Strategic media planning: furthering the impact of health care advertising.

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Patrick, G

1985-11-01

The changing marketplace and the competitive atmosphere makes advertising increasingly necessary for health care providers. Alternative delivery systems are already using the media to promote their products and hospitals will also need to market the services they provide. This article traces the history of health care advertising and outlines how to prepare an effective media plan.

Emergency planning and management in health care: priority research topics.

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Boyd, Alan; Chambers, Naomi; French, Simon; Shaw, Duncan; King, Russell; Whitehead, Alison

2014-06-01

Many major incidents have significant impacts on people's health, placing additional demands on health-care organisations. The main aim of this paper is to suggest a prioritised agenda for organisational and management research on emergency planning and management relevant to U.K. health care, based on a scoping study. A secondary aim is to enhance knowledge and understanding of health-care emergency planning among the wider research community, by highlighting key issues and perspectives on the subject and presenting a conceptual model. The study findings have much in common with those of previous U.S.-focused scoping reviews, and with a recent U.K.-based review, confirming the relative paucity of U.K.-based research. No individual research topic scored highly on all of the key measures identified, with communities and organisations appearing to differ about which topics are the most important. Four broad research priorities are suggested: the affected public; inter- and intra-organisational collaboration; preparing responders and their organisations; and prioritisation and decision making.

Health Care Waste Segregation Behavior among Health Workers in Uganda: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior

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Martha Akulume

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. The goal of this study was to assess the appropriateness of the theory of planned behavior in predicting health care waste segregation behaviors and to examine the factors that influence waste segregation behaviors. Methodology. One hundred and sixty-three health workers completed a self-administered questionnaire in a cross-sectional survey that examined the theory of planned behavior constructs (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention and external variables (sociodemographic factors, personal characteristics, organizational characteristics, professional characteristics, and moral obligation. Results. For their most recent client 21.5% of the health workers reported that they most definitely segregated health care waste while 5.5% did not segregate. All the theory of planned behavior constructs were significant predictors of health workers’ segregation behavior, but intention emerged as the strongest and most significant (r=0.524, P<0.001. The theory of planned behavior model explained 52.5% of the variance in health workers’ segregation behavior. When external variables were added, the new model explained 66.7% of the variance in behavior. Conclusion. Generally, health workers’ health care waste segregation behavior was high. The theory of planned behavior significantly predicted health workers’ health care waste segregation behaviors.

The Malaysian health care system: Ecology, plans, and reforms

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Andrea Sebastian

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Malaysia is on its way to achieving developed nation status in the next 4 years. Currently, Malaysia is on track for three Millennium Development Goals (MDG1, MDG4, and MDG7. The maternal mortality rate, infant mortality rate, and mortality rate of children younger than 5 years improved from 25.6% (2012 to 6.6% (2013, and 7.7% (2012 per 100,000 live births, respectively whereas immunization coverage for infants increased to an average of 90%. As of 2013 the ratio of physicians to patients improved to 1:633 while the ratio of health facilities to the population was 1:10,272. The current government administration has proposed a reform in the form of the 10th Malaysian Plan coining the term “One Care for One Malaysia” as the newly improved and reorganized health care plan, where efficiency, effectiveness, and equity are the main focus. This review illustrates Malaysia’s transition from pre-independence to the current state, and its health and socioeconomic achievement as a country. It aims to contribute knowledge through identifying the plans and reforms by the Malaysian government while highlighting the challenges faced as a nation.

PLAN FOR PRIMARY HEALTH CARE IN MINAS GERAIS AND SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION

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Tatiana Oliveira Silva Bittencourt

2014-05-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to identify studies on the Master Plan for Primary Health Care from the year 2003. We conducted a bibliographic study on MEDLINE, LILACS, SCIELO , BDENF and Google Scholar . The results are detailed in tables and discussed from four themes. The Master Plan for Primary Health Care is an innovative and daring in the reorganization of primary care in the municipalities miners. Gave the participants an important opportunity for professional qualification. Difficulties in its implementation outperformed the potential and were present in most of the municipalities surveyed. Among the main challenges for its implementation highlights the lack of professional motivation and credibility by some involved in this process. The literature made little progress on this issue , and we hope that further research be undertaken in order to contribute to studies of evaluation of public policies and in particular the extension and consolidation of this plan.

Impact of a mobile health aplication in the nursing care plan compliance of a home care service in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

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de Britto, Felipe A; Martins, Tatiana B; Landsberg, Gustavo A P

2015-01-01

To assess impact of a mobile health solution in the nursing care plan compliance of a home care service. A retrospective cohort study was performed with 3,036 patients. Compliance rates before and after the implementation were compared. After the implementation of a mobile health aplication, compliance with the nursing care plan increased from 53% to 94%. The system reduced IT spending, increased the nursing team efficiency and prevented planned hiring. The use of a mobile health solution with geolocating feature by a nursing home care team increased compliance to the care plan.

Hospital and Health Plan Partnerships: The Affordable Care Act's Impact on Promoting Health and Wellness

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Vu, Michelle; White, Annesha; Kelley, Virginia P.; Hopper, Jennifer Kuca; Liu, Cathy

2016-01-01

Background The Affordable Care Act (ACA) healthcare reforms, centered on achieving the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Triple Aim goals of improving patient care quality and satisfaction, improving population health, and reducing costs, have led to increasing partnerships between hospitals and insurance companies and the implementation of employee wellness programs. Hospitals and insurance companies have opted to partner to distribute the risk and resources and increase coordination of care. Objective To examine the ACA's impact on the health and wellness programs that have resulted from the joint ventures of hospitals and health plans based on the published literature. Method We conducted a review of the literature to identify successful mergers and best practices of health and wellness programs. Articles published between January 2007 and January 2015 were compiled from various search engines, using the search terms “corporate,” “health and wellness program,” “health plan,” “insurance plan,” “hospital,” “joint venture,” and “vertical merger.” Publications that described consolidations or wellness programs not tied to health insurance plans were excluded. Noteworthy characteristics of these programs were summarized and tabulated. Results A total of 44 eligible articles were included in the analysis. The findings showed that despite rising healthcare costs, joint ventures prevent hospitals from trading-off quality and services for cost reductions. Administrators believed that partnering would allow the companies to meet ACA standards for improving clinical outcomes at reduced costs. Before the implementation of the ACA, some employers had wellness programs, but these were not standardized and did not need to produce measurable results. The ACA encouraged improvement of employee wellness programs by providing funding for expanded health services and by mandating quality care. Successful workplace health and wellness

Do employers know the quality of health care benefits they provide? Use of HEDIS depression scores for health plans.

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Robst, John; Rost, Kathryn; Marshall, Donna

2013-11-01

OBJECTIVE Dissemination of health quality measures is a necessary ingredient of efforts to harness market-based forces, such as value-based purchasing by employers, to improve health care quality. This study examined reporting of Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures for depression to firms interested in improving depression care. METHODS During surveys conducted between 2009 and 2011, a sample of 325 employers that were interested in improving depression treatment were asked whether their primary health plan reports HEDIS scores for depression to the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and if so, whether they knew the scores. Data about HEDIS reporting by the health plans were collected from the NCQA. RESULTS HEDIS depression scores were reported by the primary health plans of 154 (47%) employers, but only 7% of employers knew their plan's HEDIS scores. Because larger employers were more likely to report knowing the scores, 53% of all employees worked for employers who reported knowing the scores. A number of structural, health benefit, and need characteristics predicted knowledge of HEDIS depression scores by employers. CONCLUSIONS The study demonstrated that motivated employers did not know their depression HEDIS scores even when their plan publicly reported them. Measures of health care quality are not reaching the buyers of insurance products; however, larger employers were more likely to know the HEDIS scores for their health plan, suggesting that value-based purchasing may have some ability to affect health care quality.

Incorporating the Six Core Elements of Health Care Transition Into a Medicaid Managed Care Plan: Lessons Learned From a Pilot Project.

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McManus, Margaret; White, Patience; Pirtle, Robin; Hancock, Catina; Ablan, Michael; Corona-Parra, Raquel

2015-01-01

This pediatric-to-adult health care transition pilot project describes the process and results of incorporating the "Six Core Elements of Health Care Transition (2.0)" into a Medicaid managed care plan with a group of 35 18-23 year olds who have chronic mental health, developmental, and complex medical conditions. The pilot project demonstrated an effective approach for customizing and delivering recommended transition services. At the start of the 18-month project, the Medicaid plan was at the basic level (1) of transition implementation of the Six Core Elements with no transition policy, member transition readiness assessment results, health care transition plans of care, updated medical summaries, transfer package for the adult-focused provider, and assurance of transfer completion and consumer feedback. At the conclusion of the pilot project, the plan scored at level 3 on each core element. The primary reason for not scoring at the highest level (4) was because the transition elements have not been incorporated into services for all enrollees within the plan. Future efforts in managed care will benefit from starting the transition process much earlier (ages 12-14), expanding the role of nurse care managers and participating pediatric and adult-focused clinicians in transition, and offering payment incentives to clinicians to implement the Six Core Elements of Health Care Transition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Study protocol: cross-national comparative case study of recovery-focused mental health care planning and coordination (COCAPP).

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Simpson, Alan; Hannigan, Ben; Coffey, Michael; Jones, Aled; Barlow, Sally; Cohen, Rachel; Všetečková, Jitka; Faulkner, Alison; Haddad, Mark

2015-07-03

The collaborative care planning study (COCAPP) is a cross-national comparative study of care planning and coordination in community mental healthcare settings. The context and delivery of mental health care is diverging between the countries of England and Wales whilst retaining points of common interest, hence providing a rich geographical comparison for research. Across England the key vehicle for the provision of recovery-focused, personalised, collaborative mental health care is the care programme approach (CPA). The CPA is a form of case management introduced in England in 1991, then revised in 2008. In Wales the CPA was introduced in 2003 but has now been superseded by The Mental Health (Care Co-ordination and Care and Treatment Planning) (CTP) Regulations (Mental Health Measure), a new statutory framework. In both countries, the CPA/CTP requires providers to: comprehensively assess health/social care needs and risks; develop a written care plan (which may incorporate risk assessments, crisis and contingency plans, advanced directives, relapse prevention plans, etc.) in collaboration with the service user and carer(s); allocate a care coordinator; and regularly review care. The overarching aim of this study is to identify and describe the factors that ensure CPA/CTP care planning and coordination is personalised, recovery-focused and conducted collaboratively. COCAPP will employ a concurrent transformative mixed methods approach with embedded case studies. Phase 1 (Macro-level) will consider the national context through a meta-narrative mapping (MNM) review of national policies and the relevant research literature. Phase 2 (Meso-level and Micro-level) will include in-depth micro-level case studies of everyday 'frontline' practice and experience with detailed qualitative data from interviews and reviews of individual care plans. This will be nested within larger meso-level survey datasets, senior-level interviews and policy reviews in order to provide

Developing a promotion plan for health care marketing.

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Hallums, A

1994-07-01

Promotion of a health care provider's services is essential for communication with its customers and consumers. It is relevant to an organization's marketing strategy and is an element of what is described as the marketing mix. This paper considers the relationship of promotion to the marketing of services and proposes a plan for the promotion of the organization as a whole which can also be applied to an individual service or specialty. Whilst specific reference is made to an National Health Service (NHS) Trust it is also relevant to a Directly Managed Unit.

Health insurance coverage and use of family planning services among current and former foster youth: implications of the health care reform law.

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Dworsky, Amy; Ahrens, Kym; Courtney, Mark

2013-04-01

This research uses data from a longitudinal study to examine how two provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act could affect health insurance coverage among young women who have aged out of foster care. It also explores how allowing young people to remain in foster care until age twenty-one affects their health insurance coverage, use of family planning services, and information about birth control. We find that young women are more likely to have health insurance if they remain in foster care until their twenty-first birthday and that having health insurance is associated with an increase in the likelihood of receiving family planning services. Our results also suggest that many young women who would otherwise lack health insurance after aging out of foster care will be eligible for Medicaid under the health care reform law. Because having health insurance is associated with use of family planning services, this increase in Medicaid eligibility may result in fewer unintended pregnancies among this high-risk population.

Suicidal ideations, plans and attempts in primary care: cross-sectional study of consultants at primary health care system in Morocco.

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Oneib, Bouchra; Sabir, Maria; Otheman, Yassine; Abda, Naima; Ouanass, Abderrazzak

2016-01-01

The aim of the study is to estimate the prevalence of suicidal ideation among Moroccan consultants in primary health care system. We conducted a cross sectional survey in three health care centers in two cities of Morocco to estimate the prevalence of suicidal ideation, plan and suicide attempts among 396 consultants in the primary health care system, using the Mini International neuropsychiatric interview. Patients were 18 years and older, without known psychiatric or chronic somatic disease. Statistical analysis was performed by the SPSS 13.0 software. The prevalence of suicidal ideation was 5.3%, and 2.7% of the patients planned their suicide and 1.2% tried to commit suicide. The multivariate analysis did not demonstrate significant association. Suicidal ideation, plan and suicide attempts are prevalent in primary health care patients, but they are still under diagnosed. An adequate training of physicians and the establishment of education programs is essential to reduce the rate of suicide.

The effect of employee assistance plan benefits on the use of outpatient behavioral health care.

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Hodgkin, Dominic; Merrick, Elizabeth L; Hiatt, Deirdre; Horgan, Constance M; McGuire, Thomas G

2010-12-01

Nearly half of all US workers have access to an employee assistance plan (EAP). At the same time, most large US employers also purchase health benefits for their employees, and these benefits packages typically include behavioral health services. There is some potential overlap in services covered by the EAP and the health plan, and some employers choose to purchase the two jointly as an 'integrated product'. It is not clear whether EAP services substitute for outpatient behavioral health care services covered by the health plan. To evaluate how the number of EAP visits covered affects the use of regular outpatient behavioral health care (number of visits, and total spending), in an integrated product setting. Analysis of claims, eligibility and benefits data for 26,464 users of behavioral health care for the year 2005. For both EAP and regular behavioral health care, the individuals were enrolled with Managed Health Network (MHN), a large national specialty insurance plan. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to investigate the determinants of the number of regular outpatient visits, and spending for regular outpatient care. To address skewness in the dependent variables, the estimation used generalized linear models with a log link. A limited instrumental variable analysis was used to test for endogeneity of the number of EAP visits covered. Nearly half the enrollees in this sample were in employer plans that allowed 4-5 EAP visits per treatment episode, and 31% were allowed 3 EAP visits per year. Having an EAP visit allowance of 4-5 sessions per episode predicts fewer regular outpatient visits, compared with having an allowance of 3 sessions per year. More generous EAP allowances also reduce payments for outpatient care, with one exception. Greater availability of EAP benefits appears to reduce utilization of regular outpatient care, supporting the idea that the two types of care are to some extent perceived as substitutes. One limitation of this

Behavioral Health Services in the Changing Landscape of Private Health Plans.

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Horgan, Constance M; Stewart, Maureen T; Reif, Sharon; Garnick, Deborah W; Hodgkin, Dominic; Merrick, Elizabeth L; Quinn, Amity E

2016-06-01

Health plans play a key role in facilitating improvements in population health and may engage in activities that have an impact on access, cost, and quality of behavioral health care. Although behavioral health care is becoming more integrated with general medical care, its delivery system has unique aspects. The study examined how health plans deliver and manage behavioral health care in the context of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). This is a critical time to examine how health plans manage behavioral health care. A nationally representative survey of private health plans (weighted N=8,431 products; 89% response rate) was conducted in 2010 during the first year of MHPAEA, when plans were subject to the law but before final regulations, and just before the ACA went into effect. The survey addressed behavioral health coverage, cost-sharing, contracting arrangements, medical home innovations, support for technology, and financial incentives to improve behavioral health care. Coverage for inpatient and outpatient behavioral health services was stable between 2003 and 2010. In 2010, health plans were more likely than in 2003 to manage behavioral health care through internal arrangements and to contract for other services. Medical home initiatives were common and almost always included behavioral health, but financial incentives did not. Some plans facilitated providers' use of technology to improve care delivery, but this was not the norm. Health plans are key to mainstreaming and supporting delivery of high-quality behavioral health services. Since 2003, plans have made changes to support delivery of behavioral health services in the context of a rapidly changing environment.

Strategic Planning for Health Care Cost Controls in a Constantly Changing Environment.

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Hembree, William E

2015-01-01

Health care cost increases are showing a resurgence. Despite recent years' comparatively modest increases, the projections for 2015 cost increases range from 6.6% to 7%--three to four times larger than 2015's expected underlying inflation. This resurgence is just one of many rapidly changing external and internal challenges health plan sponsors must overcome (and this resurgence advances the date when the majority of employers will trigger the "Cadillac tax"). What's needed is a planning approach that is effective in overcoming all known and yet-to-be-discovered challenges, not just affordability. This article provides detailed guidance in adopting six proven strategic planning steps. Following these steps will proactively and effectively create a flexible strategic plan for the present and future of employers' health plans that will withstand all internal and external challenges.

A model linking clinical workforce skill mix planning to health and health care dynamics

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McDonnell Geoff

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In an attempt to devise a simpler computable tool to assist workforce planners in determining what might be an appropriate mix of health service skills, our discussion led us to consider the implications of skill mixing and workforce composition beyond the 'stock and flow' approach of much workforce planning activity. Methods Taking a dynamic systems approach, we were able to address the interactions, delays and feedbacks that influence the balance between the major components of health and health care. Results We linked clinical workforce requirements to clinical workforce workload, taking into account the requisite facilities, technologies, other material resources and their funding to support clinical care microsystems; gave recognition to productivity and quality issues; took cognisance of policies, governance and power concerns in the establishment and operation of the health care system; and, going back to the individual, gave due attention to personal behaviour and biology within the socio-political family environment. Conclusion We have produced the broad endogenous systems model of health and health care which will enable human resource planners to operate within real world variables. We are now considering the development of simple, computable national versions of this model.

A model linking clinical workforce skill mix planning to health and health care dynamics.

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Masnick, Keith; McDonnell, Geoff

2010-04-30

In an attempt to devise a simpler computable tool to assist workforce planners in determining what might be an appropriate mix of health service skills, our discussion led us to consider the implications of skill mixing and workforce composition beyond the 'stock and flow' approach of much workforce planning activity. Taking a dynamic systems approach, we were able to address the interactions, delays and feedbacks that influence the balance between the major components of health and health care. We linked clinical workforce requirements to clinical workforce workload, taking into account the requisite facilities, technologies, other material resources and their funding to support clinical care microsystems; gave recognition to productivity and quality issues; took cognisance of policies, governance and power concerns in the establishment and operation of the health care system; and, going back to the individual, gave due attention to personal behaviour and biology within the socio-political family environment. We have produced the broad endogenous systems model of health and health care which will enable human resource planners to operate within real world variables. We are now considering the development of simple, computable national versions of this model.

Strategic plan for geriatrics and extended care in the veterans health administration: background, plan, and progress to date.

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Shay, Kenneth; Hyduke, Barbara; Burris, James F

2013-04-01

The leaders of Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC) in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) undertook a strategic planning process that led to approval in 2009 of a multidisciplinary, evidence-guided strategic plan. This article reviews the four goals contained in that plan and describes VHA's progress in addressing them. The goals included transforming the healthcare system to a veteran-centric approach, achieving universal access to a panel of services, ensuring that the Veterans Affair's (VA) healthcare workforce was adequately prepared to manage the needs of the growing elderly veteran population, and integrating continuous improvement into all care enhancements. There has been substantial progress in addressing all four goals. All VHA health care has undergone an extensive transformation to patient-centered care, has enriched the services it can offer caregivers of dependent veterans, and has instituted models to better integrate VA and non-VA cares and services. A range of successful models of geriatric care described in the professional literature has been adapted to VA environments to gauge suitability for broader implementation. An executive-level task force developed a three-pronged approach for enhancing the VA's geriatric workforce. The VHA's performance measurement approaches increasingly include incentives to enhance the quality of management of vulnerable elderly adults in primary care. The GEC strategic plan was intended to serve as a road map for keeping VHA aligned with an ambitious but important long-term vision for GEC services. Although no discrete set of resources was appropriated for fulfillment of the plan's recommendations, this initial report reflects substantial progress in addressing most of its goals. © 2013, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2013, The American Geriatrics Society.

Economic planning and equilibrium growth of human resources and capital in health-care sector: Case study of Iran.

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Mahboobi-Ardakan, Payman; Kazemian, Mahmood; Mehraban, Sattar

2017-01-01

During different planning periods, human resources factor has been considerably increased in the health-care sector. The main goal is to determine economic planning conditions and equilibrium growth for services level and specialized workforce resources in health-care sector and also to determine the gap between levels of health-care services and specialized workforce resources in the equilibrium growth conditions and their available levels during the periods of the first to fourth development plansin Iran. In the study after data collection, econometric methods and EViews version 8.0 were used for data processing. The used model was based on neoclassical economic growth model. The results indicated that during the former planning periods, although specialized workforce has been increased significantly in health-care sector, lack of attention to equilibrium growth conditions caused imbalance conditions for product level and specialized workforce in health-care sector. In the past development plans for health services, equilibrium conditions based on the full employment in the capital stock, and specialized labor are not considered. The government could act by choosing policies determined by the growth model to achieve equilibrium level in the field of human resources and services during the next planning periods.

Reliability of a patient survey assessing cost-related changes in health care use among high deductible health plan enrollees

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Galbraith Alison A

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Recent increases in patient cost-sharing for health care have lent increasing importance to monitoring cost-related changes in health care use. Despite the widespread use of survey questions to measure changes in health care use and related behaviors, scant data exists on the reliability of such questions. Methods We administered a cross-sectional survey to a stratified random sample of families in a New England health plan's high deductible health plan (HDHP with ≥ $500 in annualized out-of-pocket expenditures. Enrollees were asked about their knowledge of their plan, information seeking, behavior change associated with having a deductible, experience of delay in care due in part to cost, and hypothetical delay in care due in part to cost. Initial respondents were mailed a follow-up survey within two weeks of each family returning the original survey. We computed several agreement statistics to measure the test-retest reliability for select questions. We also conducted continuity adjusted chi-square, and McNemar tests in both the original and follow-up samples to measure the degree to which our results could be reproduced. Analyses were stratified by self-reported income. Results The test-retest reliability was moderate for the majority of questions (0.41 - 0.60 and the level of test-retest reliability did not differ substantially across each of the broader domains of questions. The observed proportions of respondents with delayed or foregone pediatric, adult, or any family care were similar when comparing the original and follow-up surveys. In the original survey, respondents in the lower-income group were more likely to delay or forego pediatric care, adult care, or any family care. All of the tests comparing income groups in the follow-up survey produced the same result as in the original survey. Conclusions In this population of HDHP beneficiaries, we found that survey questions concerning plan knowledge, information

Role of GIS in social sector planning: can developing countries benefit from the examples of primary health care (PHC) planning in Britain?

