner, Safe & Reliable Healthcare and Senior Faculty, Institute for Healthcare Improvement; and Michael Leonard, MD, Managing Partner, Safe & Reliable Healthcare and Adjunct Professor of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine:
https://youtu.be/UKEmODUpMmg


Reflect on the information presented and describe two (2) key takeaways that you learned.  Discuss two (2) reasons why healthcare organizations continue to struggle to reach high reliability and describe how organizations can overcome those challenges. Lastly, take a stance as to whether or not you believe that high reliability can be reached in a healthcare environment, and be sure to explain why you have taken your stance.
*For one of your peer responses - be sure to respond to at least ONE of your peers who have a different opinion as to whether or not high reliability can be reached.  Engage in thoughtful debate to rebut their stance.  Be sure to cite sources to bolster your argument.  




W6: Reflecting on this Week's Readings
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The following discussion topic comes from your week six (6) readings. Outside research to address these issues is encouraged. Please  remember to provide attribution for your learning.
Prompt: For this discussion assignment, take the opportunity to reflect on how the concepts reviewed in this week's required readings (Chapters 9 and 10 of your textbook) can be used and applied to circumstances and challenges in your work setting.  Use the following to guide your reflection:
1) Key points that I would like to remember from this reading are (at least two but no more than five per chapter):
2) What key questions have come to mind as a result of the information you learned about this week (provide at least one question but no more than three per chapter)?  
3) I could use the information from this reading in the following way (at least one paragraph per chapter; may be related to your work role, career goals/objectives, or personal effectiveness):
For this week's peer responses:   Include at least two comments or reactions to each peer response; at least two thought-provoking questions about their posts. Consider discussing something you learned from your peer's post that you previously did not know. Make sure your response is thoughtful, civil, and adds something constructive to the conversation.







Week 7 Assignment: Final Assignment - Briefing the C-Suite
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Instructions
Imagine that you recently applied for a position to serve as a healthcare quality director for a healthcare organization.  You have made it to the final phase of the interview process.  The last step is to meet with the chief executive officer, chief operating officer, chief medical officer, chief nursing officer, and chief financial officer for a final interview.  As part of the final interview, the executive team has asked that you prepare and deliver a professional presentation highlighting your knowledge of healthcare quality, safety, and high reliability.  BEFORE you submit this assignment, ask yourself if this is a presentation that you would be comfortable presenting to a group of executives who are about to decide the trajectory of your career path.  
You received the following guidelines that the executive team asks you to adhere to:
1)  Define healthcare quality, healthcare safety, high reliability, and just culture
2) Outline the different types of human errors and causes of those errors in a healthcare setting
3) Explain what quality improvement method(s) you would encourage hospital staff to use to make healthcare safer for patients
4) What recommendations would you make to the executive team on how to best measure and evaluate safe performance
5) Describe the characteristics/behaviors that healthcare organizations must have in order to make progress toward high reliability
6) Explain what leadership skills and traits are necessary to drive the improvement of quality and safety in a healthcare organization
7) Of those leadership skills and traits you mentioned, where do you see yourself needing the most improvement, and why
8) Describe the current level of your own personal commitment to patient safety and why you feel you are the best candidate for the position of healthcare quality director.
Your presentation/slide show should contain at least 10-15 slides, not including the title and reference slides. You are required to provide narration for each slide. Your powerpoint MUST follow APA 7th edition guidelines and incorporate a minimum of three (3) current (within 5 years), scholarly/peer-reviewed references. Your presentation SHOULD BE between 10-15 minutes in length.
Click here to review instructions on how to record your presentation/slide show using PowerPoint.
For additional tips on constructing an effective PowerPoint presentation:
Link 1
Link 2
Domains and Associated Competencies Assessed:
1. Leadership
a. Leading Change
    2. Health and Healthcare Environment
a. Healthcare systems and organizations
    3. Business
a. General Management
b. Quality Improvement
Please review the rubric BEFORE you submit your assignment.
You will NOT be able to upload a file that is larger than 50MB in size.

Due on Jul 21, 2024 11:59 PM

W8: Patient Safety Concerns - A Debate
Must post first.
The following discussion topic comes from the culmination of the course material.
Prompt:  Select a patient safety issue that you feel is the most important for healthcare leaders to be concerned about. In a 2-3 minute video response, present an argument as to why you believe it is the most important safety issue and why.  Your argument should be convincing with the intent to get "buy-in" from someone with an opposing view.
For your peer responses, you MUST respond to at least two peers whose patient safety issue selection is different than your own.  Prepare a thoughtful response where you present an argument against their selection as to why you feel it is not the most important safety to be concerned about.  Your responses must be presented in a 2-3 minute video.