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Ishfaq, Mohammad; Lodhi, Bilal Khan

2012-04-01

Social sector planning requires rational approaches where community needs are identified by referring to relative deprivation among localities and resources are allocated to address inequalities. Geographical information system (GIS) has been widely argued and used as a base for rational planning for equal resource allocation in social sectors around the globe. Devolution of primary health care is global strategy that needs pains taking efforts to implement it. GIS is one of the most important tools used around the world in decentralization process of primary health care. This paper examines the scope of GIS in social sector planning by concentration on primary health care delivery system in Pakistan. The work is based on example of the UK's decentralization process and further evidence from US. This paper argues that to achieve benefits of well informed decision making to meet the communities' needs GIS is an essential tool to support social sector planning and can be used without any difficulty in any environment. There is increasing trend in the use of Health Management Information System (HMIS) in Pakistan with ample internet connectivity which provides well established infrastructure in Pakistan to implement GIS for health care, however there is need for change in attitude towards empowering localities especially with reference to decentralization of decision making. This paper provides GIS as a tool for primary health care planning in Pakistan as a starting point in defining localities and preparing locality profiles for need identification that could help developing countries in implementing the change.

Strategic enterprise resource planning in a health-care system using a multicriteria decision-making model.

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Lee, Chang Won; Kwak, N K

2011-04-01

This paper deals with strategic enterprise resource planning (ERP) in a health-care system using a multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) model. The model is developed and analyzed on the basis of the data obtained from a leading patient-oriented provider of health-care services in Korea. Goal criteria and priorities are identified and established via the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Goal programming (GP) is utilized to derive satisfying solutions for designing, evaluating, and implementing an ERP. The model results are evaluated and sensitivity analyses are conducted in an effort to enhance the model applicability. The case study provides management with valuable insights for planning and controlling health-care activities and services.

Care planning for aggression management in a specialist secure mental health service: An audit of user involvement.

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Hallett, Nutmeg; Huber, Jörg W; Sixsmith, Judith; Dickens, Geoffrey L

2016-12-01

This paper describes an audit of prevention and management of violence and aggression care plans and incident reporting forms which aimed to: (i) report the compliance rate of completion of care plans; (ii) identify the extent to which patients contribute to and agree with their care plan; (iii) describe de-escalation methods documented in care plans; and (iv) ascertain the extent to which the de-escalation methods described in the care plan are recorded as having been attempted in the event of an incident. Care plans and incident report forms were examined for all patients in men's and women's mental health care pathways who were involved in aggressive incidents between May and October 2012. In total, 539 incidents were examined, involving 147 patients and 121 care plans. There was no care plan in place at the time of 151 incidents giving a compliance rate of 72%. It was documented that 40% of patients had contributed to their care plans. Thematic analysis of de-escalation methods documented in the care plans revealed five de-escalation themes: staff interventions, interactions, space/quiet, activities and patient strategies/skills. A sixth category, coercive strategies, was also documented. Evidence of adherence to de-escalation elements of the care plan was documented in 58% of incidents. The reasons for the low compliance rate and very low documentation of patient involvement need further investigation. The inclusion of coercive strategies within de-escalation documentation suggests that some staff fundamentally misunderstand de-escalation. © 2016 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.

42 CFR 460.106 - Plan of care.

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2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Plan of care. 460.106 Section 460.106 Public Health... ALL-INCLUSIVE CARE FOR THE ELDERLY (PACE) PROGRAMS OF ALL-INCLUSIVE CARE FOR THE ELDERLY (PACE) PACE Services § 460.106 Plan of care. (a) Basic requirement. The interdisciplinary team must promptly develop a...

Providing general and preconception health care to low income women in family planning settings: perception of providers and clients.

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Bronstein, Janet M; Felix, Holly C; Bursac, Zoran; Stewart, M Kathryn; Foushee, H Russell; Klapow, Joshua

2012-02-01

This study examines both provider and client perceptions of the extent to which general health concerns are addressed in the context of publicly supported family planning care. A mail survey of family planning providers (n = 459) accepting Medicaid-covered clients in Arkansas and Alabama gathered data on reported actions and resource referral availability for ten categories of non-contraceptive health concerns. A telephone survey of recent family planning clients of these providers (n = 1991) gathered data on the presence of 16 health concerns and whether and how they were addressed by the family planning provider. Data were collected in 2006-2007. More than half (56%) of clients reported having one or more general health concerns. While 43% of those concerns had been discussed with the family planning providers, only 8% had been originally identified by these providers. Women with higher trust in physicians and usual sources of general health care were more likely to discuss their concerns. Of those concerns discussed, 39% were reportedly treated by the family planning provider. Similarly, over half of responding providers reported providing treatment for acute and chronic health conditions and counseling on health behaviors during family planning visits. Lack of familiarity with referral resources for uninsured clients was identified as a significant concern in the provision of care to these clients. Greater engagement by providers in identifying client health concerns and better integration of publicly supported family planning with other sources of health care for low income women could expand the existing potential for delivering preconception or general health care in these settings.

Is it time to abandon care planning in mental health services? A qualitative study exploring the views of professionals, service users and carers.

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Brooks, Helen L; Lovell, Karina; Bee, Penny; Sanders, Caroline; Rogers, Anne

2018-06-01

It has been established that mental health-care planning does not adequately respond to the needs of those accessing services. Understanding the reasons for this and identifying whose needs care plans serve requires an exploration of the perspectives of service users, carers and professionals within the wider organizational context. To explore the current operationalization of care planning and perceptions of its function within mental health services from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders. Participants included 21 mental health professionals, 29 service users and 4 carers from seven Mental Health Trusts in England. All participants had experience of care planning processes within secondary mental health-care services. Fifty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants and analysed utilizing a qualitative framework approach. Care plans and care planning were characterized by a failure to meet the complexity of mental health needs, and care planning processes were seen to prioritize organizational agendas and risk prevention which distanced care planning from the everyday lives of service users. Care planning is recognized, embedded and well established in the practices of mental health professionals and service users. However, it is considered too superficial and mainly irrelevant to users for managing mental health in their everyday lives. Those responsible for the planning and delivery of mental health services should consider ways to increase the relevance of care planning to the everyday lives of service users including separating risk from holistic needs assessment, using support aids and utilizing a peer workforce in this regard. © 2017 The Authors Health Expectations published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Developing a mental health care plan in a low resource setting: the theory of change approach.

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Hailemariam, Maji; Fekadu, Abebaw; Selamu, Medhin; Alem, Atalay; Medhin, Girmay; Giorgis, Tedla Wolde; DeSilva, Mary; Breuer, Erica

2015-09-28

Scaling up mental healthcare through integration into primary care remains the main strategy to address the extensive unmet mental health need in low-income countries. For integrated care to achieve its goal, a clear understanding of the organisational processes that can promote and hinder the integration and delivery of mental health care is essential. Theory of Change (ToC), a method employed in the planning, implementation and evaluation of complex community initiatives, is an innovative approach that has the potential to assist in the development of a comprehensive mental health care plan (MHCP), which can inform the delivery of integrated care. We used the ToC approach to develop a MHCP in a rural district in Ethiopia. The work was part of a cross-country study, the Programme for Improving Mental Health Care (PRIME) which focuses on developing evidence on the integration of mental health in to primary care. An iterative ToC development process was undertaken involving multiple workshops with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds that included representatives from the community, faith and traditional healers, community associations, non-governmental organisations, Zonal, Regional and Federal level government offices, higher education institutions, social work and mental health specialists (psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses). The objective of this study is to report the process of implementing the ToC approach in developing mental health care plan. A total of 46 persons participated in four ToC workshops. Four critical path dimensions were identified: community, health facility, administrative and higher level care organisation. The ToC participants were actively engaged in the process and the ToC encouraged strong commitment among participants. Key opportunities and barriers to implementation and how to overcome these were suggested. During the workshops, a map incorporating the key agreed outcomes and outcome indicators was developed and finalized later

[Local planning: the speech of basic health care center manager].

Science.gov (United States)

Cubas, Márcia Regina

2005-01-01

As planning is understood as a management tool, this article offers an argument through the speech framework of Basic Health Care Center Managers in the city of Curitiba-PR, by means of the Collective Subject Speech Methodology on local planning aspects. Its purpose is to bring local managers to a reflection concerning their styles, practices and experiences, as well as to collaborate with central level leading teams towards building their planning processes in an upward, participatory, communicative and strategic way. Considerations of the speeches built from central ideas are presented: planning methodology; inter-sectoriality; territorial basis; team and community participation; training, autonomy and particular profile of local managers; the manager's agenda; and institutional culture.

The Bambuí Health and Aging Study (BHAS: private health plan and medical care utilization by older adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lima-Costa Maria Fernanda F.

2002-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this cross sectional study was to investigate whether holding a private health plan affects the consumption of medical services (hospitalization and visits to a doctor and use of medications by older adults. All residents in Bambuí town (Minas Gerais, Brazil aged > or = 60 years (n = 1,742 were selected. From these, 92.2% were interviewed and 85.9% were examined (blood tests and physical measurements. After adjustments for counfounders, those under exclusive public coverage (n = 1,296, compared with those holding a private health plan (n = 310, presented some evidence of having worse health status, reported less visits to a doctor, and used a small number of prescribed medications. The main explanation for the aged holding a private health plan was economic, not health. Even though those who had only public health coverage complained more in relation to medical care (70.9%, an important proportion of the aged with a private health care plan presented some kind of complaint (45.2%. Another worrying factor was the difficulty to acquire medication because of financial problems (47.2 and 25.2% reported, respectively. Further investigations are needed to verify whether our results can be generalized to other communities of the country.

Economic planning and equilibrium growth of human resources and capital in health-care sector: Case study of Iran

Science.gov (United States)

Mahboobi-Ardakan, Payman; Kazemian, Mahmood; Mehraban, Sattar

2017-01-01

CONTEXT: During different planning periods, human resources factor has been considerably increased in the health-care sector. AIMS: The main goal is to determine economic planning conditions and equilibrium growth for services level and specialized workforce resources in health-care sector and also to determine the gap between levels of health-care services and specialized workforce resources in the equilibrium growth conditions and their available levels during the periods of the first to fourth development plansin Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the study after data collection, econometric methods and EViews version 8.0 were used for data processing. The used model was based on neoclassical economic growth model. RESULTS: The results indicated that during the former planning periods, although specialized workforce has been increased significantly in health-care sector, lack of attention to equilibrium growth conditions caused imbalance conditions for product level and specialized workforce in health-care sector. CONCLUSIONS: In the past development plans for health services, equilibrium conditions based on the full employment in the capital stock, and specialized labor are not considered. The government could act by choosing policies determined by the growth model to achieve equilibrium level in the field of human resources and services during the next planning periods. PMID:28616419

Shared Decision-Making in Youth Mental Health Care: Using the Evidence to Plan Treatments Collaboratively.

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Langer, David A; Jensen-Doss, Amanda

2016-12-02

The shared decision-making (SDM) model is one in which providers and consumers of health care come together as collaborators in determining the course of care. The model is especially relevant to youth mental health care, when planning a treatment frequently entails coordinating both youth and parent perspectives, preferences, and goals. The present article first provides the historical context of the SDM model and the rationale for increasing our field's use of SDM when planning psychosocial treatments for youth and families. Having established the potential utility of SDM, the article then discusses how to apply the SDM model to treatment planning for youth psychotherapy, proposing a set of steps consistent with the model and considerations when conducting SDM with youth and families.

Advance care planning with individuals experiencing homelessness: Literature review and recommendations for public health practice.

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Hubbell, Sarah A

2017-09-01

Vulnerable populations in the United States experience disparities in access to advance care planning and may have significant unmet health care needs at the end of life, including unrelieved suffering. People who are homeless have increased morbidity and mortality risks, yet lack opportunities to communicate end-of-life preferences. This paper includes a narrative literature review of advance care planning interventions and qualitative investigations into end-of-life concerns among people experiencing homelessness. Trials of clinician-guided interventions with homeless individuals demonstrated effectiveness in achieving advance directive completion and surrogate decision-maker designation. End-of-life concerns among homeless persons included fears of dying alone, dying unnoticed, or remaining unidentified after death. Research participants also reported concerns regarding burial and notification of family members. Public health practitioners should facilitate advance care planning for people who are homeless by providing opportunities for education and discussion on care options and advance directives. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Individual and organizational impact of enterprises resources planning system in health care sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ilyas, A.; Fiaz, M.; Tayyaba, A.

2016-01-01

Use of ERPS (Enterprise Resource Planning System) in health care sector has positive impacts. The purpose of this research is to find out the individual and organizational impact in health care sector. Hypotheses were postulated that the use of ERPS has positive individual and organizational impacts. A research questionnaire was used to test these hypotheses which have twelve dimensions for both impacts. This instrument was adopted from literature and self-administrated to 504 individuals with response rate of 60 percentage and only 56 percentage of questionnaires were used. The results of this study revealed that the use of ERPS has positive individual and organizational impacts. This study will help the health care organizations to find out impacts of ERPS in health care sector and also to better understand the individual and organizational impacts. (author)

Building on a national health information technology strategic plan for long-term and post-acute care: comments by the Long Term Post Acute Care Health Information Technology Collaborative.

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Alexander, Gregory L; Alwan, Majd; Batshon, Lynne; Bloom, Shawn M; Brennan, Richard D; Derr, John F; Dougherty, Michelle; Gruhn, Peter; Kirby, Annessa; Manard, Barbara; Raiford, Robin; Serio, Ingrid Johnson

2011-07-01

The LTPAC (Long Term Post Acute Care) Health Information Technology (HIT) Collaborative consists of an alliance of long-term services and post-acute care stakeholders. Members of the collaborative are actively promoting HIT innovations in long-term care settings because IT adoption for health care institutions in the United States has become a high priority. One method used to actively promote HIT is providing expert comments on important documents addressing HIT adoption. Recently, the Office of the National Coordinator for HIT released a draft of the Federal Health Information Technology Strategic Plan 2011-2015 for public comment. The following brief is intended to inform about recommendations and comments made by the Collaborative on the strategic plan. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

Health Care Waste Segregation Behavior among Health Workers in Uganda: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior

OpenAIRE

Akulume, Martha; Kiwanuka, Suzanne N.

2016-01-01

Objective. The goal of this study was to assess the appropriateness of the theory of planned behavior in predicting health care waste segregation behaviors and to examine the factors that influence waste segregation behaviors. Methodology. One hundred and sixty-three health workers completed a self-administered questionnaire in a cross-sectional survey that examined the theory of planned behavior constructs (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention) and externa...

The evolving role and care management approaches of safety-net Medicaid managed care plans.

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Gusmano, Michael K; Sparer, Michael S; Brown, Lawrence D; Rowe, Catherine; Gray, Bradford

2002-12-01

This article provides new empirical data about the viability and the care management activities of Medicaid managed-care plans sponsored by provider organizations that serve Medicaid and other low-income populations. Using survey and case study methods, we studied these "safety-net" health plans in 1998 and 2000. Although the number of safety-net plans declined over this period, the surviving plans were larger and enjoying greater financial success than the plans we surveyed in 1998. We also found that, based on a partnership with providers, safety-net plans are moving toward more sophisticated efforts to manage the care of their enrollees. Our study suggests that, with supportive state policies, safety-net plans are capable of remaining viable. Contracting with safety-net plans may not be an efficient mechanism for enabling Medicaid recipients to "enter the mainstream of American health care," but it may provide states with an effective way to manage and coordinate the care of Medicaid recipients, while helping to maintain the health care safety-net for the uninsured.

Evaluation of the diabetes health plan to improve diabetes care and prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Duru, O Kenrik; Mangione, Carol M; Chan, Charles; Keckhafer, Abigail; Kimbro, Lindsay; Kirvan, K Anya; Turk, Norman; Luchs, Robert; Li, Jinnan; Ettner, Susan

2013-01-01

Investigators from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and members of the leadership and data analysis teams at UnitedHealthcare (UHC) are partnering to evaluate the Diabetes Health Plan (DHP), an innovative disease-specific insurance product designed by UHC specifically for patients with prediabetes or diabetes. The DHP provides improved access to care management, telephone coaching, and enhanced Internet-based communication with enrollees. The evaluation will use a quasi-experimental design, comparing patients from employer groups that offer the DHP with patients from groups that do not, to determine the effect of the DHP on incidence of diabetes, adherence to metformin, and costs of care among patients with prediabetes. Other factors studied will be cardiovascular risk factor control, adherence to preventive services, health care use, and costs of care among patients with existing diabetes.

Provider Tools for Advance Care Planning and Goals of Care Discussions: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Myers, Jeff; Cosby, Roxanne; Gzik, Danusia; Harle, Ingrid; Harrold, Deb; Incardona, Nadia; Walton, Tara

2018-01-01

Advance care planning and goals of care discussions involve the exploration of what is most important to a person, including their values and beliefs in preparation for health-care decision-making. Advance care planning conversations focus on planning for future health care, ensuring that an incapable person's wishes are known and can guide the person's substitute decision maker for future decision-making. Goals of care discussions focus on preparing for current decision-making by ensuring the person's goals guide this process. To provide evidence regarding tools and/or practices available for use by health-care providers to effectively facilitate advance care planning conversations and/or goals of care discussions. A systematic review was conducted focusing on guidelines, randomized trials, comparative studies, and noncomparative studies. Databases searched included MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the proceedings of the International Advance Care Planning Conference and the American Society of Clinical Oncology Palliative Care Symposium. Although several studies report positive findings, there is a lack of consistent patient outcome evidence to support any one clinical tool for use in advance care planning or goals of care discussions. Effective advance care planning conversations at both the population and the individual level require provider education and communication skill development, standardized and accessible documentation, quality improvement initiatives, and system-wide coordination to impact the population level. There is a need for research focused on goals of care discussions, to clarify the purpose and expected outcomes of these discussions, and to clearly differentiate goals of care from advance care planning.

An internet tool for creation of cancer survivorship care plans for survivors and health care providers: design, implementation, use and user satisfaction.

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Hill-Kayser, Christine E; Vachani, Carolyn; Hampshire, Margaret K; Jacobs, Linda A; Metz, James M

2009-09-04

Survivorship care plans have been recommended by the Institute of Medicine for all cancer survivors. We implemented an Internet-based tool for creation of individualized survivorship care plans. To our knowledge, this is the first tool of this type to be designed and made publicly accessible. To investigate patterns of use and satisfaction with an Internet-based tool for creation of survivorship care plans. OncoLife, an Internet-based program for creation of survivorship care plans, was designed by a team of dedicated oncology nurses and physicians at the University of Pennsylvania. The program was designed to provide individualized, comprehensive health care recommendations to users responding to queries regarding demographics, diagnosis, and cancer treatments. After being piloted to test populations, OncoLife was made publicly accessible via Oncolink, a cancer information website based at the University of Pennsylvania which averages 3.9 million page views and over 385,000 unique visits per month. Data entered by anonymous public users was maintained and analyzed. From May 2007 to November 2008, 3343 individuals utilized this tool. Most (63%) identified themselves as survivors, but also health care providers (25%) and friends/family of survivors (12%). Median age at diagnosis was 48 years (18-100+), and median current age 51 (19-100+). Most users were Caucasian (87%), female (71%), and college-educated (82%). Breast cancer was the most common diagnosis (46%), followed by hematologic (12%), gastrointestinal (11%), gynecologic (9%), and genitourinary (8%). Of all users, 84% had undergone surgery, 80% chemotherapy, and 60% radiotherapy. Half of users (53%) reported receiving follow-up care from only an oncologist, 13% only a primary care provider (PCP), and 32% both; 12% reported having received survivorship information previously. Over 90% of users, both survivors and health care providers, reported satisfaction levels of "good" to "excellent" using this tool

Internal marketing within a health care organization: developing an implementation plan.

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Hallums, A

1994-05-01

This paper discusses how the concept of internal marketing can be applied within a health care organization. In order to achieve a market orientation an organization must identify the needs and wants of its customers and how these may change in the future. In order to achieve this, internal marketing is a necessary step to the implementation of the organizations marketing strategy. An outline plan for the introduction of an internal marketing programme within an acute hospital trust is proposed. The plan identifies those individuals and departments who should be involved in the planning and implementation of the programme. The benefits of internal marketing to the Trust are also considered.

Local health and social care responses to implementing the national cold weather plan.

Science.gov (United States)

Heffernan, C; Jones, L; Ritchie, B; Erens, B; Chalabi, Zaid; Mays, N

2017-09-18

The Cold Weather Plan (CWP) for England was launched by the Department of Health in 2011 to prevent avoidable harm to health by cold weather by enabling individuals to prepare and respond appropriately. This study sought the views of local decision makers involved in the implementation of the CWP in the winter of 2012/13 to establish the effects of the CWP on local planning. It was part of a multi-component independent evaluation of the CWP. Ten LA areas were purposively sampled which varied in level of deprivation and urbanism. Fifty-two semi-structured interviews were held with health and social care managers involved in local planning between November 2012 and May 2013. Thematic analysis revealed that the CWP was considered a useful framework to formalize working arrangements between agencies though local leadership varied across localities. There were difficulties in engaging general practitioners, differences in defining vulnerable individuals and a lack of performance monitoring mechanisms. The CWP was welcomed by local health and social care managers, and improved proactive winter preparedness. Areas for improvement include better integration with general practice, and targeting resources at socially isolated individuals in cold homes with specific interventions aimed at reducing social isolation and building community resilience. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Integrating evidence-based interventions into client care plans.

Science.gov (United States)

Doran, Diane; Carryer, Jennifer; Paterson, Jane; Goering, Paula; Nagle, Lynn; Kushniruk, Andre; Bajnok, Irmajean; Clark, Carrie; Srivastava, Rani

2009-01-01

Within the mental health care system, there is an opportunity to improve patient safety and the overall quality of care by integrating clinical practice guidelines with the care planning process through the use of information technology. Electronic assessment tools such as the Resident Assessment Inventory - Mental Health (RAI-MH) are widely used to identify the health care needs and outcomes of clients. In this knowledge translation initiative, an electronic care planning tool was enhanced to include evidence-based clinical interventions from schizophrenia guidelines. This paper describes the development of a mental health decision support prototype, a field test by clinicians, and user experiences with the application.

How do African American men rate their health care? An analysis of the consumer assessment of health plans 2003-2006.

Science.gov (United States)

Elder, Keith; Meret-Hanke, Louise; Dean, Caress; Wiltshire, Jacqueline; Gilbert, Keon L; Wang, Jing; Shacham, Enbal; Barnidge, Ellen; Baker, Elizabeth; Wray, Ricardo; Rice, Shahida; Johns, Marquisha; Moore, Tondra

2015-05-01

African American (AA) men remain one of the most disconnected groups from health care. This study examines the association between AA men's rating of health care and rating of their personal physician. The sample included 12,074 AA men aged 18 years or older from the 2003 to 2006 waves of the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Adult Commercial Health Plan Survey. Multilevel models were used to obtain adjusted means rating of health care systems and personal physician, and the relationship of ratings with the rating of personal physician. The adjusted means were 80 (on a 100-point scale) for most health ratings and composite health care scores: personal physician (83.9), specialist (83.66), health care (82.34), getting needed care (89.57), physician communication (83.17), medical staff courtesy (86.58), and customer service helpfulness (88.37). Physician communication was the strongest predictor for physician rating. AA men's health is understudied, and additional research is warranted to improve how they interface with the health care system. © The Author(s) 2014.

Advance care planning in CKD/ESRD: an evolving process.

Science.gov (United States)

Holley, Jean L

2012-06-01

Advance care planning was historically considered to be simply the completion of a proxy (health care surrogate designation) or instruction (living will) directive that resulted from a conversation between a patient and his or her physician. We now know that advance care planning is a much more comprehensive and dynamic patient-centered process used by patients and families to strengthen relationships, achieve control over medical care, prepare for death, and clarify goals of care. Some advance directives, notably designated health care proxy documents, remain appropriate expressions of advance care planning. Moreover, although physician orders, such as do-not-resuscitate orders and Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, may not be strictly defined as advance directives, their completion, when appropriate, is an integral component of advance care planning. The changing health circumstances and illness trajectory characteristic of ESRD mandate that advance care planning discussions adapt to a patient's situation and therefore must be readdressed at appropriate times and intervals. The options of withholding and withdrawing dialysis add ESRD-specific issues to advance care planning in this population and are events each nephrologist will at some time confront. Advance care planning is important throughout the spectrum of ESRD and is a part of nephrology practice that can be rewarding to nephrologists and beneficial to patients and their families.

Reforming the health care system: implications for health care marketers.

Science.gov (United States)

Petrochuk, M A; Javalgi, R G

1996-01-01

Health care reform has become the dominant domestic policy issue in the United States. President Clinton, and the Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have all proposed legislation to reform the system. Regardless of the plan which is ultimately enacted, health care delivery will be radically changed. Health care marketers, given their perspective, have a unique opportunity to ensure their own institutions' success. Organizational, managerial, and marketing strategies can be employed to deal with the changes which will occur. Marketers can utilize personal strategies to remain proactive and successful during an era of health care reform. As outlined in this article, responding to the health care reform changes requires strategic urgency and action. However, the strategies proposed are practical regardless of the version of health care reform legislation which is ultimately enacted.

Health Care Personnel’s Awareness, Attitudes and Implementations About Emergency Contraception and other Family Planning Procedures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gül PINAR

2005-09-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine health care personnel’s awareness, attitudes and implementations about emergency contraception and other family planning procedures Design: 50 physicians and 100 nurses, who had accepted to participate in the questionnaire, Setting: Ankara Etlik Maternity Hospital Interventions: Questionnaire was performed amoung 50 physicians and 100 nurses, who had accepted to participate. In the questionnaire, in addition to questions developed by researchers which focus on sociodemographic backgrounds of the health care personnel, questions aiming at revealing awareness, attitudes and implementations about emergency contraception and other family planning procedures. Main outcome measures: Data were analyzed by SPSS. A x_ test was used and percent were determined. The threshold of significance was defined as p\tplanning procedures of the health care personnel.

Potential determinants of health-care professionals' use of survivorship care plans: a qualitative study using the theoretical domains framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Birken, Sarah A; Presseau, Justin; Ellis, Shellie D; Gerstel, Adrian A; Mayer, Deborah K

2014-11-15

Survivorship care plans are intended to improve coordination of care for the nearly 14 million cancer survivors in the United States. Evidence suggests that survivorship care plans (SCPs) have positive outcomes for survivors, health-care professionals, and cancer programs, and several high-profile organizations now recommend SCP use. Nevertheless, SCP use remains limited among health-care professionals in United States cancer programs. Knowledge of barriers to SCP use is limited in part because extant studies have used anecdotal evidence to identify determinants. This study uses the theoretical domains framework to identify relevant constructs that are potential determinants of SCP use among United States health-care professionals. We conducted semi-structured interviews to assess the relevance of 12 theoretical domains in predicting SCP use among 13 health-care professionals in 7 cancer programs throughout the United States with diverse characteristics. Relevant theoretical domains were identified through thematic coding of interview transcripts, identification of specific beliefs within coded text units, and mapping of specific beliefs onto theoretical constructs. We found the following theoretical domains (based on specific beliefs) to be potential determinants of SCP use: health-care professionals' beliefs about the consequences of SCP use (benefit to survivors, health-care professionals, and the system as a whole); motivation and goals regarding SCP use (advocating SCP use; extent to which using SCPs competed for health-care professionals' time); environmental context and resources (whether SCPs were delivered at a dedicated visit and whether a system, information technology, and funding facilitated SCP use); and social influences (whether using SCPs is an organizational priority, influential people support SCP use, and people who could assist with SCP use buy into using SCPs). Specific beliefs mapped onto the following psychological constructs: outcome

Positioning pharmacists' roles in primary health care: a discourse analysis of the compensation plan in Alberta, Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Hughes, Christine A; Breault, Rene R; Hicks, Deborah; Schindel, Theresa J

2017-11-23

A comprehensive Compensation Plan for pharmacy services delivered by community pharmacists was implemented in Alberta, Canada in July 2012. Services covered by the Compensation Plan include care planning services, prescribing services such as adapting prescriptions, and administering a drug or publicly-funded vaccine by injection. Understanding how the Compensation Plan was framed and communicated provides insight into the roles of pharmacists and the potential influence of language on the implementation of services covered by the Compensation Plan by Albertan pharmacists. The objective of this study is to examine the positioning of pharmacists' roles in documents used to communicate the Compensation Plan to Albertan pharmacists and other audiences. Publicly available documents related to the Compensation Plan, such as news releases or reports, published between January 2012 and December 2015 were obtained from websites such as the Government of Alberta, Alberta Blue Cross, the Alberta College of Pharmacists, the Alberta Pharmacists' Association, and the Blueprint for Pharmacy. Searches of the Canadian Newsstand database and Google identified additional documents. Discourse analysis was performed using social positioning theory to explore how pharmacists' roles were constructed in communications about the Compensation Plan. In total, 65 publicly available documents were included in the analysis. The Compensation Plan was put forward as a framework for payment for professional services and formal legitimization of pharmacists' changing professional roles. The discourse associated with the Compensation Plan positioned pharmacists' roles as: (1) expanding to include services such as medication management for chronic diseases, (2) contributing to primary health care by providing access to services such as prescription renewals and immunizations, and (3) collaborating with other health care team members. Pharmacists' changing roles were positioned in alignment with the

Positioning pharmacists’ roles in primary health care: a discourse analysis of the compensation plan in Alberta, Canada

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christine A. Hughes

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A comprehensive Compensation Plan for pharmacy services delivered by community pharmacists was implemented in Alberta, Canada in July 2012. Services covered by the Compensation Plan include care planning services, prescribing services such as adapting prescriptions, and administering a drug or publicly-funded vaccine by injection. Understanding how the Compensation Plan was framed and communicated provides insight into the roles of pharmacists and the potential influence of language on the implementation of services covered by the Compensation Plan by Albertan pharmacists. The objective of this study is to examine the positioning of pharmacists’ roles in documents used to communicate the Compensation Plan to Albertan pharmacists and other audiences. Methods Publicly available documents related to the Compensation Plan, such as news releases or reports, published between January 2012 and December 2015 were obtained from websites such as the Government of Alberta, Alberta Blue Cross, the Alberta College of Pharmacists, the Alberta Pharmacists’ Association, and the Blueprint for Pharmacy. Searches of the Canadian Newsstand database and Google identified additional documents. Discourse analysis was performed using social positioning theory to explore how pharmacists’ roles were constructed in communications about the Compensation Plan. Results In total, 65 publicly available documents were included in the analysis. The Compensation Plan was put forward as a framework for payment for professional services and formal legitimization of pharmacists’ changing professional roles. The discourse associated with the Compensation Plan positioned pharmacists’ roles as: (1 expanding to include services such as medication management for chronic diseases, (2 contributing to primary health care by providing access to services such as prescription renewals and immunizations, and (3 collaborating with other health care team members

Health care's new game changer. Thinking like a health plan.

Science.gov (United States)

Eggbeer, Bill; Bowers, Krista

2014-10-01

The transition for hospitals from having only a provider's perspective to thinking more like a health plan will require strategic alignment on four fronts: Health plan alignment. Hospital and physician alignment. Leadership alignment. Organizational alignment.

Awakening consumer stewardship of health benefits: prevalence and differentiation of new health plan models.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenthal, Meredith; Milstein, Arnold

2004-08-01

Despite widespread publicity of consumer-directed health plans, little is known about their prevalence and the extent to which their designs adequately reflect and support consumerism. We examined three types of consumer-directed health plans: health reimbursement accounts (HRAs), premium-tiered, and point-of-care tiered benefit plans. We sought to measure the extent to which these plans had diffused, as well as to provide a critical look at the ways in which these plans support consumerism. Consumerism in this context refers to efforts to enable informed consumer choice and consumers' involvement in managing their health. We also wished to determine whether mainstream health plans-health maintenance organization (HMO), point of service (POS), and preferred provider organization (PPO) models-were being influenced by consumerism. Our study uses national survey data collected by Mercer Human Resource Consulting from 680 national and regional commercial health benefit plans on HMO, PPO, POS, and consumer-directed products. We defined consumer-directed products as health benefit plans that provided (1) consumer incentives to select more economical health care options, including self-care and no care, and (2) information and support to inform such selections. We asked health plans that offered consumer-directed products about 2003 enrollment, basic design features, and the availability of decision support. We also asked mainstream health plans about their activities that supported consumerism (e.g., proactive outreach to inform or influence enrollee behavior, such as self-management or preventive care, reminders sent to patients with identified medical conditions.) We analyzed survey responses for all four product lines in order to identify those plans that offer health reimbursement accounts (HRAs), premium-tiered, or point-of-care tiered models as well as efforts of mainstream health plans to engage informed consumer decision making. The majority of enrollees in

[Occupational health protection in business economics--business plan for health intervention].

Science.gov (United States)

Rydlewska-Liszkowska, Izabela

2011-01-01

One of the company's actions for strengthening human capital is the protection of health and safety of its employees. Its implementation needs financial resources, therefore, employers expect tangible effectiveness in terms of health and economics. Business plan as an element of company planning can be a helpful tool for new health interventions management. The aim of this work was to elaborate a business plan framework for occupational health interventions at the company level, combining occupational health practices with company management and economics. The business plan of occupational health interventions was based on the literature review, the author's own research projects and meta-analysis of research reports on economic relations between occupational health status and company productivity. The study resulted in the development of the business plan for occupational health interventions at the company level. It consists of summary and several sections that address such issues as the key elements of the intervention discussed against a background of the company economics and management, occupational health and safety status of the staff, employees' health care organization, organizational plan of providing the employees with health protection, marketing plan, including specificity of health interventions in the company marketing plan and financial plan, reflecting the economic effects of health care interventions on the overall financial management of the company. Business plan defines occupational health and safety interventions as a part of the company activities as a whole. Planning health care interventions without relating them to the statutory goals of the company may have the adverse impact on the financial balance and profitability of the company. Therefore, business plan by providing the opportunity of comparing different options of occupational health interventions to be implemented by employers is a key element of the management of employees

How well does a single question about health predict the financial health of Medicare managed care plans?

Science.gov (United States)

Bierman, A S; Bubolz, T A; Fisher, E S; Wasson, J H

1999-01-01

Responses to simple questions that predict subsequent health care utilization are of interest to both capitated health plans and the payer. To determine how responses to a single question about general health status predict subsequent health care expenditures. Participants in the 1992 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey were asked the following question: "In general, compared to other people your age, would you say your health is: excellent, very good, good, fair or poor?" To obtain each participant's total Medicare expenditures and number of hospitalizations in the ensuing year, we linked the responses to this question with data from the 1993 Medicare Continuous History Survey. Nationally representative sample of 8775 noninstitutionalized Medicare beneficiaries 65 years of age and older. Annual age- and sex-adjusted Medicare expenditures and hospitalization rates. Eighteen percent of the beneficiaries rated their health as excellent, 56% rated it as very good or good, 17% rated it as fair, and 7% rated it as poor. Medicare expenditures had a marked inverse relation to self-assessed health ratings. In the year after assessment, age- and sex-adjusted annual expenditures varied fivefold, from $8743 for beneficiaries rating their health as poor to $1656 for beneficiaries rating their health as excellent. Hospitalization rates followed the same pattern: Respondents who rated their health as poor had 675 hospitalizations per 1000 beneficiaries per year compared with 136 per 1000 for those rating their health as excellent. The response to a single question about general health status strongly predicts subsequent health care utilization. Self-reports of fair or poor health identify a group of high-risk patients who may benefit from targeted interventions. Because the current Medicare capitation formula does not account for health status, health plans can maximize profits by disproportionately enrolling beneficiaries who judge their health to be good. However, they are at

An HIT Solution for Clinical Care and Disaster Planning: How One health Center in Joplin, MO Survived a Tornado and Avoided a Health Information Disaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Peter; Jacobs, Feygele

2012-01-01

Since taking office, President Obama has made substantial investments in promoting the diffusion of health information technology (IT). The objective of the national health IT program is, generally, to enable health care providers to better manage patient care through secure use and sharing of health information. Through the use of technologies including electronic health records, providers can better maintain patient care information and facilitate communication, often improving care outcomes. The recent tornado in Joplin, MO highlights the importance of health information technology in the health center context, and illustrates the importance of secure electronic health information systems as a crucial element of disaster and business continuity planning. This article examines the experience of a community health center in the aftermath of the major tornado that swept through the American Midwest in the spring of 2011, and provides insight into the planning for disaster survival and recovery as it relates to patient records and health center data.

Seeing Health Insurance and HealthCare.gov Through the Eyes of Young Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Charlene A; Asch, David A; Vinoya, Cjloe M; Ford, Carol A; Baker, Tom; Town, Robert; Merchant, Raina M

2015-08-01

We describe young adults' perspectives on health insurance and HealthCare.gov, including their attitudes toward health insurance, health insurance literacy, and benefit and plan preferences. We observed young adults aged 19-30 years in Philadelphia from January to March 2014 as they shopped for health insurance on HealthCare.gov. Participants were then interviewed to elicit their perceived advantages and disadvantages of insurance and factors considered important for plan selection. A 1-month follow-up interview assessed participants' plan enrollment decisions and intended use of health insurance. Data were analyzed using qualitative methodology, and salience scores were calculated for free-listing responses. We enrolled 33 highly educated young adults; 27 completed the follow-up interview. The most salient advantages of health insurance for young adults were access to preventive or primary care (salience score .28) and peace of mind (.27). The most salient disadvantage was the financial strain of paying for health insurance (.72). Participants revealed poor health insurance literacy with 48% incorrectly defining deductible and 78% incorrectly defining coinsurance. The most salient factors reported to influence plan selection were deductible (.48) and premium (.45) amounts as well as preventive care (.21) coverage. The most common intended health insurance use was primary care. Eight participants enrolled in HealthCare.gov plans: six selected silver plans, and three qualified for tax credits. Young adults' perspective on health insurance and enrollment via HealthCare.gov can inform strategies to design health insurance plans and communication about these plans in a way that engages and meets the needs of young adult populations. Copyright © 2015 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How institutional forces, ideas and actors shaped population health planning in Australian regional primary health care organisations.

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Javanparast, Sara; Freeman, Toby; Baum, Fran; Labonté, Ronald; Ziersch, Anna; Mackean, Tamara; Reed, Richard; Sanders, David

2018-03-20

Worldwide, there are competing norms driving health system changes and reorganisation. One such norm is that of health systems' responsibilities for population health as distinct from a focus on clinical services. In this paper we report on a case study of population health planning in Australian primary health care (PHC) organisations (Medicare Locals, 2011-2015). Drawing on institutional theory, we describe how institutional forces, ideas and actors shaped such planning. We reviewed the planning documents of the 61 Medicare Locals and rated population health activities in each Medicare Local. We also conducted an online survey and 50 interviews with Medicare Local senior staff, and an interview and focus group with Federal Department of Health staff. Despite policy emphasis on population health, Medicare Locals reported higher levels of effort and capacity in providing clinical services. Health promotion and social determinants of health activities were undertaken on an ad hoc basis. Regulatory conditions imposed by the federal government including funding priorities and time schedules, were the predominant forces constraining population health planning. In some Medicare Locals, this was in conflict with the normative values and what Medicare Locals felt ought to be done. The alignment between the governmental and the cultural-cognitive forces of a narrow biomedical approach privileged clinical practice and ascribed less legitimacy to action on social determinants of health. Our study also shed light on the range of PHC actors and how their agency influenced Medicare Locals' performance in population health. The presence of senior staff or community boards with a strong commitment to population health were important in directing action towards population health and equity. There are numerous institutional, normative and cultural factors influencing population health planning. The experience of Australian Medicare Locals highlights the difficulties of planning in

Blood donor: nursing care plan

OpenAIRE

Marco Antonio Zapata Sampedro; Laura Castro Varela

2008-01-01

The standardized nursing care plan can be used as a means through which the nurse will assess and identify the particular needs of the blood donor.To draw up the care plan, we have conducted the evaluation on the basis of the Marjory Gordon’s functional health patterns.The more prevailing diagnosis according to the NANDA taxonomy have been identified, results have been established according to the NOC (Nursing Outcomes Classification) taxonomy, and nursing interventions have been suggested ac...

Physicians' Plan for a healthy Minnesota. The MMA proposal for health care reform. The report of the Minnesota Medical Association Health Care Reform Task Force.

Science.gov (United States)

2005-03-01

The health care system in the United States, according to some, is on the verge of imploding. The rapidly rising cost of services is causing more and more Minnesotans to forego needed care. At the same time, the increasing costs are placing additional pressure on families, businesses, and state and local government budgets. The Minnesota Medical Association's (MMA) Health Care Reform Task Force has proposed a bold new approach that seeks to ensure affordable health care for all Minnesotans. The proposal is a roadmap to provide all Minnesotans with affordable insurance for essential health care services. In creating this plan, the task force strove to achieve three common reform goals: expand access to care, improve quality, and control costs. To achieve those ends, it has proposed a model built on four key features: (1) A strong public health system, (2) A reformed insurance market that delivers universal coverage, (3) A reformed health care delivery market that creates incentives for increasing value, (4) Systems that fully support the delivery of high-quality care. The task force believes that these elements will provide the foundation for a system that serves everyone and allows Minnesotans to purchase better health care at a relatively lower price. Why health care reform again? The average annual cost of health care for an average Minnesota household is about 11,000 dollars--an amount that's projected to double by 2010, if current trends continue. Real wages are not growing fast enough to absorb such cost increases. If unabated, these trends portend a reduction in access to and quality of care, and a heavier economic burden on individuals, employers, and the government. Furthermore, Minnesota and the United States are not getting the best value for their health care dollars. The United States spends 50 percent more per capita than any other country on health care but lags far behind other countries in the health measures of its population.

A Universal Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan: Introducing the New Allergy and Anaphylaxis Care Plan From the American Academy of Pediatrics.

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Pistiner, Michael; Mattey, Beth

2017-09-01

Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening emergency. In the school setting, school nurses prepare plans to prevent an emergency, educating staff and students on life-threatening allergies. A critical component of any emergency plan is a plan of care in the event of accidental ingestion or exposure to an antigen to prevent the sequelae of untreated anaphylaxis. A universal anaphylaxis emergency care plan developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and reviewed by NASN offers an opportunity for schools, family, and health care providers to use one standard plan and avoid confusion. The plan and benefits of use are described in this article.

Utilization of health care services in rural and urban areas: a determinant factor in planning and managing health care delivery systems.

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Oladipo, Jimoh Ayanda

2014-06-01

Disparities in use of healthcare services between rural and urban areas have been empirically attributed to several factors. This study explores the existence of this disparity and its implication for planning and managing healthcare delivery systems. The objectives determine the relative importance of the various predisposing, enabling, need and health services factors on utilization of health services; similarity between rural and urban areas; and major explanatory variables for utilization. A four-stage model of service utilization was constructed with 31 variables under appropriate model components. Data is collected using cross-sectional sample survey of 1086 potential health services consumers in selected health facilities and resident milieu via questionnaire. Data is analyzed using factor analysis and cross tabulation. The 4-stage model is validated for the aggregate data and data for the rural areas with 3-stage model for urban areas. The order of importance of the factors is need, enabling, predisposing and health services. 11 variables are found to be powerful predictors of utilization. Planning of different categories of health care facilities in different locations should be based on utilization rates while proper management of established facilities should aim to improve health seeking behavior of people.

Strategic planning and marketing research for older, inner-city health care facilities: a case study.

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Wood, V R; Robertson, K R

1992-01-01

Numerous health care facilities, located in downtown metropolitan areas, now find themselves surrounded by a decaying inner-city environment. Consumers may perceive these facilities as "old," and catering to an "urban poor" consumer. These same consumers may, therefore, prefer to patronize more modern facilities located in suburban areas. This paper presents a case study of such a health care facility and how strategic planning and marketing research were conducted in order to identify market opportunities and new strategic directions.

The facilitators’ point of view regarding the primary health care planning as a continuing education program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kênia Lara Silva

2012-09-01

Full Text Available This is a qualitative study that aims at analyzing the Primary Health Care Strategic Planning in a continuing education process, as well as the professional’s formation to work as facilitators in it. Data was obtained through interviews with 11 nurses that had acted as the plan’s facilitators in a municipality within Belo Horizonte. The results indicate that the experience as facilitators allowed them to reflect on the work process and this practice contributed to the incorporation of new tools to the primary health care system. The participants reported the difficulties faced when conducting the experience and the gap in the professionals’ formation to act in the PHC and to put into practice the processes of continuing education on a day to day basis. In conclusion, the Planning represents an important continuing education strategy and it is significance to transform processes and practices in the primary health care service.

Improving the physical health of people with severe mental illness in a low secure forensic unit: An uncontrolled evaluation study of staff training and physical health care plans.

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Haddad, Mark; Llewellyn-Jones, Sian; Yarnold, Steve; Simpson, Alan

2016-12-01

The life expectancy of people with severe mental illnesses is substantially reduced, and monitoring and screening for physical health problems is a key part of addressing this health inequality. Inpatient admission presents a window of opportunity for this health-care activity. The present study was conducted in a forensic mental health unit in England. A personal physical health plan incorporating clearly-presented and easily-understood values and targets for health status in different domains was developed. Alongside this, a brief physical education session was delivered to health-care staff (n = 63). Printed learning materials and pedometers and paper tape measures were also provided. The impact was evaluated by a single-group pretest post-test design; follow-up measures were 4 months' post-intervention. The feasibility and acceptability of personal health plans and associated resources were examined by free-text questionnaire responses. Fifty-seven staff provided measures of attitudes and knowledge before training and implementation of the physical health plans. Matched-pairs analysis indicated a modest but statistically-significant improvement in staff knowledge scores and attitudes to involvement in physical health care. Qualitative feedback indicated limited uptake of the care plans and perceived need for additional support for better adoption of this initiative. Inpatient admission is a key setting for assessing physical health and promoting improved management of health problems. Staff training and purpose-designed personalized care plans hold potential to improve practice and outcomes in this area, but further support for such innovations appears necessary for their uptake in inpatient mental health settings. © 2016 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.

Evaluation of a co-delivered training package for community mental health professionals on service user- and carer-involved care planning.

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Grundy, A C; Walker, L; Meade, O; Fraser, C; Cree, L; Bee, P; Lovell, K; Callaghan, P

2017-08-01

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: There is consistent evidence that service users and carers feel marginalized in the process of mental health care planning. Mental health professionals have identified ongoing training needs in relation to involving service users and carers in care planning. There is limited research on the acceptability of training packages for mental health professionals which involve service users and carers as co-facilitators. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER ADD TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: A co-produced and co-delivered training package on service user- and carer-involved care planning was acceptable to mental health professionals. Aspects of the training that were particularly valued were the co-production model, small group discussion and the opportunity for reflective practice. The organizational context of care planning may need more consideration in future training models. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Mental health nurses using co-production models of delivering training to other mental health professionals can be confident that such initiatives will be warmly welcomed, acceptable and engaging. On the basis of the results reported here, we encourage mental health nurses to use co-production approaches more often. Further research will show how clinically effective this training is in improving outcomes for service users and carers. Background There is limited evidence for the acceptability of training for mental health professionals on service user- and carer-involved care planning. Aim To investigate the acceptability of a co-delivered, two-day training intervention on service user- and carer-involved care planning. Methods Community mental health professionals were invited to complete the Training Acceptability Rating Scale post-training. Responses to the quantitative items were summarized using descriptive statistics (Miles, ), and qualitative responses were coded using content analysis (Weber, ). Results Of 350 trainees, 310 completed the

Advance Care Planning Documentation in Electronic Health Records: Current Challenges and Recommendations for Change.

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Lamas, Daniela; Panariello, Natalie; Henrich, Natalie; Hammes, Bernard; Hanson, Laura C; Meier, Diane E; Guinn, Nancy; Corrigan, Janet; Hubber, Sean; Luetke-Stahlman, Hannah; Block, Susan

2018-04-01

To develop a set of clinically relevant recommendations to improve the state of advance care planning (ACP) documentation in the electronic health record (EHR). Advance care planning (ACP) is a key process that supports goal-concordant care. For preferences to be honored, clinicians must be able to reliably record, find, and use ACP documentation. However, there are no standards to guide ACP documentation in the electronic health record (EHR). We interviewed 21 key informants to understand the strengths and weaknesses of EHR documentation systems for ACP and identify best practices. We analyzed these interviews using a qualitative content analysis approach and subsequently developed a preliminary set of recommendations. These recommendations were vetted and refined in a second round of input from a national panel of content experts. Informants identified six themes regarding current inadequacies in documentation and accessibility of ACP information and opportunities for improvement. We offer a set of concise, clinically relevant recommendations, informed by expert opinion, to improve the state of ACP documentation in the EHR.

Planning for interprofessional change in primary health care: exploring the use of the Interprofessional Resource Centre

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patterson C

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Christine Patterson,1 Heather Arthur,1,2 Gladys Peachey,1 Julie Vohra,1 David Price,3 Dave Pearson,4 Rob Mariani51School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; 2Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario/Michael G DeGroote Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Nursing Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; 3Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; 4Central West Local Health Integration Network, Brampton, ON, Canada; 5Ascentum Consulting, Ottawa, ON, CanadaImportance: Resources to support change are needed for solo practitioners who are transitioning to family health teams (FHTs which involve multiple health disciplines working together to provide team-based care.Objective: The purpose of this project was: (1 to explore the use of an online resource, the Interprofessional Resource Centre (IRC, when planning for interprofessional change and; (2 to explore the experience of planning interprofessional change.Design and setting: Six FHTs organized under the structure of one Local Health Integrated Network (LHIN in Ontario, Canada.Intervention: Participants in six FHTs were directed to the IRC to support planning interprofessional change. In addition, two of the six FHTs participated in pilot site meetings with investigators where they received in-person support to apply the information from the IRC to an interprofessional activity.Results: Pilot site participants reported the IRC was useful for planning, but they cited lack of time to use it as a key barrier. When planning for interprofessional change, providers experienced challenges with physician buy-in and team dynamics. As a strategy for change, providers would like to learn from other FHTs who have experienced success with interprofessional change; at the LHIN level, they saw a need for more educational opportunities. Participation was found to be low among those only receiving online support.Conclusion and

Responsive partisanship: public support for the clinton and obama health care plans.

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Kriner, Douglas L; Reeves, Andrew

2014-08-01

We examine the contours of support for the Clinton and Obama health care plans during the 1990s and 2000s based on our own compilation of 120,000 individual-level survey responses from throughout the debates. Despite the rise of the Tea Party, and the racialization of health care politics, opinion dynamics are remarkably similar in both periods. Party ID is the single most powerful predictor of support for reform and the president's handling of it. Contrary to prominent claims, after controlling for partisanship, demographic characteristics are at best weak predictors of support for reform. We also show that Clinton and Obama did not "lose" blacks, seniors, or wealthy voters over the course of the debate. The small and often nonexistent relationship between these characteristics and support for the plan are constant over time. Instead, the modest fluctuations in support for reform appear to follow the ebb and flow of elite rhetoric. Both mean levels of support and its volatility over time covary with elite partisan discourse. These findings suggest that presidents courting public opinion should seek consensus among their own party's elites before appealing to other narrower interests. Copyright © 2014 by Duke University Press.

Quality Assessment of Family Planning Sterilization Services at Health Care Facilities: Case Record Audit.

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Mathur, Medha; Goyal, Ram Chandra; Mathur, Navgeet

2017-05-01

Quality of sterilization services is a matter of concern in India because population control is a necessity. Family Planning Sterilization (FPS) services provided at public health care facilities need to be as per Standard Operating Procedures. To assess the quality of FPS services by audit of case records at selected health care facilities. This cross-sectional study was conducted for two and a half year duration at selected public health care facilities of central India by simple random sampling where FPS services were provided. As per the standards of Government of India, case records were audited and compliance was calculated to assess the quality of services. Results of record audit were satisfactory but important criteria like previous contraceptive history and postoperative counselling were found to be deviated from standards. At Primary Health Centres (PHCs) only 89.5% and at Community Health Centres (CHCs) 58.7% of records were having details of previous contraceptive history. Other criteria like mental illness (only 70% at CHCs) assessment were also inadequate. Although informed consent was found to be having 100% compliance in all records. Quality of care in FPS services is the matter of concern in present scenario for better quality of services. This study may enlighten the policy makers regarding improvements needed for providing quality care.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of 1,985 Buddhist monks in Thailand concerning family planning, sterilization and primary health care.

Science.gov (United States)

Muangman, D; Hirunraks, A

1983-12-01

Pretested questionnaires were used with 2000 Buddhist monks in 4 regions of Thailand to learn about the monks' characteristics and background, their attitudes on family planning and primary health care, and their knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning sterilization with a focus on vasectomy. Randomly selected, the monks were individually interviewed using well trained local teachers with the staff from the Faculty of Public Health, Mohidol University acting as field supervisors. There were completed data on 1985 monks. 95% of the monks were single whith the average age of 28. The majority had only 4 years of education and an agriculture background. The mass media channels of radio and newspapers could reach about half of them. The majority were well informed about population problems and gave strong backing to the family planning policy of the Thai government. 79% stated that family planning practices are not sinful. They also had positive attitudes toward small families and the spacing of childred in the 1st year of marriage and after delivery of the 1st child. The majority wanted to be trained in primary health care and were willing to use their wats as health depots. The monks were well informed about oral contraceptives (OCs), the IUD, condoms, and male and female sterilization methods. Vasectomy cases were very small. This might be due to their large number being single. A large number had nevative attitudes toward vasectomy. The monks thought men were afraid of sexual impotence post-vasectomy. During monkhood might be the best time to give these young men more correct information concerning family planning and primary health care, for they would have enough time to learn and think positively. After 3 months are over, about 2/3 of these monks will leave their priesthood and probably marry and have childred. If they have had short training in family planning and primary health care, they will be prepared to provide primary health care services to their

Care plans and care planning in the management of long-term conditions in the UK: a controlled prospective cohort study.

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Reeves, David; Hann, Mark; Rick, Jo; Rowe, Kelly; Small, Nicola; Burt, Jenni; Roland, Martin; Protheroe, Joanne; Blakeman, Tom; Richardson, Gerry; Kennedy, Anne; Bower, Peter

2014-09-01

In the UK, the use of care planning and written care plans has been proposed to improve the management of long-term conditions, yet there is limited evidence concerning their uptake and benefits. To explore the implementation of care plans and care planning in the UK and associations with the process and outcome of care. A controlled prospective cohort study among two groups of patients with long-term conditions who were similar in demographic and clinical characteristics, but who were registered with general practices varying in their implementation of care plans and care planning. Implementation of care plans and care planning in general practice was assessed using the 2009-2010 GP Patient Survey, and relationships with patient outcomes (self-management and vitality) were examined using multilevel, mixed effects linear regression modelling. The study recruited 38 practices and 2439 patients. Practices in the two groups (high and low users of written documents) were similar in structural and population characteristics. Patients in the two groups of practices were similar in demographics and baseline health. Patients did demonstrate significant differences in reported experiences of care planning, although the differences were modest. Very few patients in the cohort reported a written plan that could be confirmed. Analysis of outcomes suggested that most patients show limited change over time in vitality and self-management. Variation in the use of care plans at the practice level was very limited and not related to patient outcomes over time. The use of written care plans in patients with long-term conditions is uncommon and unlikely to explain a substantive amount of variation in the process and outcome of care. More proactive efforts at implementation may be required to provide a rigorous test of the potential of care plans and care planning. © British Journal of General Practice 2014.

ERISA and health plans.

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Schmidt, P; Mazo, J; Ladenheim, K

1995-11-01

This Issue Brief is designed to provide a basic understanding of the relationship of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to health plans. It is based, in part, on an Employee Benefit Research Institute-Education and Research Fund (EBRI-ERF) educational briefing held in March 1995. This report includes a section by Peter Schmidt of Arnold & Porter, a section about multiemployer plans written by Judy Mazo of The Segal Company; and a section about ERISA and state health reform written by Kala Ladenheim of the Intergovernmental Health Policy Project. Starting in the late 1980s, three trends converged to make ERISA a critical factor in state health reforms: increasingly comprehensive state health policy experimentation; changes in the makeup of the insurance market (including the rise in self-insurance and the growth of managed care); and increasingly expansive interpretations of ERISA by federal courts. The changing interpretations of ERISA's relationship to three categories of state health initiatives--insurance mandates, medical high risk pools, and uncompensated care pools--illustrate how these forces are playing out today. ERISA does have a very broad preemptive effect. Federal statutes do not need to say anything about preemption in order to preempt state law. For example, if there is a direct conflict, it would be quite clear under the Supremacy Clause [of the U.S. Constitution] that ERISA, or any federal statue, would preempt a directly conflicting state statute. States can indirectly regulate health care plans that provide benefits through insurance contracts by establishing the terms of the contract. And they also raise money by imposing premium taxes. But they cannot do the same with respect to self-funded plans. That is one of the factors that has caused a great rise in the number of self-funded plans. State regulation [of employee benefits] can create three kinds of problems: cost of taxes, fees, or other charges; cost of dealing

Medicare Managed Care plan Performance, A Comparison...

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The study evaluates the performance of Medicare managed care, Medicare Advantage, Plans in comparison to Medicare fee-for-service Plans in three states with...

Ordinary risks and accepted fictions: how contrasting and competing priorities work in risk assessment and mental health care planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Coffey, Michael; Cohen, Rachel; Faulkner, Alison; Hannigan, Ben; Simpson, Alan; Barlow, Sally

2017-06-01

Communication and information sharing are considered crucial to recovery-focused mental health services. Effective mental health care planning and coordination includes assessment and management of risk and safety. Using data from our cross-national mixed-method study of care planning and coordination, we examined what patients, family members and workers say about risk assessment and management and explored the contents of care plans. Thematic analysis of qualitative research interviews (n = 117) with patients, family members and workers, across four English and two Welsh National Health Service sites. Care plans were reviewed (n = 33) using a structured template. Participants have contrasting priorities in relation to risk. Patients see benefit in discussions about risk, but cast the process as a worker priority that may lead to loss of liberty. Relationships with workers are key to family members and patients; however, worker claims of involving people in the care planning process do not extend to risk assessment and management procedures for fear of causing upset. Workers locate risk as coming from the person rather than social or environmental factors, are risk averse and appear to prioritize the procedural aspects of assessment. Despite limitations, risk assessment is treated as legitimate work by professionals. Risk assessment practice operates as a type of fiction in which poor predictive ability and fear of consequences are accepted in the interests of normative certainty by all parties. As a consequence, risk adverse options are encouraged by workers and patients steered away from opportunities for ordinary risks thereby hindering the mobilization of their strengths and abilities. © 2016 The Authors. Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Discharge-planning for long-term care needs: the values and priorities of older people, their younger relatives and health professionals.

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Denson, Linley A; Winefield, Helen R; Beilby, Justin J

2013-03-01

Discharge-planning decisions about long-term care (LTC) can be difficult and distressing for older people, families and discharge-planning health professionals. Retrospective research suggests that despite good intentions and a shared focus on the best interests of the older person, stakeholders may hold very different values about good outcomes and how to decide them. We aimed to compare the opinions and values of frail elders living at home, younger relatives and health professionals experienced in discharge-planning, prospectively: before, not after, a LTC decision. We interviewed three types of stakeholders (10 older people, 8 relatives and 18 health professionals) using a hypothetical vignette about a frail elder leaving hospital. In a mixed methods design, we quantitatively compared the discharge plans and decision-makers that stakeholders suggested, and qualitatively analysed the 36 interview transcripts for participants' articulation of underlying values during these discussions. Older participants often suggested safe restrictive options (residential care, proxy decision-making) for the hypothetical frail elder, while advocating autonomy for themselves. Younger people generally endorsed autonomous decision-making and less restrictive discharge options especially if the elder was mentally competent, but reported difficult ethical tensions between safety and autonomy. Individual personality and preferences, mental capacity, and the importance of personal care in supporting autonomy were central themes consistent with the Ecological Theory of Aging. Accordingly, discharge planners can usefully articulate the balance of safety and autonomy, conceptualizing home care as maintaining independence rather than accepting dependence. Ethical training should incorporate sophisticated models of practice specifying both psychological and physical safety as components of beneficence. Few elders adopt a consumer approach to LTC: health professionals can encourage mid

[Primary care nurses' difficulties in advance care planning processes: A qualitative study].

Science.gov (United States)

Granero-Moya, Nani; Frías-Osuna, Antonio; Barrio-Cantalejo, Inés M; Ramos-Morcillo, Antonio Jesús

2016-12-01

To know the primary care nurses' difficulties to promote advance care planning process with patients in the end of life. Phenomenological qualitative methodology. Health Management Area North of Jaén. Primary care nurses. Purposive sampling. Fourteen in-depth interviews were conducted until the speeches saturation. Content analysis in four steps: transcription, coding, obtaining results and conclusions verification. Supported whit the software Nvivo 8. Triangulation of results between researchers. Professionals' difficulties: Lack of knowledge about the topic, lack of communication skills, lack of experience and presence of negative emotions. In the health institution lack of time and interference with other professionals is a barrier. Also the patient's attitude and the family are identified as an obstacle because few people speak about the end of life. Finally, our society prevents open discussion about issues related to death. Professional learning about advanced care planning, training in communication skills and emotional education are necessary. Health managers should consider the fact that early interventions for planning health decisions require training, time and continued attention. If a cultural change does not happen, an evasive way to face the end of life will persist. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Health behavior change in advance care planning: an agent-based model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalie C. Ernecoff

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A practical and ethical challenge in advance care planning research is controlling and intervening on human behavior. Additionally, observing dynamic changes in advance care planning (ACP behavior proves difficult, though tracking changes over time is important for intervention development. Agent-based modeling (ABM allows researchers to integrate complex behavioral data about advance care planning behaviors and thought processes into a controlled environment that is more easily alterable and observable. Literature to date has not addressed how best to motivate individuals, increase facilitators and reduce barriers associated with ACP. We aimed to build an ABM that applies the Transtheoretical Model of behavior change to ACP as a health behavior and accurately reflects: 1 the rates at which individuals complete the process, 2 how individuals respond to barriers, facilitators, and behavioral variables, and 3 the interactions between these variables. Methods We developed a dynamic ABM of the ACP decision making process based on the stages of change posited by the Transtheoretical Model. We integrated barriers, facilitators, and other behavioral variables that agents encounter as they move through the process. Results We successfully incorporated ACP barriers, facilitators, and other behavioral variables into our ABM, forming a plausible representation of ACP behavior and decision-making. The resulting distributions across the stages of change replicated those found in the literature, with approximately half of participants in the action-maintenance stage in both the model and the literature. Conclusions Our ABM is a useful method for representing dynamic social and experiential influences on the ACP decision making process. This model suggests structural interventions, e.g. increasing access to ACP materials in primary care clinics, in addition to improved methods of data collection for behavioral studies, e.g. incorporating

Health behavior change in advance care planning: an agent-based model.

Science.gov (United States)

Ernecoff, Natalie C; Keane, Christopher R; Albert, Steven M

2016-02-29

A practical and ethical challenge in advance care planning research is controlling and intervening on human behavior. Additionally, observing dynamic changes in advance care planning (ACP) behavior proves difficult, though tracking changes over time is important for intervention development. Agent-based modeling (ABM) allows researchers to integrate complex behavioral data about advance care planning behaviors and thought processes into a controlled environment that is more easily alterable and observable. Literature to date has not addressed how best to motivate individuals, increase facilitators and reduce barriers associated with ACP. We aimed to build an ABM that applies the Transtheoretical Model of behavior change to ACP as a health behavior and accurately reflects: 1) the rates at which individuals complete the process, 2) how individuals respond to barriers, facilitators, and behavioral variables, and 3) the interactions between these variables. We developed a dynamic ABM of the ACP decision making process based on the stages of change posited by the Transtheoretical Model. We integrated barriers, facilitators, and other behavioral variables that agents encounter as they move through the process. We successfully incorporated ACP barriers, facilitators, and other behavioral variables into our ABM, forming a plausible representation of ACP behavior and decision-making. The resulting distributions across the stages of change replicated those found in the literature, with approximately half of participants in the action-maintenance stage in both the model and the literature. Our ABM is a useful method for representing dynamic social and experiential influences on the ACP decision making process. This model suggests structural interventions, e.g. increasing access to ACP materials in primary care clinics, in addition to improved methods of data collection for behavioral studies, e.g. incorporating longitudinal data to capture behavioral dynamics.

Differences in Receipt of Three Preventive Health Care Services by Race/Ethnicity in Medicare Advantage Plans: Tracking the Impact of Pay for Performance, 2010 and 2013

Science.gov (United States)

Palta, Mari; Smith, Maureen; Oliver, Thomas R.; DuGoff, Eva H.

2016-01-01

Introduction In 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced the Quality Bonus Payment Demonstration, a pay-for-performance (P4P) program, into Medicare Advantage plans. Previous studies documented racial/ethnic disparities in receipt of care among participants in these plans. The objective of this study was to determine whether P4P incentives have affected these disparities in Medicare Advantage plans. Methods We studied 411 Medicare Advantage health plans that participated in the Medicare Health Outcome Survey in 2010 and 2013. Preventive health care was defined as self-reported receipt of health care provider communication or treatment to reduce risk of falling, improve bladder control, and monitor physical activity among individuals reporting these problems. Logistic regression stratified by health care plan was used to examine racial/ethnic disparities in receipt of preventive health care before and after the introduction of the P4P program in 2012. Results We found similar racial/ethnic differences in receipt of preventive health care before and after the introduction of P4P. Blacks and Asians were less likely than whites to receive advice to improve bladder control and more likely to receive advice to reduce risk of falling and improve physical activity. Hispanics were more likely to report receiving advice about all 3 health issues than whites. After the introduction of P4P, the gap decreased between Hispanics and whites for improving bladder control and monitoring physical activity and increased between blacks and whites for monitoring physical activity. Conclusion Racial/ethnic differences in receipt of preventive health care are not always in the expected direction. CMS should consider developing a separate measure of equity in preventive health care services to encourage health plans to reduce gaps among racial/ethnic groups in receiving preventive care services. PMID:27609303

Primary health care in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Deodhar, N S

1982-03-01

Concurrently with the development of the general health services infrastructure in India, serveral special health programs were instituted at the national level to provide a massive and concentrated assault on the major public health problems of malaria, smallpox, cholera, trachoma, tuberculosis, leprosy, filariasis, and the rapid population growth. These vertical programs were expected to reduce the heavy morbidity and mortality within the shortest possible time to where they were no longer major public health problems. The impact was variable. Major steps toward providing integrated health care were taken during the first 5-year plan. Emphasis was on the provision of a packet of inttegrated health, family planning, and nutrition services to the vulnerable groups, i.e., children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers. To rectify past shortcomings ssuch as the failures of the national health programs, ineffective coordination in the nutrition programs, and slow rate of development as a result of interdependence of different sectors, it was necessary to improve the health infrastructure and to launch a frontal attack on poverty. The Multipurpose Health Workers Scheme was planned to rationalize the organization and use of available manpower to reduce the area and population covered by each of the field staff in order to reduce travel time and to make services more effective and more satisfactory. Each multipurpose health worker was entrusted with the task of providing comprehensive health care to about 5000 people. Communicable diseases were the main public health problems, and many specific control/eradication programs were launched. the immunization programs against common childhood diseases have not taken deep roots and coverage continues to be poor. The adoption of the Western model of medical services has resulted in emphasis on "cure" rather than on "care". Another problem is maldistribution of the facilities. Overemphasis on medical education has resulted in the

Integrated primary health care in Australia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gawaine Powell Davies

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction: To fulfil its role of coordinating health care, primary health care needs to be well integrated, internally and with other health and related services. In Australia, primary health care services are divided between public and private sectors, are responsible to different levels of government and work under a variety of funding arrangements, with no overarching policy to provide a common frame of reference for their activities. Description of policy: Over the past decade, coordination of service provision has been improved by changes to the funding of private medical and allied health services for chronic conditions, by the development in some states of voluntary networks of services and by local initiatives, although these have had little impact on coordination of planning. Integrated primary health care centres are being established nationally and in some states, but these are too recent for their impact to be assessed. Reforms being considered by the federal government include bringing primary health care under one level of government with a national primary health care policy, establishing regional organisations to coordinate health planning, trialling voluntary registration of patients with general practices and reforming funding systems. If adopted, these could greatly improve integration within primary health care. Discussion: Careful change management and realistic expectations will be needed. Also other challenges remain, in particular the need for developing a more population and community oriented primary health care.

Integrated primary health care in Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Davies, Gawaine Powell; Perkins, David; McDonald, Julie; Williams, Anna

2009-10-14

To fulfil its role of coordinating health care, primary health care needs to be well integrated, internally and with other health and related services. In Australia, primary health care services are divided between public and private sectors, are responsible to different levels of government and work under a variety of funding arrangements, with no overarching policy to provide a common frame of reference for their activities. Over the past decade, coordination of service provision has been improved by changes to the funding of private medical and allied health services for chronic conditions, by the development in some states of voluntary networks of services and by local initiatives, although these have had little impact on coordination of planning. Integrated primary health care centres are being established nationally and in some states, but these are too recent for their impact to be assessed. Reforms being considered by the federal government include bringing primary health care under one level of government with a national primary health care policy, establishing regional organisations to coordinate health planning, trialling voluntary registration of patients with general practices and reforming funding systems. If adopted, these could greatly improve integration within primary health care. Careful change management and realistic expectations will be needed. Also other challenges remain, in particular the need for developing a more population and community oriented primary health care.

Advance Care Planning: Understanding Clinical Routines and Experiences of Interprofessional Team Members in Diverse Health Care Settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnett, Kelly; Sudore, Rebecca L; Nowels, David; Feng, Cindy X; Levy, Cari R; Lum, Hillary D

2017-12-01

Interprofessional health care team members consider advance care planning (ACP) to be important, yet gaps remain in systematic clinical routines to support ACP. A clearer understanding of the interprofessional team members' perspectives on ACP clinical routines in diverse settings is needed. One hundred eighteen health care team members from community-based clinics, long-term care facilities, academic clinics, federally qualified health centers, and hospitals participated in a 35-question, cross-sectional online survey to assess clinical routines, workflow processes, and policies relating to ACP. Respondents were 53% physicians, 18% advanced practice nurses, 11% nurses, and 18% other interprofessional team members including administrators, chaplains, social workers, and others. Regarding clinical routines, respondents reported that several interprofessional team members play a role in facilitating ACP (ie, physician, social worker, nurse, others). Most (62%) settings did not have, or did not know of, policies related to ACP documentation. Only 14% of settings had a patient education program. Two-thirds of the respondents said that addressing ACP is a high priority and 85% felt that nonphysicians could have ACP conversations with appropriate training. The clinical resources needed to improve clinical routines included training for providers and staff, dedicated staff to facilitate ACP, and availability of patient/family educational materials. Although interprofessional health care team members consider ACP a priority and several team members may be involved, clinical settings lack systematic clinical routines to support ACP. Patient educational materials, interprofessional team training, and policies to support ACP clinical workflows that do not rely solely on physicians could improve ACP across diverse clinical settings.

Provider-Sponsored Health Plans: Lessons Learned over Three Decades.

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Breon, Richard C

2016-01-01

Healthcare's movement to value-based care is causing health systems across the country to consider whether owning or partnering with a health plan could benefit their organizations. Although organizations have different reasons for wanting to enter the insurance business, potential benefits include improving care quality, lowering costs, managing population health, expanding geographic reach, and diversifying the organization's revenue stream. However, the challenges and risks of owning a health plan are formidable: Assuming 100 percent financial risk for a patient population requires considerable financial resources, as well as competencies that are wholly different from those needed to run a hospital or physician group. For Spectrum Health, an integrated, not-for-profit health system based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, owning a health plan has been vital to fulfilling its mission of improving the health of the communities it serves, as well as its value proposition of providing highquality care at lower costs. This article weighs the pros and cons of operating a health plan; explores key business factors and required competencies that organizations need to consider when deciding whether to buy, build, or partner; examines the current environment for provider-sponsored health plans; and shares some of the lessons Spectrum Health has learned over three decades of running its health plan, Priority Health.

Multistate Health Plans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert E. Moffit PhD

2015-09-01

Full Text Available We discuss and evaluate the Multi-State Plan (MSP Program, a provision of the Affordable Care Act that has not been the subject of much debate as yet. The MSP Program provides the Office of Personnel Management with new authority to negotiate and implement multistate insurance plans on all health insurance exchanges within the United States. We raise the concern that the MSP Program may lead to further consolidation of the health insurance industry despite the program’s stated goal of increasing competition by means of health insurance exchanges. The MSP Program arguably gives a competitive advantage to large insurers, which already dominate health insurance markets. We also contend that the MSP Program’s failure to produce increased competition may motivate a new effort for a public health insurance option.

Journal of Community Medicine and Primary Health Care

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Journal of Community Medicine and Primary Health Care. ... environmental health, clinical care, health planning and management, health policy, health ... non-communicable diseases within the Primary Health Care system in the Federal ... Assessment of occupational hazards, health problems and safety practices of petrol ...

Awareness and pattern of utilizing family planning services among women attending urban health care center Azizabad Sukkur

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, N.A.; Nisar, N.

2008-01-01

To assess level of awareness and pattern of utilizing family planning services among women (15-49 years) of reproductive age at Urban Health Center, Azizabad Sukkur, Sindh. A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June 2005 at Urban Health Care Center Azizabad Sukkur. Two hundred women of reproductive age group were interviewed by using a pre tested semi structured questionnaire visiting the health care center during the study period. Information was obtained after taking informed consent regarding socio demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude and pattern of utilizing family planning services. The data was entered and analyzed by using statistical package SPSS version 13. About 75% of women and 42.5% husbands were found illiterate, 85% women were housewives, 69.5% were married before 18 years of age and 54% had nuclear family. Regarding desired number of children women responded one child (3%), 2-3 children (11%), 4-5 (37.5%), more than five children (36%), 5.5% said that children are God gifted and 7% did not answer. About 60% of women reported use of at least one contraceptive method and 40% had never used any contraceptive method. The women who received counseling from the health care provider were 48.5% and only 6% received information through media. Religious prohibition, shortage of female staff and cost of family planning contraceptive methods were the main reasons identified for not utilizing contraceptive methods. The unsatisfactory variables were long waiting hours at the center, non-availability of contraceptive, shortage of the female staff and cost. Limited number of women was aware and practice contraception in the area and utilization of family planning services were low. The efforts should be made for providing information to couple and improving quality of family planning services in the area. (author)

The Effect of Florida Medicaid's State-Mandated Formulary Provision on Prescription Drug Use and Health Plan Costs in a Medicaid Managed Care Plan.

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Munshi, Kiraat D; Mager, Douglas; Ward, Krista M; Mischel, Brian; Henderson, Rochelle R

2018-02-01

Formulary or preferred drug list (PDL) management is an effective strategy to ensure clinically efficient prescription drug management by managed care organizations (MCOs). Medicaid MCOs participating in Florida's Medicaid program were required to use a state-mandated PDL between May and August 2014. To examine differences in prescription drug use and plan costs between a single Florida Medicaid managed care (MMC) health plan that implemented a state-mandated PDL policy on July 1, 2014, and a comparable MMC health plan in another state without a state-mandated PDL, controlling for sociodemographic confounders. A retrospective analysis with a pre-post design was conducted using deidentified administrative claims data from a large pharmacy benefit manager. The prepolicy evaluation period was January 1 through June 30, 2014, and the postpolicy period was January 1 through June 30, 2015. Continuously eligible Florida MMC plan members were matched on sociodemographic and health characteristics to their counterparts enrolled in a comparable MMC health plan in another state without a state-mandated formulary. Outcomes were drug use, measured as the number of 30-day adjusted nonspecialty drug prescriptions per member per period, and total drug plan costs per member per period for all drugs, with separate measures for generic and brand drugs. Bivariate comparisons were conducted using t-tests. Employing a difference-in-differences (DID) analytic approach, multivariate negative binomial regression and generalized estimating equation models were used to analyze prescription drug use and costs. The final analytical sample consisted of 18,372 enrollees, evenly divided between the 2 groups. In the postpolicy evaluation period, overall and generic use declined, while brand use increased for members in the Florida health plan. Drug costs, especially for brands, significantly increased for Florida health plan members. No significant changes were observed over the same time period

Planning for health care transitions: results from the 2005-2006 National Survey of Children With Special Health Care Needs.

Science.gov (United States)

Lotstein, Debra S; Ghandour, Reem; Cash, Amanda; McGuire, Elizabeth; Strickland, Bonnie; Newacheck, Paul

2009-01-01

Many youth with special health care needs have difficulties transferring to adult medical care. To address this, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau has made receipt of transition services a core performance outcome for community-based systems of care for youth with special health care needs. In this article we describe the results for the transition core outcome from the 2005-2006 National Survey of Children With Special Health Care Needs. We also describe changes in the measurement strategy for this outcome since the first National Survey of Children With Special Health Care Needs in 2001. In the nationally representative, cross-sectional 2005-2006 National Survey of Children With Special Health Care Needs, parent or guardian respondents of 18198 youth with special health care needs (aged 12-17) were asked if they have had discussions with their child's health care providers about (1) future adult providers, (2) future adult health care needs, (3) changes in health insurance, and (4) encouraging their child to take responsibility for his or her care. All 4 components had to be met for the youth to meet the overall transition core outcome. Those who had not had transition discussions reported if such discussions would have been helpful. Overall, 41% of youth with special health care needs met the core performance outcome for transition. Forty-two percent had discussed shifting care to an adult provider, 62% discussed their child's adult health care needs, and 34% discussed upcoming changes in health insurance. Most (78%) respondents said that providers usually or always encourage their child to take responsibility for his or her health. Non-Hispanic black or Hispanic race/ethnicity, lower income level, not speaking English, and not having a medical home reduced the odds of meeting the transition core outcome. Current performance on the transition core outcome leaves much room for improvement. Many parents feel that having transition-related discussions with their

[The Health Plan for Catalonia: an instrument to transform the health system].

Science.gov (United States)

Constante i Beitia, Carles

2015-11-01

The Department of Health of the Generalitat in Catalonia periodically draws up the Health Plan, which is the strategic document that brings together the reference framework for initiatives concerning public health in terms of the Catalan health administration. The 2011-2015 version of the Health Plan incorporates key care and system governance-related elements, which, in conjunction with health goals, make up the complete picture of what the health system in Catalonia should look like until 2015. The Plan was drawn up at a time when the environmental conditions were extremely particular, given the major economic crisis that began in 2007. This has meant that the system has been forced to address public health problems using a significant reduction in the economic resources available, while aiming to maintain the level of care provided, both quantitatively and qualitatively, and preserve the sustainability of the system whose defining traits are its universality, equity and the wide range of services on offer. The Health Plan focuses on three areas of action, 9 major courses of action and 32 strategic projects designed to respond to new social needs: addressing the most common health issues, comprehensive care for chronic patients and organizational modernization. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Personalised Care Plan Management Utilizing Guideline-Driven Clinical Decision Support Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Laleci Erturkmen, Gokce Banu; Yuksel, Mustafa; Sarigul, Bunyamin; Lilja, Mikael; Chen, Rong; Arvanitis, Theodoros N

2018-01-01

Older age is associated with an increased accumulation of multiple chronic conditions. The clinical management of patients suffering from multiple chronic conditions is very complex, disconnected and time-consuming with the traditional care settings. Integrated care is a means to address the growing demand for improved patient experience and health outcomes of multimorbid and long-term care patients. Care planning is a prevalent approach of integrated care, where the aim is to deliver more personalized and targeted care creating shared care plans by clearly articulating the role of each provider and patient in the care process. In this paper, we present a method and corresponding implementation of a semi-automatic care plan management tool, integrated with clinical decision support services which can seamlessly access and assess the electronic health records (EHRs) of the patient in comparison with evidence based clinical guidelines to suggest personalized recommendations for goals and interventions to be added to the individualized care plans.

Providing Family Planning Services at Primary Care Organizations after the Exclusion of Planned Parenthood from Publicly Funded Programs in Texas: Early Qualitative Evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

White, Kari; Hopkins, Kristine; Grossman, Daniel; Potter, Joseph E

2017-10-20

To explore organizations' experiences providing family planning during the first year of an expanded primary care program in Texas. Between November 2014 and February 2015, in-depth interviews were conducted with program administrators at 30 organizations: 7 women's health organizations, 13 established primary care contractors (e.g., community health centers, public health departments), and 10 new primary care contractors. Interviews addressed organizational capacities to expand family planning and integrate services with primary care. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a theme-based approach. Themes were compared across the three types of organizations. Established and new primary care contractors identified several challenges expanding family planning services, which were uncommon among women's health organizations. Clinicians often lacked training to provide intrauterine devices and contraceptive implants. Organizations often recruited existing clients into family planning services, rather than expanding their patient base, and new contractors found family planning difficult to integrate because of clients' other health needs. Primary care contractors frequently described contraceptive provision protocols that were not evidence-based. Many primary care organizations in Texas initially lacked the capacity to provide evidence-based family planning services that women's health organizations already provided. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

The evolving role and care management approaches of safety-net medicaid managed care plans

OpenAIRE

Gusmano, Michael K.; Sparer, Michael S.; Brown, Lawrence D.; Rowe, Catherine; Gray, Bradford

2002-01-01

This article provides new empirical data about the viability and the care management activities of Medicaid managed-care plans sponsored by provider organizations that serve Medicaid and other low-income populations. Using survey and case study methods we studied these “safety-net” health plans in 1998 and 2000. Although the number of safety-net plans declined over this period, the surviving plans were larger and enjoying greater financial success than the plans we surveyed in 1998. We also f...

Digital health care: where health care, information technology, and the Internet converge.

Science.gov (United States)

Frank, S R; Williams, J R; Veiel, E L

2000-01-01

The digital health care industry applies information technologies to facilitate communications, commerce, transactions, business problem solving, and enhanced decision making for one or more groups that supply, consume, or finance health care services and products. The variation among companies is significant, but each one attempts to leverage information technology to drive sustainable evolutionary change. In an overview of the industry, a framework is provided to understand the maze of business plans.

Promoting coordination in Norwegian health care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tor I. Romøren

2011-10-01

Full Text Available   Introduction: The Norwegian health care system is well organized within its two main sectors - primary health and long term care on the one hand, and hospitals and specialist services on the other. However, the relation between them lacks mediating structures.Policy practice: Enhancing coordination between primary and secondary health care has been central in Norwegian health care policy the last decade. In 2003 a committee was appointed to identify coordination problems and proposed a lot of practical and organisational recommendations. It relied on an approach challenging primary and secondary health care in shared geographical regions to take action. However, these proposals were not implemented. In 2008 a new Minister of Health and Care worked out plans under the key term "Coordination Reform". These reform plans superseded and expanded the previous policy initiatives concerning cooperation, but represented also a shift in focus to a regulative and centralised strategy, including new health legislation, structural reforms and use of economic incentives that are now about to be implemented.Discussion: The article analyses the perspectives and proposals of the previous and the recent reform initiatives in Norway and discusses them in relation to integrated care measures implemented in Denmark and Sweden.

Interprofessional and transdisciplinary teamwork in health care.

Science.gov (United States)

Vyt, Andre

2008-01-01

The article focuses on the need for and the characteristics and positive consequences of interdisciplinary teamwork in health care. Interprofessional collaboration is an important element in total quality management. Factors that determine the success of team work are described, such as a management that promotes openness and an administrative organization that promotes interdisciplinary consultation. Other factors have to do with leadership, shared goals and values, meeting management and planning skills, communication, and also the (degree of) knowledge and the (quality of) perception of competences of other health care workers. The shared care plan is stressed as an important tool. In this, the joint planning of goals for intervention and care is essential. Health care workers with different professional knowledge and background have to harmonize their intervention plan according to the competences and goal settings of the other team members. The core of effective interprofessional teamwork is the presence of interprofessional competences such as these. A brief description of the components and performance criteria of the competence of interprofessional collaboration is given.

The strategic planning of health management information systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, J

1995-01-01

This paper discusses the roles and functions of strategic planning of information systems in health services. It selects four specialised methodologies of strategic planning for analysis with respect to their applicability in the health field. It then examines the utilisation of information planning in case studies of three health organisations (two State departments of health and community services and one acute care institution). Issues arising from the analysis concern the planning process, the use to which plans are put, and implications for management.

School-Sponsored Health Insurance: Planning for a New Reality

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Bryan A.

2010-01-01

Health care reform efforts in both the Clinton and Obama administrations have attempted to address college and university health. Yet, although the world of health care delivery has almost universally evolved to managed care, school health programs have not. In general, school-sponsored health plans do little to improve access and have adopted…

Lessons from the evolution of 401(k) retirement plans for increased consumerism in health care: an application of behavioral research.

Science.gov (United States)

DiCenzo, Jodi; Fronstin, Paul

2008-08-01

Employment-based health and retirement benefit programs have followed a similar path of evolution. The relative decision-making roles of the employer and the worker have shifted from the employer to the worker, and workers are more responsible than perhaps they ever have been for their well being--both in terms of their health in general and their financial security during retirement. This shift has been supported, in part, by legislation--namely ERISA, the HMO Act of 1973, the Revenue Act of 1978, and most recently, the Pension Protection Act. This Issue Brief does not pass judgment on this development or address who should bear the responsibilities of preparing workers for retirement or of rationing health care services. The current trend in health care design is toward increased "consumerism." Consumer-driven health is based on the assumption that the combination of greater cost sharing (by workers) and better information about the cost and quality of health care will engage workers to become better health care decision makers. It is hoped that workers will seek important, necessary, high-quality, cost-effective care and services, and become less likely to engage providers and services that are unnecessary and ineffective from either a quality or cost perspective. As employers look ahead toward continually improved plan design, there may be benefits in considering the lessons learned from studying worker behaviors. Specifically, there is evidence about the effects of choice, financial incentives, and information on worker decision making. As a result of research in this area, many retirement plan sponsors have moved toward plan designs and programs that recognize the benefits of well-designed defaults, simplified choices, required active decision making, framing, and commitment to future improvements. With respect to choice, it is now known that more is not always better and may even be worse in some cases. Just as fewer shoppers actually bought a jar of jelly

Integration of Mental Health into Primary Health Care in a rural ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objective: Mental health has been identified as a major priority in the Ugandan Health Sector Strategic Plan. Efforts are currently underway to integrate mental health services into the Primary Health Care system. In this study, we report aspects of the integration of mental health into primary health care in one rural district in ...

'Who's actually gonna read this?' An evaluation of staff experiences of the value of information contained in written care plans in supporting care in three different dementia care settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Drummond, C; Simpson, A

2017-08-01

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: A written plan is designed to improve communication and co-ordinate care between mental health inpatient wards and community settings. Reports of care plan quality issues and staff and service user dissatisfaction with healthcare bureaucracy have focused on working age mental health or general hospital settings. Little is known about mental health staff perspectives on the value of written care plans in supporting dementia care. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: Competing demands on staff time and resources to meet administrative standards for care plans caused a tension with their own professional priorities for supporting care. Mental health staff face difficulties using electronic records alongside other systems of information sharing. Further exploration is needed of the gap between frontline staff values and those of the local organization and managers when supporting good dementia care. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Frontline staff should be involved in designing new information systems including care plans. Care plan documentation needs to be refocused to ensure it is effective in enabling staff to communicate amongst themselves and with others to support people with dementia. Practice-based mentors could be deployed to strengthen good practice in effective information sharing. Background Reports of increased healthcare bureaucracy and concerns over care plan quality have emerged from research and surveys into staff and service user experiences. Little is known of mental health staff perspectives on the value of written care plans in supporting dementia care. Aim To investigate the experiences and views of staff in relation to care planning in dementia services in one National Health Service (NHS) provider Trust in England. Method Grounded Theory methodology was used. A purposive sample of 11 multidisciplinary staff were interviewed across three sites in one NHS Trust. Interviews were transcribed, coded

Exploring the usefulness of comprehensive care plans for children with medical complexity (CMC: a qualitative study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adams Sherri

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Medical Home model recommends that Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN receive a medical care plan, outlining the child’s major medical issues and care needs to assist with care coordination. While care plans are a primary component of effective care coordination, the creation and maintenance of care plans is time, labor, and cost intensive, and the desired content of the care plan has not been studied. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the usefulness and desired content of comprehensive care plans by exploring the perceptions of parents and health care providers (HCPs of children with medical complexity (CMC. Methods This qualitative study utilized in-depth semi-structured interviews and focus groups. HCPs (n = 15 and parents (n = 15 of CMC who had all used a comprehensive care plan were recruited from a tertiary pediatric academic health sciences center. Themes were identified through grounded theory analysis of interview and focus group data. Results A multi-dimensional model of perceived care plan usefulness emerged. The model highlights three integral aspects of the care plan: care plan characteristics, activating factors and perceived outcomes of using a care plan. Care plans were perceived as a useful tool that centralized and focused the care of the child. Care plans were reported to flatten the hierarchical relationship between HCPs and parents, resulting in enhanced reciprocal information exchange and strengthened relationships. Participants expressed that a standardized template that is family-centered and includes content relevant to both the medical and social needs of the child is beneficial when integrated into overall care planning and delivery for CMC. Conclusions Care plans are perceived to be a useful tool to both health care providers and parents of CMC. These findings inform the utility and development of a comprehensive care plan template as well as a model of how

Reproductive health/family planning and the health of infants, girls and women.

Science.gov (United States)

Sadik, N

1997-01-01

The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development developed international consensus amongst health providers, policy makers, and group representing the whole of civil society regarding the concept of reproductive health and its definition. In line with this definition, reproductive health care is defined as the constellation of methods, techniques and services that contribute to reproductive health and well-being by preventing and solving reproductive health problems. Reproductive health care saves lives and prevents significant levels of morbidity through family planning programmes, antenatal, delivery and post-natal services, prevention and management programmes for reproductive tract infections (including sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS), prevention of abortion and management of its complications, cancers of the reproductive system, and harmful practices that impact on reproductive function. Reproductive health care needs are evident at all stages of the life cycle and account for a greater proportion of disability adjusted life years (DALYS) in girls and women than in boys and men. Reproductive health protects infant health by enabling birth spacing and birth limitation to be practiced through family planning. The prevention and early detection of reproductive tract infections, including sexually transmitted diseases and HIV, through the integration of preventive measures in family planning service delivery not only improves the quality of care provided but is also directly responsible for improvement in survival and health of infants. Addressing harmful practices such as son preference, sex selection, sexual violence and female genital mutilation complements the positive impact of planned and spaced children through family planning services on infant mortality and the reproductive health of young girls and women. They are also in addition to prenatal, delivery and postnatal services, positive determinants of low maternal mortality and

Health promotion in supplementary health care: outsourcing, microregulation and implications for care.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Kênia Lara; Sena, Roseni Rosângela; Rodrigues, Andreza Trevenzoli; Araújo, Fernanda Lopes; Belga, Stephanie Marques Moura Franco; Duarte, Elysângela Dittz

2015-01-01

to analyze health promotion programs in the supplementary health care. This was a multiple case study with a qualitative approach whose data were obtained from interviews with coordinators of providers contracted by the corporations of health insurance plans in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. The data were submitted to Critical Discourse Analysis. Home care has been described as the main action in the field of health promotion transferred to the providers, followed by management of patients and cases, and the health education.groups. The existence of health promotion principles is questionable in all programs. Outsourcing is marked by a process with a division between cost and care management. Implications of this process occur within admission and interventions on the needs of the beneficiaries. Statements revealed rationalization of cost, restructuring of work, and reproduction of the dominant logic of capital accumulation by the health insurance companies.

Controversies in faith and health care.

Science.gov (United States)

Tomkins, Andrew; Duff, Jean; Fitzgibbon, Atallah; Karam, Azza; Mills, Edward J; Munnings, Keith; Smith, Sally; Seshadri, Shreelata Rao; Steinberg, Avraham; Vitillo, Robert; Yugi, Philemon

2015-10-31

Differences in religious faith-based viewpoints (controversies) on the sanctity of human life, acceptable behaviour, health-care technologies and health-care services contribute to the widespread variations in health care worldwide. Faith-linked controversies include family planning, child protection (especially child marriage, female genital mutilation, and immunisation), stigma and harm reduction, violence against women, sexual and reproductive health and HIV, gender, end-of-life issues, and faith activities including prayer. Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and traditional beliefs have similarities and differences in their viewpoints. Improved understanding by health-care providers of the heterogeneity of viewpoints, both within and between faiths, and their effect on health care is important for clinical medicine, public-health programmes, and health-care policy. Increased appreciation in faith leaders of the effect of their teachings on health care is also crucial. This Series paper outlines some faith-related controversies, describes how they influence health-care provision and uptake, and identifies opportunities for research and increased interaction between faith leaders and health-care providers to improve health care. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Regional health care planning: a methodology to cluster facilities using community utilization patterns.

Science.gov (United States)

Delamater, Paul L; Shortridge, Ashton M; Messina, Joseph P

2013-08-22

Community-based health care planning and regulation necessitates grouping facilities and areal units into regions of similar health care use. Limited research has explored the methodologies used in creating these regions. We offer a new methodology that clusters facilities based on similarities in patient utilization patterns and geographic location. Our case study focused on Hospital Groups in Michigan, the allocation units used for predicting future inpatient hospital bed demand in the state's Bed Need Methodology. The scientific, practical, and political concerns that were considered throughout the formulation and development of the methodology are detailed. The clustering methodology employs a 2-step K-means + Ward's clustering algorithm to group hospitals. The final number of clusters is selected using a heuristic that integrates both a statistical-based measure of cluster fit and characteristics of the resulting Hospital Groups. Using recent hospital utilization data, the clustering methodology identified 33 Hospital Groups in Michigan. Despite being developed within the politically charged climate of Certificate of Need regulation, we have provided an objective, replicable, and sustainable methodology to create Hospital Groups. Because the methodology is built upon theoretically sound principles of clustering analysis and health care service utilization, it is highly transferable across applications and suitable for grouping facilities or areal units.

Experiences of care planning in England: interviews with patients with long term conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Newbould Jenny

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The prevalence and impact of long term conditions continues to rise. Care planning for people with long term conditions has been a policy priority in England for chronic disease management. However, it is not clear how care planning is currently understood, translated and implemented in primary care. This study explores experience of care planning in patients with long term conditions in three areas in England. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 23 predominantly elderly patients with multiple long term conditions. The interviews were designed to explore variations in and emergent experiences of care planning. Qualitative analysis of interview transcripts involved reflexively coding and re-coding data into categories and themes. Results No participants reported experiencing explicit care planning discussions or receiving written documentation setting out a negotiated care plan and they were unfamiliar with the term ‘care planning’. However, most described some components of care planning which occurred over a number of contacts with health care professionals which we term”reactive” care planning. Here, key elements of care planning including goal setting and action planning were rare. Additionally, poor continuity and coordination of care, lack of time in consultations, and patient concerns about what was legitimate to discuss with the doctor were described. Conclusions Amongst this population, elements of care planning were present in their accounts, but a structured, comprehensive process and consequent written record (as outlined in English Department of Health policy was not evident. Further research needs to explore the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches to care planning for different patient groups.

Family planning and health: the Narangwal experiment.

Science.gov (United States)

Faruqee, R

1983-06-01

The findings of a 7-year field experiment conducted in the Indian Punjab show that integrating family planning with health services is more effective and efficient than providing family planning separately. The field experiment was conducted between 1968 and 1974 at Narangwal in the Indian State of Punjab. It involved 26 villages, with a total population of 35,000 in 1971-72. The demographic characteristics of the villages were found to be typical of the area. 5 groups of villages were provided with different combinations of services for health, nutrition and family planning. A control group received no project services. A population study was made of the effects of integrating family planning with maternal and child health services. A nutritional study looked at the results of integrating nutritional care and health services. The effectiveness of integration was evaluated by identifying it both with increased use of family planning and improved health. Efficiency was judged by relating effectiveness to input costs. Distribution of the benefits was also examined. The effectiveness of these different combinations of services on the use of family planning was measured: 1) by all changes in the use of modern methods of family planning, 2) by the number of new acceptors, 3) by the changes in the proportion of eligible women using contraceptives, and 4) by how many people started to use the more effective methods. Results showed the use of family planning increased substantially in the experimental groups, whereas the control group remained constant. It was also found that, though the services combining family planning with maternal health care stimulated more use of family planning, they were more costly than the more integrated srevices. The Narangwal experiment provides significant evidence in favor of combining the provision of family planning and health services, but its potential for replication on a large scale needs to be studied.

Carers' experiences of involvement in care planning: a qualitative exploration of the facilitators and barriers to engagement with mental health services.

Science.gov (United States)

Cree, Lindsey; Brooks, Helen L; Berzins, Kathryn; Fraser, Claire; Lovell, Karina; Bee, Penny

2015-08-29

Formal recognition and involvement of carers in mental health services has been the focus of recent policy and practice initiatives as well as being supported by carers themselves. However, carers still report feeling marginalised and distanced from services. A prominent theme is that that they are not listened to and their concerns are not taken seriously. Compared to service user views, the reasons underpinning carers' dissatisfaction with care-planning procedures have been relatively neglected in the research literature, despite the substantial and significant contribution that they make to mental health services. The aim of the study was to explore carers' experiences of the care planning process for people with severe mental illness. Qualitative interviews and focus groups were undertaken with carers. Data were combined and analysed using framework analysis. Whilst identifying a shared desire for involvement and confirming a potential role for carers within services, our data highlighted that many carers perceive a lack of involvement in care planning and a lack of recognition and appreciation of their role from health professionals. Barriers to involvement included structural barriers, such as the timing and location of meetings, cultural barriers relating to power imbalances within the system and specific barriers relating to confidentiality. This qualitative study led by a researcher who was a carer herself has developed the understanding of the potential role of carers within the care planning process within mental health services, along with the facilitators and barriers to achieving optimal involvement.

Developing nursing care plans.

Science.gov (United States)

Ballantyne, Helen

2016-02-24

This article aims to enhance nurses' understanding of nursing care plans, reflecting on the past, present and future use of care planning. This involves consideration of the central theories of nursing and discussion of nursing models and the nursing process. An explanation is provided of how theories of nursing may be applied to care planning, in combination with clinical assessment tools, to ensure that care plans are context specific and patient centred.

Health care logistics: who has the ball during disaster?

Science.gov (United States)

Vanvactor, Jerry D

2011-05-10

In contemporary organizations, a wide gamut of options is available for sustaining and supporting health care operations. When disaster strikes, despite having tenable plans for routine replenishment and operations, many organizations find themselves ill-prepared, ill-equipped, and without effective mechanisms in place to sustain operations during the immediate aftermath of a crisis. Health care operations can be abruptly halted due to the non-availability of supply. The purpose of this work is to add to a necessary, growing body of works related specifically to health care logistics preparedness and disaster mitigation. Logistics management is a specialized genre of expertise within the health care industry and is largely contributive to the success or failure of health care organizations. Logistics management requires extensive collaboration among multiple stakeholders-internal and external to an organization. Effective processes and procedures can be largely contributive to the success or failure of organizational operations. This article contributes to the closure of an obvious gap in professional and academic literature related to disaster health care logistics management and provides timely insight into a potential problem for leaders industry-wide. One critical aspect of disaster planning is regard for competent logistics management and the effective provision of necessary items when they are needed most. In many communities, there seems to be little evidence available regarding health care logistics involvement in disaster planning; at times, evidence of planning efforts perceptibly end at intra-organizational doors within facilities. Strategic planners are being continually reminded that health care organizations serve a principal role in emergency preparedness planning and must be prepared to fulfill the associated possibilities without notification. The concern is that not enough attention is being paid to repeated lessons being observed in disasters and

The care-planning conference: Exploring aspects of person-centred interactions.

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Jobe, Ingela; Lindberg, Birgitta; Nordmark, Sofi; Engström, Åsa

2018-04-01

The aim of this study was to describe the care-planning conference from the participants' and researchers' perspectives, focusing on exploring aspects of person-centred interactions. A single-instrumental, qualitative case study design was used describing a care-planning conference taking place in the home of an older woman and her daughter. Data collection consisted of observation and digital recording of the care-planning conference and individual interviews with all the participants before and after the conference. Data were analysed in several phases: first, a narrative description followed by a general description and, thereafter, qualitative content analysis. The findings revealed that the care-planning conference conducted had no clear purpose and did not fulfil all parts of the planning process. Three themes emerged related to aspects of person-centred interactions. The theme "expectations meet reality" showed different expectations, and participants could not really connect during the conference. The theme "navigate without a map" revealed health professionals' lack of knowledge about the care-planning process. The theme "lose the forest for the trees" described that the conference was conducted only as part of the health professionals' duties. Management and healthcare professionals cannot automatically assume that they are delivering person-centred care. Healthcare professionals need to be sensitive to the context, use the knowledge and tools available and continuously evaluate and reassess the work carried out.

Quality improvement initiatives: the missed opportunity for health plans.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez-Lopez, Sara; Lennert, Barbara

2009-11-01

The increase in healthcare cost without direct improvements in health outcomes, coupled with a desire to expand access to the large uninsured population, has underscored the importance of quality initiatives and organizations that provide more affordable healthcare by maximizing value. To determine the knowledge of managed care organizations about quality organizations and initiatives and to identify potential opportunities in which pharmaceutical companies could collaborate with health plans in the development and implementation of quality initiatives. We conducted a survey of 36 pharmacy directors and 15 medical directors of different plans during a Managed Care Network meeting in 2008. The represented plans cover almost 74 million lives in commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid programs, or a combination of them. The responses show limited knowledge among pharmacy and medical directors about current quality organizations and initiatives, except for quality organizations that provide health plan quality accreditation. The results also reveal an opportunity for pharmaceutical companies to collaborate with private health plans in the development of quality initiatives, especially those related to drug utilization, such as patient adherence and education and correct drug utilization. Our survey shows clearly that today's focus for managed care organizations is mostly limited to the organizations that provide health plan quality accreditation, with less focus on other organizations.

Rationalising health care in india : Challenges & strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K I Mathai

2014-01-01

Full Text Available An overview of health care delivery in India is essential, if we are to plan and to improve health care delivery and the indices of health in the coming decades. The health sector in India is a mix of private and government services. While some health care indices appear dismal, several others, including life expectancy are heartening. A balance between regulation and free enterprise is possibly the best option. In this paper we provide a glimpse of health and health related statistics & a n overview of the public health care delivery systems. In the end, we offer suggestion on rationalisation of health care delivery to provide maximum services for the majority of our population within the budget of an optimal health care system outlay

Suicidal ideations, plans and attempts in primary care: cross ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Introduction: the aim of the study is to estimate the prevalence of suicidal ideation among Moroccan consultants in primary health care system. Methods: we conducted a cross sectional survey in three health care centers in two cities of Morocco to estimate the prevalence of suicidal ideation, plan and suicide attempts among ...

Health care delivery in the future.

Science.gov (United States)

Harnar, R

1983-01-01

India's health care system, despite several significant achievements, suffers from some weaknesses and deficiencies. There has been a preoccupation with the promotion of curative and clinical services through city based hospitals which have essentially catered to certain sections of the urban population. The concept of health in its totality, with preventive and promotive health care services in addition to the curative, has yet to be made operational. There has been an overdependence on the states for health care measures and voluntary and local effort has not been able to accept responsibility in any significant way. The involvement of the people in solving their health problems has been almost nonexistent. Health needs to be viewed as part of the strategy of human resources development. Horizontal and vertical linkages must be obtained among all the interrelated programs--protected water supply environmental sanitation and hygiene, nutrition, education, family planning, and maternal and child welfare. Only with such linkages can the benefits of the various programs be optimized. An attack on the problems of diseases cannot be completely successful unless it is accompanied by an attack on poverty. For this reason the 6th plan assigns a high priority to programs of promotion, or gainful employment, eradication of poverty, population control, and meeting the basic human needs of the population. The Alma Alta Declaration of 1977 has become the accepted health policy of India, simplified into the slogan "health for all by 2000." To realize this goaL, the Planning Commission recommends in the 6th 5-Year Plan a restructing and reorientation of the country's health services. The proposed alternative scheme is more decentralized and provides for many more people to be trained at the grassroots level. People would be involved in tackling their health problems and community participation would be encouraged. Finally, the alternative strongly urges the screening of patients

Involvement of practice nurses and allied health professionals in the development and management of care planning processes for patients with chronic disease - A pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Km; Adaji, A; Schattner, Ps

2014-01-01

Medicare items were introduced in 2005 to encourage general practitioners (GPs) to involve other healthcare providers in the management of patients with chronic disease. However, there appears to be barriers to converting financial incentives and the use of information technology as a communication tool to better patient outcomes. The aim of this study was to explore these barriers from the perspectives of practice nurses and allied health practitioners. Three focus groups were held, comprising a convenience sample of 10 practice nurses and 17 allied health professionals from south-east Melbourne. FINDINGS were reported under five themes: (1) attitudes and beliefs, (2) communication using care planning documents, (3) electronic communication, (4) care planning and collaboration between healthcare professionals and (5) ongoing challenges. While allied professionals use care planning tools, there is confusion about the extent to which these tools are for the GPs to provide structured care to assist with communication or funding mechanisms for allied health services. Further research is needed on the contributions of these groups to the care planning process and how communication and collaboration between healthcare professionals can be strengthened.

Nonprofit to for-profit conversions by hospitals, health insurers, and health plans.

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Needleman, J

1999-01-01

Conversion of hospitals, health insurers, and health plans from nonprofit to for-profit ownership has become a focus of national debate. The author examines why nonprofit ownership has been dominant in the US health system and assesses the strength of the argument that nonprofits provide community benefits that would be threatened by for-profit conversion. The author concludes that many of the specific community benefits offered by nonprofits, such as care for the poor, could be maintained or replaced by adequate funding of public programs and that quality and fairness in treatment can be better assured through clear standards of care and adequate monitoring systems. As health care becomes increasingly commercialized, the most difficult parts of nonprofits' historic mission to preserve are the community orientation, leadership role, and innovation that nonprofit hospitals and health plans have provided out of their commitment to a community beyond those to whom they sell services.

Social marketing: planning before conceiving preconception care.

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Prue, Christine E; Daniel, Katherine Lyon

2006-09-01

Social marketing approaches can help to shape the formation of and to create demand for preconception care services. This article describes four components of social marketing, often referred to as the 4 P's, that should be carefully researched and set in place before a national effort to launch and sustain preconception care services is pursued. First, the product or package of services must be defined and adapted using the latest in scientific and health care standards and must be based on consumer needs and desires. Second, the pricing of the services in financial or opportunity costs must be acceptable to the consumer, insurers, and health care service providers. Third, the promotion of benefits must be carefully crafted to reach and appeal to both consumers and providers. Fourth, the placement and availability of services in the marketplace must be researched and planned. With the application of market research practices that incorporate health behavior theories in their exploration of each component, consumer demand for preconception care can be generated, and providers can take preconception care to the market with confidence.

Do older adults with Alzheimer's disease engage in estate planning and advance care planning preparation?

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Shinae; Kim, Minjung; McDonough, Ian M

2018-04-18

This study investigated the estate planning and advance care planning (ACP) of older adults diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD) for the presence of (1) a valid will, (2) a durable power of attorney for health care, and (3) a living will. We analyzed 10,273 adults aged 65 and older from the 2012 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) using multilevel logistic regression. We found that a diagnosis of AD was significantly associated with the ACP variables. Older adults with AD were more likely to assign a durable power of attorney for health care and have a written living will than older adults without an AD diagnosis. However, we found no significant association between a diagnosis of AD and having a valid will. These findings were robust when adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic variables. Other factors decreased engagement in estate planning and ACP, including lower socioeconomic status, being male, and being a minority. Our findings suggest that a diagnosis of AD is associated with more engagement in ACP for individuals and their families, but important barriers exist for people with fewer resources.

A marketing plan for health care in the financial district of San Francisco.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, S

1987-01-01

The development of a corporate health marketing program for the Medical Pavilion was based on three assumptions. 1. Medical Pavilion will contribute positively to health care cost containment for employers by providing convenient, quality medical care which will help to reduce employee time lost from work due to physician visits, and through health screening, early diagnosis, and out-patient procedures, decrease unnecessary hospitalization. 2. The level of awareness among chief executive officers, benefits directors, corporate medical directors, and employees will be positively related to utilization of health services at the Medical Pavilion. 3. The Medical Pavilion will be organized on a private practice model; although special programs related to employer coverage and specific benefits may be considered separately. The recommended goals of the corporate health program of the Medical Pavilion were as follows: 1. To develop demographic profiles based on current utilization of medical services in a random sample to corporations in the Financial District. 2. To design a survey of corporate leadership to determine a needs assessment strategy for the development of preventive health services programs to be offered at the Medical Pavilion. 3. To select an advertising and public relations agency; and determine the marketing bridges, for the first year and the following five year period. 4. To evaluate effectiveness of the corporate health marketing plan referral data collected through the Management Information System to be established at the Medical Pavilion.

The North Carolina State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees: Strategies in Creating Financial Stability While Improving Member Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Dee; Horner, Beth

2018-01-01

The North Carolina State Health Plan provides health care coverage to more than 700,000 members, including teachers, state employees, retirees, current and former lawmakers, state university and community college personnel, and their dependents. The State Health Plan is a division of the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer, self-insured, and exempt from the Employee Retirement Income Security Act as a government-sponsored plan. With health care costs rising at rates greater than funding, the Plan must take measures to stem cost growth while ensuring access to quality health care. The Plan anticipates focusing on strategic initiatives that drive results and cost savings while improving member health to protect the Plan's financial future. ©2018 by the North Carolina Institute of Medicine and The Duke Endowment. All rights reserved.

Women's self-perception and self-care practice: implications for health care delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendias, E P; Clark, M C; Guevara, E B

2001-01-01

Mexican American women experience unique health care needs related to integration of Mexican and American cultures. To learn how to better promote self-care practices and service utilization in women of Mexican origin living in Texas, researchers used a qualitative approach to interview a convenience sample of 11 low-income women attending a health clinic. Researchers collected narrative data about the women's perceptions of health, wellness, and self-care. Using the matrix approach described by Miles and Huberman, we organized findings around women's roles, including participants' descriptions of themselves, their health and wellness awareness, self-care practices for health/illness and wellness/nonwellness, barriers to self-care, origin of self-care practices, and perceptions of life control. Implications for health planning and service delivery are presented.

Disabling health care? Medicaid managed care and people with disabilities in America

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hiranandani, Vanmala Sunder

2011-01-01

Medicaid, America's largest government-funded health insurance program, plays a pivotal role in providing health services to eight million adults with disabilities. Since the mid-1990s, many Medicaid programs have aggressively introduced managed care, which reconfigures service delivery using...... business principles. Most states have insufficient experience in developing managed care plans for Medicaid beneficiaries with disabilities. Middle-aged adults with physical disabilities present their own constellation of health care issues that is not readily appreciated in health and social services....... The purpose of the study was to understand their experiences in accessing physical health care services and to ascertain the effects of managed care on their health and well-being. This study found beneficiaries encounter numerous barriers in accessing preventative, treatment, and acute care services. Overall...

Health care of youth aging out of foster care.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-01

Youth transitioning out of foster care face significant medical and mental health care needs. Unfortunately, these youth rarely receive the services they need because of lack of health insurance. Through many policies and programs, the federal government has taken steps to support older youth in foster care and those aging out. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Pub L No. 110-354) requires states to work with youth to develop a transition plan that addresses issues such as health insurance. In addition, beginning in 2014, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Pub L No. 111-148) makes youth aging out of foster care eligible for Medicaid coverage until age 26 years, regardless of income. Pediatricians can support youth aging out of foster care by working collaboratively with the child welfare agency in their state to ensure that the ongoing health needs of transitioning youth are met.

An e-health trend plan for the Jordanian health care system: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Rawabdeh, Ali Ahamd Awad

2007-01-01

The purpose of this research is to examine the potential of e-health by focusing explicitly on the delivery of health care products and services. The examination of e-health activity is guided by one broad research question, "What is the potential for constructing e-health strategy as an innovative health technology?". A great amount of attention has been given to e-health activity in the present day. However important this form of e-health is, this type of service simply does not face the same constraints that must be addressed by those actually delivering health care services. The researchers employed a qualitative data collection technique to formulate more examples and cases to derive lessons for Jordan. Phone interviews in a random sample were conducted with corporate officers in Jordan in order to reveal the internal organizational structure and business trends, interface issues, marketing strategies, as well as comparing and contrasting the online health world to the traditional health care realm. Internet-related projects is a top priority for health care information technology executives in the present day, with a cautious approach toward "e-health", as many products have yet to mature, and that the "click and mortar" model may perhaps be the optimal strategy for e-health in Jordan. This paper reviews the e-health trends to demonstrate the tremendous potential for health-related commercial activity on the internet. However, the researcher examining the barriers facing e-health to the Jordanian health system also pointed out almost insurmountable challenges. Despite the apparent promise of e-health, its instability is measured by its failure so far to systematically penetrate the organization of health care. Beyond the pragmatic negotiation of e-health in the immediate context of clinical practice, there are wider issues about how the development/implementation of e-health is funded, about its organization and management at the policy level; and about its

Planning the Marketing Activity in the Health Care Services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Violeta Radulescu

2008-06-01

Full Text Available The integration of marketing in the field of health care, starting with the 50’s, was accompanied by a series of controversies generated by the ethical and moral aspects that this type of services imply, as well as by the difficulty in determining exactly the demand, the unequal access to information of participants, the regulated mechanism for the establishment of prices and of rates and the intervention of the third party payer, the significant role of the state in ensuring the fair access of population to basic services, etc.The formulation of the marketing strategies, in the marketing planning process, starts from the generic strategy chosen by the organization according to its mission and objectives. As it has to adapt to the environment where it acts, to cope with the changes that appear, the organization must benefit from a perspective vision, all its actions must be subordinated to this vision in a whole marketing policy.

[General aspects of planning and care in mental health].

Science.gov (United States)

Saforcada, E

1976-09-01

This paper reviews some general concepts on Planning, especially in public and welfare sectors, stressing those concerning the major flaws in the argentine system of mental health. The author considers the definition of planning levels, and sets forth three: general plan, program and project. The correlative implementation is also considered. The importance of feed-back from adequate evaluation is stressed, emphasizing three aspects: a) evaluation of dynamics, rate and extent of decrease, increase or stagnation; b) assessment of efficacity of factors involved; c) control and stabilization of goals already attained. The necessity to develop a human ecology, encompassing socio-cultural and psycho-social factors is stressed, together with fostering theoretical research and the use of its results by implementation agents. Several differences among prevailing mental health actions are pointed out which allow a distinction between two typical models: clinical and sanitarist. The main differences between them lye on: standard location of working sites, nature of basic actions, field of action, hypothesis for working, including ethiological and ecological assumptions, theoretical and methodological framework. A series of criteria for evaluating sanitary techniques and strategies are set forth, among which: operative procedures, length of treatments, degree of therapeutic concentration, and general pragmatic criteria. The indicators reviewed are: degree of efficacity, covering, degree of perseverance in treatments, cultural barriers between patient and therapist, delegation of functions into special, first-rate sanitary agents, needs for the training of mental health workers. An attempt is made at developping general evaluation criteria for mental health planning, and several indicators are proposed, among which: a) cost/efficacity ratio, including in costs the use of economical, human and physical resources; b) preventive capacities of the community; c) capacities for the

Controlling Health Care Costs

Science.gov (United States)

Dessoff, Alan

2009-01-01

This article examines issues on health care costs and describes measures taken by public districts to reduce spending. As in most companies in America, health plan designs in public districts are being changed to reflect higher out-of-pocket costs, such as higher deductibles on visits to providers, hospital stays, and prescription drugs. District…

[Does the nutritional care plan and report upon discharge under the health care system substitute the nutrition support team summary at patient discharge?].

Science.gov (United States)

Hidaka, Kumi; Matsuoka, Mio; Kajiwara, Kanako; Hinokiyama, Hiromi; Mito, Saori; Doi, Seiko; Konishi, Eriko; Ibata, Takeshi; Komuro, Ryutaro; lijima, Shohei

2013-12-01

Our nutrition support team (NST) designed the NST summary for cooperation among personnel providing medical care for nutritional management of high-need patients in our area. After the introduction of the NST fee under the health care system, the number of summary publications decreased. The requested NST fee is necessary for publication of a nutritional care plan and report upon patient discharge. We hypothesized that the nutritional care plan and discharge report were being substituted for the NST summary at the time of patient discharge. We retrospectively investigated 192 cases with NST fee. There were only 13 cases of overlapping publication, and the NST summary was necessary for 107 of 179 cases in which no NST summary had been prepared. Since the space on the report form is limited, it can provide only limited information. However, the NST summary can convey detailed supplementary information. Therefore, there is a high need for the NST summary, and publication of NST summaries for the appropriate cases must continue.

Principles of Child Health Care Financing.

Science.gov (United States)

Hudak, Mark L; Helm, Mark E; White, Patience H

2017-09-01

After passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more children and young adults have become insured and have benefited from health care coverage than at any time since the creation of the Medicaid program in 1965. From 2009 to 2015, the uninsurance rate for children younger than 19 years fell from 9.7% to 5.3%, whereas the uninsurance rate for young adults 19 to 25 years of age declined from 31.7% to 14.5%. Nonetheless, much work remains to be done. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) believes that the United States can and should ensure that all children, adolescents, and young adults from birth through the age of 26 years who reside within its borders have affordable access to high-quality and comprehensive health care, regardless of their or their families' incomes. Public and private health insurance should safeguard existing benefits for children and take further steps to cover the full array of essential health care services recommended by the AAP. Each family should be able to afford the premiums, deductibles, and other cost-sharing provisions of the plan. Health plans providing these benefits should ensure, insofar as possible, that families have a choice of professionals and facilities with expertise in the care of children within a reasonable distance of their residence. Traditional and innovative payment methodologies by public and private payers should be structured to guarantee the economic viability of the pediatric medical home and of other pediatric specialty and subspecialty practices to address developing shortages in the pediatric specialty and subspecialty workforce, to promote the use of health information technology, to improve population health and the experience of care, and to encourage the delivery of evidence-based and quality health care in the medical home, as well as in other outpatient, inpatient, and home settings. All current and future health care insurance plans should incorporate the principles for child

Health care agreements as a tool for coordinating health and social services

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rudkjøbing, Andreas; Strandberg-Larsen, Martin; Vrangbaek, Karsten

2014-01-01

of general practitioners (n = 700/853). RESULTS: The health care agreements were considered more useful for coordinating care than the previous health plans. The power relationship between the regional and municipal authorities in drawing up the agreements was described as more equal. Familiarity......INTRODUCTION: In 2007, a substantial reform changed the administrative boundaries of the Danish health care system and introduced health care agreements to be signed between municipal and regional authorities. To assess the health care agreements as a tool for coordinating health and social...... with the agreements among general practitioners was higher, as was the perceived influence of the health care agreements on their work. DISCUSSION: Health care agreements with specific content and with regular follow-up and systematic mechanisms for organising feedback between collaborative partners exemplify...

[Consumer satisfaction study in philanthropic hospital health plans].

Science.gov (United States)

Gerschman, Silvia; Veiga, Luciana; Guimarães, César; Ugá, Maria Alicia Dominguez; Portela, Margareth Crisóstomo; Vasconcellos, Miguel Murat; Barbosa, Pedro Ribeiro; Lima, Sheyla Maria Lemos

2007-01-01

This paper presents the findings of research aimed at identifying and analyzing the argumentation and rationale that justify the satisfaction of consumers with their health plans. The qualitative method applied used the focus group technique, for which the following aspects were defined: the criteria for choosing the health plans which were considered, the composition of the group and its distribution, recruitment strategy, and infrastructure and dynamics of the meetings. The health plan beneficiaries were classified into groups according to their social class, the place where they lived, mainly, the relationship that they established with the health plan operators which enabled us to develop a typology for the plan beneficiaries. Initially, we indicated how the health plan beneficiaries assess and use the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), and, then, considering the types of plans defined, we evaluated their degree of satisfaction with the different aspects of health care, and identified which aspects mostly contributed explain their satisfaction.

Robustness in practice--the regional planning of health services.

Science.gov (United States)

Best, G; Parston, G; Rosenhead, J

1986-05-01

Earlier work has criticized the dominant tendencies in operational research contributions to health services planning as characterized by optimization, implausible demands for data, depoliticization, hierarchy and inflexibility. This paper describes an effort which avoids at least some of these pitfalls. The project was to construct a planning system for a regional health council in Ontario, Canada, which would take account of the possible alternative future states of the health-care system's environment and would aim to keep options for future development open. The planning system devised is described in the paper. It is based on robustness analysis, which evaluates alternative initial action sets in terms of the useful flexibility they preserve. Other features include the explicit incorporation of pressures for change generated outside the health-care system, and a satisficing approach to the identification of both initial action sets and alternative future configurations of the health-care system. It was found possible to borrow and radically 're-use' techniques or formulations from the mainstream of O.R. contributions. Thus the 'reference projection' method was used to identify inadequacies in performance which future health-care system configurations must repair. And Delphi analysis, normally a method for generating consensus, was used in conjunction with cluster analysis of responses to generate meaningfully different alternative futures.

Health Manpower Planning and Employment Policies for Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bulent Kilic

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Health manpower planning in health care should be done strategically while considering the following factors: health care needs and demands for community, health care organizations' objectives, goals and resources, goal of a high quality health workforce of sufficient size which has been appropriately distributed, their full employment realized within the appropriate time frame. A good health manpower planning consists of eight components: quantity (size, quality (skill, distribution, timing, employment, necessity, goals and resources. According to the calculations in this article, it must be 1515 people per general practitioner (GP and 1333 people per midwife. There must be 44.755 GP and 50.866 midwife for primary level in Turkey. However there are 51.530 GP and 41.513 midwife in Turkey in 2002. In this situation there is no more need for GP but there is a big need for 10.000 midwife as totally and actually 30.000 midwife for working at health centres for Turkey. As a result, this article discusses the shortcomings of Health Ministry's employment policies in Turkey. It is suggested that in the short run concepts such as physician unemployment, under-employment and flexible work hours will become frequently discussed in Turkey health care public discourse. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2007; 6(6.000: 501-514

Health Manpower Planning and Employment Policies for Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bulent Kilic

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Health manpower planning in health care should be done strategically while considering the following factors: health care needs and demands for community, health care organizations' objectives, goals and resources, goal of a high quality health workforce of sufficient size which has been appropriately distributed, their full employment realized within the appropriate time frame. A good health manpower planning consists of eight components: quantity (size, quality (skill, distribution, timing, employment, necessity, goals and resources. According to the calculations in this article, it must be 1515 people per general practitioner (GP and 1333 people per midwife. There must be 44.755 GP and 50.866 midwife for primary level in Turkey. However there are 51.530 GP and 41.513 midwife in Turkey in 2002. In this situation there is no more need for GP but there is a big need for 10.000 midwife as totally and actually 30.000 midwife for working at health centres for Turkey. As a result, this article discusses the shortcomings of Health Ministry's employment policies in Turkey. It is suggested that in the short run concepts such as physician unemployment, under-employment and flexible work hours will become frequently discussed in Turkey health care public discourse. [TAF Prev Med Bull. 2007; 6(6: 501-514

[Costs of maternal-infant care in an institutionalized health care system].

Science.gov (United States)

Villarreal Ríos, E; Salinas Martínez, A M; Guzmán Padilla, J E; Garza Elizondo, M E; Tovar Castillo, N H; García Cornejo, M L

1998-01-01

Partial and total maternal and child health care costs were estimated. The study was developed in a Primary Care Health Clinic (PCHC) and a General Hospital (GH) of a social security health care system. Maternal and child health care services, type of activity and frequency utilization during 1995, were defined; cost examination was done separately for the PCHC and the GH. Estimation of fixed cost included departmentalization, determination of inputs, costs, basic services disbursements, and weighing. These data were related to depreciation, labor period and productivity. Estimation of variable costs required the participation of field experts; costs corresponded to those registered in billing records. The fixed cost plus the variable cost determined the unit cost, which multiplied by the of frequency of utilization generated the prenatal care, labor and delivery care, and postnatal care cost. The sum of these three equaled the maternal and child health care cost. The prenatal care cost was $1,205.33, the labor and delivery care cost was $3,313.98, and the postnatal care was $559.91. The total cost of the maternal and child health care corresponded to $5,079.22. Cost information is valuable for the health care personnel for health care planning activities.

Software for planning processes gamma irradiation sterilization of products intended for health care

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez, Juan P; Carrillo, Miguel A; Mangussi, Josefina; Menendez, Franco

2012-01-01

In this work was developed an application software for PC, with a friendly interface whose main objective is to facilitate the planning processes for gamma irradiation of health care devices for a irradiation plant, decreasing costs and delays caused in the dosimetry and pretesting. Wascreated a program that predicts, previously establishing the location of a plane in the enclosure of irradiation, dose rate in [kGy/h] at certain strategic points of this plane in addition to calculating the corresponding absorbed dose [kGy] for a time defined by the user (author)

Your cancer survivorship care plan

Science.gov (United States)

... ency/patientinstructions/000822.htm Your cancer survivorship care plan To use the sharing features on this page, ... get one. What Is a Cancer Survivorship Care Plan? A cancer survivorship care plan is a document ...

Interprofessional collaboration regarding patients' care plans in primary care: a focus group study into influential factors.

Science.gov (United States)

van Dongen, Jerôme Jean Jacques; Lenzen, Stephanie Anna; van Bokhoven, Marloes Amantia; Daniëls, Ramon; van der Weijden, Trudy; Beurskens, Anna

2016-05-28

The number of people with multiple chronic conditions demanding primary care services is increasing. To deal with the complex health care demands of these people, professionals from different disciplines collaborate. This study aims to explore influential factors regarding interprofessional collaboration related to care plan development in primary care. A qualitative study, including four semi-structured focus group interviews (n = 4). In total, a heterogeneous group of experts (n = 16) and health care professionals (n = 15) participated. Participants discussed viewpoints, barriers, and facilitators regarding interprofessional collaboration related to care plan development. The data were analysed by means of inductive content analysis. The findings show a variety of factors influencing the interprofessional collaboration in developing a care plan. Factors can be divided into 5 key categories: (1) patient-related factors: active role, self-management, goals and wishes, membership of the team; (2) professional-related factors: individual competences, domain thinking, motivation; (3) interpersonal factors: language differences, knowing each other, trust and respect, and motivation; (4) organisational factors: structure, composition, time, shared vision, leadership and administrative support; and (5) external factors: education, culture, hierarchy, domain thinking, law and regulations, finance, technology and ICT. Improving interprofessional collaboration regarding care plan development calls for an integral approach including patient- and professional related factors, interpersonal, organisational, and external factors. Further, the leader of the team seems to play a key role in watching the patient perspective, organising and coordinating interprofessional collaborations, and guiding the team through developments. The results of this study can be used as input for developing tools and interventions targeted at executing and improving interprofessional

Health care: development of data for a marketing approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Stitt, V J

1985-06-01

Marketing in health care is a relatively new process. It is a business tool that can serve a very useful purpose. Health care management has become aware of the usefulness of marketing in long-range planning. Through a well-thought-out marketing plan, the provider will not be leaving the future to chance. A well-conceived, patient-oriented, competitor-aware marketing plan should place the medical practice at a strategic advantage as the health care industry joins other industries in the competitive marketplace for the consumer's dollar.The ever-increasing political and regulatory environment that the health care field is undergoing emphasizes the need for the inclusion of marketing skills, such as cost containment, in the medical curriculum. It should be the obligation of the training facilities as well as medical societies to respond to this need by providing the education that will enable black providers to survive in this competitive environment.

Preserving community in health care.

Science.gov (United States)

Emanuel, E J; Emanuel, L L

1997-02-01

There are two prominent trends in health care today: first, increasing demands for accountabilty, and second, increasing provision of care through managed care organizations. These trends promote the question: What form of account-ability is appropriate to managed care plans? Accountability is the process by which a party justifies its actions and policies. Components of accountability include parties that can be held or hold others accountable, domains and content areas being assessed, and procedures of assessment. Traditionally, the professional model of accountability has operated in medical care. In this model, physicians establish the standards of accountability and hold each other accountable through professional organizations. This form of accountability seems outdated and inapplicable to managed care plans. The alternatives are the economic and the political models of accountability. In the economic model, medicine becomes more like a commodity, and "exit" (consumers changing providers for reasons of cost and quality) is the dominant procedure of accountability. In the political model, medicine becomes more like a community good, and "voice" (citizens communicating their views in public forums or on policy committees, or in elections for representatives) is the dominant procedure of accountability. The economic model's advantages affirm American individualism, make minimal demands on consumers, and use a powerful incentive, money. Its disadvantages undermine health care as a nonmarket good, undermine individual autonomy, undermine good medical practice, impose significant demands on consumers to be informed, sustain differentials of power, and use indirect procedures of accountability. The political model's advantages affirm health care as a matter of justice, permit selecting domains other than price and quality for accountability, reinforce good medical practice, and equalize power between patients and physicians. Its disadvantages include inefficiency in

The health care Titanic: women and children first?

Science.gov (United States)

Holland, S; Peterson, K

1993-01-01

The plight of people who lack access to health care has captured national attention and led to a number of proposals to remedy the problem. The authors look at three types of proposals being advanced--"pro-competition" plans, "pay-or-play" plans, and a national health care system--and find that they fail to address adequately the pressing needs of two groups of the poor: women of childbearing age and elderly women.

Privacy and Confidentiality Practices In Adolescent Family Planning Care At Federally Qualified Health Centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Beeson, Tishra; Mead, Katherine H; Wood, Susan; Goldberg, Debora Goetz; Shin, Peter; Rosenbaum, Sara

2016-03-01

The confidentiality of family planning services remains a high priority to adolescents, but barriers to implementing confidentiality and privacy practices exist in settings designed for teenagers who are medically underserved, including federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). A sample of 423 FQHCs surveyed in 2011 provided information on their use of five selected privacy and confidentiality practices, which were examined separately and combined into an index. Regression modeling was used to assess whether various state policies and organizational characteristics were associated with FQHCs' scores on the index. In-depth case studies of six FQHCs were conducted to provide additional contextual information. Among FQHCs reporting on confidentiality, most reported providing written or verbal information regarding adolescents' rights to confidential care (81%) and limiting access to family planning and medical records to protect adolescents' confidentiality (84%). Far fewer reported maintaining separate medical records for family planning (10%), using a security block on electronic medical records to prevent disclosures (43%) or using separate contact information for communications regarding family planning services (50%). Index scores were higher among FQHCs that received Title X funding than among those that did not (coefficient, 0.70) and among FQHCs with the largest patient volumes than among those with the smallest caseloads (0.43). Case studies highlighted how a lack of guidelines and providers' confusion over relevant laws present a challenge in offering confidential care to adolescents. The organizational practices used to ensure adolescent family planning confidentiality in FQHCs are varied across organizations. Copyright © 2016 by the Guttmacher Institute.

Impact of Home Health Care on Health Care Resource Utilization Following Hospital Discharge: A Cohort Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Roy; Miller, Jacob A; Zafirau, William J; Gorodeski, Eiran Z; Young, James B

2018-04-01

As healthcare costs rise, home health care represents an opportunity to reduce preventable adverse events and costs following hospital discharge. No studies have investigated the utility of home health care within the context of a large and diverse patient population. A retrospective cohort study was conducted between 1/1/2013 and 6/30/2015 at a single tertiary care institution to assess healthcare utilization after discharge with home health care. Control patients discharged with "self-care" were matched by propensity score to home health care patients. The primary outcome was total healthcare costs in the 365-day post-discharge period. Secondary outcomes included follow-up readmission and death. Multivariable linear and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to adjust for covariates. Among 64,541 total patients, 11,266 controls were matched to 6,363 home health care patients across 11 disease-based Institutes. During the 365-day post-discharge period, home health care was associated with a mean unadjusted savings of $15,233 per patient, or $6,433 after adjusting for covariates (p Home health care independently decreased the hazard of follow-up readmission (HR 0.82, p home health care most benefited patients discharged from the Digestive Disease (death HR 0.72, p home health care was associated with significant reduction in healthcare utilization and decreased hazard of readmission and death. These data inform development of value-based care plans. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Professional Development Plan of a Health Care Workforce as a Qualitative Indicator of the Health Care System's Well-Being

Science.gov (United States)

Saiti, Anna; Mylona, Vasiliki

2015-01-01

The quality of a health care system is heavily dependent on a capable and skillful health care workforce so as to guarantee the delivery of quality health care services to its user groups. Hence, only through continuous training and development can the health care workforce follow rapid scientific progress while equitably balancing investment…

Innovation in patient-centered care: lessons from a qualitative study of innovative health care organizations in Washington State

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reed Peter

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Growing interest in the promise of patient-centered care has led to numerous health care innovations, including the patient-centered medical home, shared decision-making, and payment reforms. How best to vet and adopt innovations is an open question. Washington State has been a leader in health care reform and is a rich laboratory for patient-centered innovations. We sought to understand the process of patient-centered care innovation undertaken by innovative health care organizations – from strategic planning to goal selection to implementation to maintenance. Methods We conducted key-informant interviews with executives at five health plans, five provider organizations, and ten primary care clinics in Washington State. At least two readers of each interview transcript identified themes inductively; final themes were determined by consensus. Results Innovation in patient-centered care was a strategic objective chosen by nearly every organization in this study. However, other goals were paramount: cost containment, quality improvement, and organization survival. Organizations commonly perceived effective chronic disease management and integrated health information technology as key elements for successful patient-centered care innovation. Inertia, resource deficits, fee-for-service payment, and regulatory limits on scope of practice were cited as barriers to innovation, while organization leadership, human capital, and adaptive culture facilitated innovation. Conclusions Patient-centered care innovations reflected organizational perspectives: health plans emphasized cost-effectiveness while providers emphasized health care delivery processes. Health plans and providers shared many objectives, yet the two rarely collaborated to achieve them. The process of innovation is heavily dependent on organizational culture and leadership. Policymakers can improve the pace and quality of patient-centered innovation by setting targets

Solid health care waste management status at health care centers in the West Bank - Palestinian Territory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Khatib, Issam A.; Sato, Chikashi

2009-01-01

Health care waste is considered a major public health hazard. The objective of this study was to assess health care waste management (HCWM) practices currently employed at health care centers (HCCs) in the West Bank - Palestinian Territory. Survey data on solid health care waste (SHCW) were analyzed for generated quantities, collection, separation, treatment, transportation, and final disposal. Estimated 4720.7 m 3 (288.1 tons) of SHCW are generated monthly by the HCCs in the West Bank. This study concluded that: (i) current HCWM practices do not meet HCWM standards recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) or adapted by developed countries, and (ii) immediate attention should be directed towards improvement of HCWM facilities and development of effective legislation. To improve the HCWM in the West Bank, a national policy should be implemented, comprising a comprehensive plan of action and providing environmentally sound and reliable technological measures.

The health care market: can hospitals survive?

Science.gov (United States)

Goldsmith, J C

1980-01-01

Does it sound familiar? Resources are scarce, competition is tough, and government regulations and a balanced budget are increasingly hard to meet at the same time. This is not the automobile or oil industry but the health care industry, and hospital managers are facing the same problems. And, maintains the author of this article, they must borrow some proven marketing techniques from business to survive in the new health care market. He first describes the features of the new market (the increasing economic power of physicians, new forms of health care delivery, prepaid health plans, and the changing regulatory environment) and then the possible marketing strategies for dealing with them (competing hard for physicians who control the patient flow and diversifying and promoting the mix of services). He also describes various planning solutions that make the most of a community's hospital facilities and affiliations.

Experiences and perspectives of older people regarding advance care planning: A meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Ke, Li-Shan; Huang, Xiaoyan; Hu, Wen-Yu; O'Connor, Margaret; Lee, Susan

2017-05-01

Studies have indicated that family members or health professionals may not know or predict their older relatives' or patients' health preferences. Although advance care planning is encouraged for older people to prepare end-of-life care, it is still challenging. To understand the experiences and perspectives of older people regarding advance care planning. A systematic review of qualitative studies and meta-synthesis was conducted. CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases were searched. A total of 50 articles were critically appraised and a thematic synthesis was undertaken. Four themes were identified: life versus death, internal versus external, benefits versus burdens, and controlling versus being controlled. The view of life and death influenced older people's willingness to discuss their future. The characteristics, experiences, health status, family relationship, and available resources also affected their plans of advance care planning. Older people needed to balance the benefits and burdens of advance care planning, and then judge their own ability to make decisions about end-of-life care. Older people's perspectives and experiences of advance care planning were varied and often conflicted; cultural differences amplified variances among older people. Truthful information, available resources, and family support are needed to enable older people to maintain dignity at the end of life. The views of life and death for older people from different cultures should be compared to assist health professionals to understand older people's attitudes toward advance care planning, and thus to develop appropriate strategies to promote advance care planning in different cultures.

Simulation modeling for the health care manager.

Science.gov (United States)

Kennedy, Michael H

2009-01-01

This article addresses the use of simulation software to solve administrative problems faced by health care managers. Spreadsheet add-ins, process simulation software, and discrete event simulation software are available at a range of costs and complexity. All use the Monte Carlo method to realistically integrate probability distributions into models of the health care environment. Problems typically addressed by health care simulation modeling are facility planning, resource allocation, staffing, patient flow and wait time, routing and transportation, supply chain management, and process improvement.

Patient Care Planning: An Interdisciplinary Approach

OpenAIRE

Prophet, Colleen M.

1989-01-01

The INFORMM Patient Care Planning System provides interdepartmental communication and individualized patient care plans based upon current standards of care. This interdisciplinary system facilitates the identification of patient problems and nursing diagnoses as well as patient care orders. The selected nurses' and physicians' orders are integrated and organized by care plan categories in printouts. As a system by-product, Patient Care Planning automatically generates and calculates patient ...

Management of human resources in health care: the Canadian experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, O

1992-07-01

Each of Canada's ten provinces has a publicly administered system of health insurance, funded by provincial and federal taxes, that is accessible to all citizens and covers all medically necessary services provided by physicians and hospitals. Canadians spend an estimated 9.2 percent of their gross national product on health care (about 2.8 percentage points below US spending), of which three quarters is public-sector spending. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Canada's health status is equal to or better than that of the United States, despite lower per capita health spending. About seven percent of the Canadian labour force works in health care, and attempts to introduce coordinated planning of human resources in health care have not as yet proceeded far. The predominant policy issue here is the supply and the role of physicians. It has been argued that entrenching within the system the fee-for-service method of paying physicians has created a disincentive to the delegation of responsibility to health personnel other than doctors. It is also argued that introduction of government-run health insurance provided the opportunity for human resource planning, but that the decision by governments to act only as the payer resulted in ad-hoc planning approaches. However, governments' concern over health care costs has led to a more direct role by them in the planning of the human resources in health. They are re-examining the autonomy and jurisdictional rights of the professions that deliver health care to Canadians.

Final Report: Evaluation of Tools and Metrics to Support Employer Selection of Health Plans.

Science.gov (United States)

Mattke, Soeren; Van Busum, Kristin R; Martsolf, Grant R

2014-01-01

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) places strong emphasis on quality of care as a means to improve outcomes for Americans and promote the financial sustainability of our health care system. Included in the ACA are new disclosure requirements that require health plans to provide a summary of benefits and coverage that accurately describes the benefits under the plan or coverage. These requirements are intended to support employers' procurement of high-value health coverage for their employees. This study attempts to help employers understand the structural differences between health plans and the performance dimensions along which plans can differ, as well as to educate employers about available tools that can be used to evaluate plan options. The study also discusses the extent to which these and other tools or resources are used by employers to inform choices between health plans.

Health insurance: how does your plan compare? Plus, a look to new reforms.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-01

A good insurance plan can steer you to the care that helps and away from wasting your time and money on unnecessary tests and treatments. For the third year running, we are presenting health plan rankings from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a nonprofit health care accreditation and quality measurement group, of a record 984 plans on their quality of care, customer satisfaction, and commitment to improvement and disclosure of information. This year, the NCQA ranked 474 private plans (which consumers obtain through a job or purchase on their own), 395 Medicare Advantage plans, and 115 Medicaid HMOs.

Health System Advance Care Planning Culture Change for High-Risk Patients: The Promise and Challenges of Engaging Providers, Patients, and Families in Systematic Advance Care Planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Reidy, Jennifer; Halvorson, Jennifer; Makowski, Suzana; Katz, Delila; Weinstein, Barbara; McCluskey, Christine; Doering, Alex; DeCarli, Kathryn; Tjia, Jennifer

2017-04-01

The success of a facilitator-based model for advance care planning (ACP) in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, has inspired health systems to aim for widespread documentation of advance directives, but limited resources impair efforts to replicate this model. One promising strategy is the development of interactive, Internet-based tools that might increase access to individualized ACP at minimal cost. However, widespread adoption and implementation of Internet-based ACP efforts has yet to be described. We describe our early experiences in building a systematic, population-based ACP initiative focused on health system-wide deployment of an Internet-based tool as an adjunct to a facilitator-based model. With the sponsorship of our healthcare system's population health leadership, we engaged a diverse group of clinical stakeholders as champions to design an Internet-based ACP tool and facilitate local practice change. We describe how we simultaneously began to train clinicians in ACP conversations, engage patients and health system employees in thinking about ACP, redesign clinic workflows to accommodate ACP discussions, and integrate the Internet-based tool into the electronic medical record (EMR). Over 18 months, our project engaged two subspecialty clinics in a systematic ACP process and began work with a large primary care practice with a large Medicare Accountable Care Organization at-risk population. Overall, 807 people registered at the Internet site and 85% completed ACPs. We learned that changing culture and systems to promote ACP requires a comprehensive vision with simultaneous, interconnected strategies targeting patient education, clinician training, EMR documentation, and community awareness.

Electronic Health Record in Continuous Shared Health Care

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Hanzlíček, Petr; Zvárová, Jana; Zvára, K.; Bureš, V.; Špidlen, Josef

2005-01-01

Roč. 11, - (2005), s. 1-6 ISSN 1727-1983. [EMBEC'05. European Medical and Biomedical Conference /3./. Prague, 20.11.2005-25.11.2005] R&D Projects: GA AV ČR 1ET200300413 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : electronic health record * shared health care * information technology Subject RIV: BD - Theory of Information

Person-centered care planning and service engagement: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Stanhope, Victoria; Tondora, Janis; Davidson, Larry; Choy-Brown, Mimi; Marcus, Steven C

2015-04-22

Service disengagement is a pervasive challenge the mental health care system faces. Mental health services are of little value should persons with mental illnesses continue to opt out of receiving them. Consumers attribute disengagement from care to an absence of choice in their treatment. In response, the mental health system is adopting a person-centered model, based upon recovery principles, to engage consumers more actively in their care. Person-centered care planning is a promising practice involving collaboration to develop and implement an actionable plan to assist the person in achieving personal recovery goals. This study design combines a parallel-group randomized controlled trial of community mental health organizations with qualitative methods to assess the effectiveness of person-centered care planning. Participants at 14 sites in Delaware and Connecticut will be randomized to treatment as usual or the person-centered care planning intervention. Participants will be in leadership (n = 70) or supervisory or direct care (n = 210) roles. The person-centered care planning intervention involves intensive staff training and 12 months of ongoing technical assistance. Quantitative survey data will be collected at baseline, 6 months and 12 months measuring person-centered care planning competency and organizational factors. Consumer outcomes (engagement, medication adherence, functioning and consumer satisfaction) will be assessed by Medicaid and state-level data. Qualitative data focused on process factors will include staff and consumer interviews and focus groups. In this intent-to-treat analysis, we will use mixed-effects multivariate regression models to evaluate the differential impact of the person-centered care planning intervention on each consumer and implementation outcome as well as the extent to which clinician assessments of organizational factors are associated with the implementation outcome. Mixed methods will triangulate and strengthen the

Creating an integrated public sector? Labour's plans for the modernisation of the English health care system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nick Goodwin

2002-03-01

Full Text Available The current Labour Government has embarked on radical public sector reform in England. A so-called ‘Modernisation Agenda’ has been developed that is encapsulated in the NHS Plan—a document that details a long-term vision for health care. This plan involves a five-fold strategy: investment through greater public funding; quality assurance; improving access; service integration and inter-professional working; and providing a public health focus. The principles of Labour's vision have been broadly supported. However, achieving its aims appears reliant on two key factors. First, appropriate resources are required to create capacity, particularly management capacity, to enable new functions to develop. Second, promoting access and service integration requires the development of significant co-ordination, collaboration and networking between agencies and individuals. This is particularly important for health and social care professionals. Their historically separate professions suggest that a significant period of change management is required to allow new roles and partnerships to evolve. In an attempt to secure delivery of its goals, however, the Government has placed the emphasis on further organisational restructuring. In doing so, the Government may have missed the key challenges faced in delivering its NHS Plan. As this paper argues, cultural and behavioural change is probably a far more appropriate and important requirement for success than a centrally directed approach that emphasises the rearrangement of structural furniture.

Restructuring Employee Benefits to Meet Health Care Needs in Retirement.

Science.gov (United States)

Ward, Richard M; Weinman, Robert B

2015-01-01

Health care expenses in retirement are the proverbial elephant in the room. Most employees don't know how big the elephant is. As Medicare solvency and retiree health care issues receive increasing attention, it is time to rethink overall benefit approaches and assess what is appropriate and affordable for an organization to help achieve workforce renewal goals and solve delayed retirement challenges. Just as Medicare was never designed to cover all of the post-65 retiree health care costs, neither is a workplace retirement plan designed to cover 100% of preretiree income. Now employers can consider strategies that may better equip retirees to meet both income needs and health care expenses in the most tax-efficient way. By combining defined contribution retirement and health care plans, employers have the power to increase benefits for employees while maintaining total benefits cost.

Developing an instrument for assessing fidelity of motivational care planning: The Aboriginal and Islander Mental health initiative adherence scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Prowse, Phuong-Tu; Nagel, Tricia

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to design and trial an Adherence Scale to measure fidelity of Motivational Care Planning (MCP) within a clinical trial. This culturally adapted therapy MCP uses a client centered holistic approach that emphasises family and culture to motivate healthy life style changes. The Motivational Care Planning-Adherence Scale (MCP-AS) was developed through consultation with Aboriginal and Islander Mental Health Initiative (AIMhi) Indigenous and non-Indigenous trainers, and review of MCP training resources. The resultant ten-item scale incorporates a 9-Point Likert Scale with a supporting protocol manual and uses objective, behaviourally anchored criteria for each scale point. A fidelity assessor piloted the tool through analysis of four audio-recordings of MCP (conducted by Indigenous researchers within a study in remote communities in Northern Australia). File audits of the remote therapy sessions were utilised as an additional source of information. A Gold Standard Motivational Care Planning training video was also assessed using the MCP-AS. The Motivational Care Planning-Adherence Scale contains items measuring both process and content of therapy sessions. This scale was used successfully to assess therapy through observation of audio or video-recorded sessions and review of clinical notes. Treatment fidelity measured by the MCP-AS within the pilot study indicated high fidelity ratings. Ratings were high across the three domains of rapport, motivation, and self-management with especially high ratings for positive feedback and engagement, review of stressors and goal setting. The Motivational Care Planning-Adherence Scale has the potential to provide a measure of quality of delivery of Motivation Care Planning. The pilot findings suggest that despite challenges within the remote Indigenous community setting, Indigenous therapists delivered therapy that was of high fidelity. While developed as a research tool, the scale has the potential to

Health care and equity in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Balarajan, Y; Selvaraj, S; Subramanian, S V

2011-02-05

In India, despite improvements in access to health care, inequalities are related to socioeconomic status, geography, and gender, and are compounded by high out-of-pocket expenditures, with more than three-quarters of the increasing financial burden of health care being met by households. Health-care expenditures exacerbate poverty, with about 39 million additional people falling into poverty every year as a result of such expenditures. We identify key challenges for the achievement of equity in service provision, and equity in financing and financial risk protection in India. These challenges include an imbalance in resource allocation, inadequate physical access to high-quality health services and human resources for health, high out-of-pocket health expenditures, inflation in health spending, and behavioural factors that affect the demand for appropriate health care. Use of equity metrics in monitoring, assessment, and strategic planning; investment in development of a rigorous knowledge base of health-systems research; development of a refined equity-focused process of deliberative decision making in health reform; and redefinition of the specific responsibilities and accountabilities of key actors are needed to try to achieve equity in health care in India. The implementation of these principles with strengthened public health and primary-care services will help to ensure a more equitable health care for India's population. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strategic Medicines Planning in Primary Health Care | Adindu ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Strategic medicines planning requires broad understanding of health and medicines realities within a context. Pharmacists viewing the community from a holistic perspective promote effectiveness in pharmacy, and facilitate synergy among the various groups to solve intractable medicines problems. Strategic medicines ...

An economic analysis of health plan conversions: are they in the public interest?

Science.gov (United States)

Beaulieu, Nancy Dean

2004-01-01

Over the last decade, managed-care companies have been consolidating on both a regional and national scale. More recently, nonprofit health plans have been converting to for-profit status, and this conversion has frequently occurred as a step to facilitate merger or acquisition with a for-profit company. Some industry observers attribute these managed-care marketplace trends to an industry shakeout resulting from increased competition in the sector. At the same time, these perceived competitive pressures have led to questions about the long-run viability of nonprofit health plans. Furthermore, some industry and government leaders believe that some nonprofits are already conducting themselves like for-profit health plans and question the state premium tax exemption ordinarily accorded to such plans. This paper examines related health policy issues through the lens of a case study of the proposed conversion of the CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield company to a for-profit public-stock company and its merger with the Wellpoint Corporation. Company executives and board members argued that CareFirst lacked access to sufficient capital and faced serious threats to its viability as a financially healthy nonprofit health care company. They also argued that CareFirst and its beneficiaries would benefit from merger through enhanced economies of scale and product-line extensions. Critics of the proposed conversion and merger raised concerns about the adverse impacts on access to care, coverage availability, quality of care, safety-net providers, and the cost of health insurance. Analyses demonstrate that CareFirst wields substantial market power in its local market, that it is unlikely to realize cost savings through expanded economies of scale, and that access to capital concerns are largely driven by the perceived need for further expansion through merger and acquisition. Although it is impossible to predict future changes in quality of care for CareFirst, analyses suggest

Health care waste management practice in a hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Paudel, R; Pradhan, B

2010-10-01

Health-care waste is a by-product of health care. Its poor management exposes health-care workers, waste handlers and the community to infections, toxic effects and injuries including damage of the environment. It also creates opportunities for the collection of disposable medical equipment, its re-sale and potential re-use without sterilization, which causes an important burden of disease worldwide. The purpose of this study was to find out health care waste management practice in hospital. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Narayani Sub-Regional Hospital, Birgunj from May to October 2006 using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Study population was four different departments of the hospital (Medical/Paediatric, Surgical/Ortho, Gynae/Obstetric and Emergency), Medical Superintendent, In-charges of four different departments and all sweepers. Data was collected using interview, group discussion, observation and measurement by weight and volume. Total health-care waste generated was 128.4 kg per day while 0.8 kg per patient per day. The composition of health care waste was found to be 96.8 kg (75.4%) general waste, 24.1 kg (8.8%) hazardous waste and 7.5 kg (5.8%) sharps per day by weight. Health staffs and sweepers were not practicing the waste segregation. Occupational health and safety was not given due attention. Majority of the sweepers were unaware of waste management and need of safety measures to protect their own health. Health care waste management practice in the hospital was unsatisfactory because of the lack of waste management plan and carelessness of patients, visitors and staffs. Therefore the hospital should develop the waste management plan and strictly follow the National Health Care Waste Management Guideline.

Effect of Medicaid Managed Care on racial disparities in health care access.

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, Benjamin Lê

2007-02-01

To evaluate the impact of Medicaid Managed Care (MMC) on racial disparities in access to care consistent with the Institute of Medicine (IOM) definition of racial disparity, which excludes differences stemming from health status but includes socioeconomic status (SES)-mediated differences. Secondary data from the Adult Samples of the 1997-2001 National Health Interview Survey, metropolitan statistical area (MSA)-level Medicaid Health Maintenance Organization (MHMO) market share from the 1997 to 2001 InterStudy MSA Trend Dataset, and MSA characteristics from the 1997 to 2001 Area Resource File. I estimate multivariate regression models to compare racial disparities in doctor visits, emergency room (ER) use, and having a usual source of care between enrollees in MMC and Medicaid Fee-for-Service (FFS) plans. To contend with potential selection bias, I use a difference-in-difference analytical strategy and assess the impact of greater MHMO market share at the MSA level on Medicaid enrollees' access measures. To implement the IOM definition of racial disparity, I adjust for health status but not SES factors using a novel method to transform the distribution of health status for minority populations to approximate the white health status distribution. MMC enrollment is associated with lowered disparities in having any doctor visit in the last year for blacks, and in having any usual source of care for both blacks and Hispanics. Increasing Medicaid HMO market share lowered disparities in having any doctor visits in the last year for both blacks and Hispanics. Although disparities in most other measures were not much affected, black-white ER use disparities exist among MMC enrollees and in areas of high MHMO market share. MMC programs' reduction of some disparities suggests that recent shifts in Medicaid policy toward managed care plans have benefited minority enrollees. Future research should investigate whether black-white disparities in ER use within MMC groups

Next generation terminology infrastructure to support interprofessional care planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Sarah; Klinkenberg-Ramirez, Stephanie; Tsivkin, Kira; Mar, Perry L; Iskhakova, Dina; Nandigam, Hari; Samal, Lipika; Rocha, Roberto A

2017-11-01

Develop a prototype of an interprofessional terminology and information model infrastructure that can enable care planning applications to facilitate patient-centered care, learn care plan linkages and associations, provide decision support, and enable automated, prospective analytics. The study steps included a 3 step approach: (1) Process model and clinical scenario development, and (2) Requirements analysis, and (3) Development and validation of information and terminology models. Components of the terminology model include: Health Concerns, Goals, Decisions, Interventions, Assessments, and Evaluations. A terminology infrastructure should: (A) Include discrete care plan concepts; (B) Include sets of profession-specific concerns, decisions, and interventions; (C) Communicate rationales, anticipatory guidance, and guidelines that inform decisions among the care team; (D) Define semantic linkages across clinical events and professions; (E) Define sets of shared patient goals and sub-goals, including patient stated goals; (F) Capture evaluation toward achievement of goals. These requirements were mapped to AHRQ Care Coordination Measures Framework. This study used a constrained set of clinician-validated clinical scenarios. Terminology models for goals and decisions are unavailable in SNOMED CT, limiting the ability to evaluate these aspects of the proposed infrastructure. Defining and linking subsets of care planning concepts appears to be feasible, but also essential to model interprofessional care planning for common co-occurring conditions and chronic diseases. We recommend the creation of goal dynamics and decision concepts in SNOMED CT to further enable the necessary models. Systems with flexible terminology management infrastructure may enable intelligent decision support to identify conflicting and aligned concerns, goals, decisions, and interventions in shared care plans, ultimately decreasing documentation effort and cognitive burden for clinicians and

The role of traditional healers in the provision of health care and family planning services: Sinseh.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuek, K; Liow, T S

1985-01-01

The Chinese traditional medical system and pharmacology have a 1000-year history, and practitioners of Chinese traditional medicine play an important role in providing health care and family planning services in China. Vast numbers of patients from all walks of life and of all races benefit from Chinese traditional medicine. Although there are no official government records on the activities of practitioners of traditional medicine, the Chinese charitable medical organizations have some data on the nature of available services and their use. In China, in the context of significant government investment in health care facilities throughout the country and the proliferation of private hospitals, specialist centers, and general practitioners providing modern health care, the number of Chinese traditional charity medical aid departments, instead of falling by the wayside, has increased. The Chinese Traditional Medicine and Physician and Medicine Dealers Association of Malaysia was established 27 years ago. There are now officially 719 Chinese physicians and 1869 medical halls and Chinese physician infirmaries in Malaysia. The authors describe the status of Chinese physicians and medical halls in Malaysia, charitable organizations, and applications of Chinese traditional medicine.

Health Care, Health Insurance, and the Relative Income of the Elderly and Nonelderly

OpenAIRE

Gary Burtless; Pavel Svaton

2009-01-01

Cash income offers an incomplete picture of the resources available to finance household consumption. Most American families are covered by an insurance plan that pays for some or all of the health care they consume. Only a comparatively small percentage of families pay for the full cost of this insurance out of their cash incomes. As health care has claimed a growing share of consumption, the percentage of care that is financed out of household incomes has declined. Because health care consu...

Holistic Health Care for the Medically Uninsured: The Church Health Center of Memphis.

Science.gov (United States)

Morris, G Scott

2015-11-05

The Church Health Center (CHC) in Memphis was founded in 1987 to provide quality, affordable health care for working, uninsured people and their families. With numerous, dedicated financial supporters and health care volunteers, CHC has become the largest faith-based health care organization of its type nationally, serving >61,000 patients. CHC embraces a holistic approach to health by promoting wellness in every dimension of life. It offers on-site services including medical care, dentistry, optometry, counseling, social work, and nutrition and fitness education, to promote wellness in every dimension of life. A 2012 economic analysis estimated that a $1 contribution to the CHC provided roughly $8 in health services. The CHC has trained >1200 Congregational Health Promoters to be health leaders and is conducting research on the effectiveness of faith community nurses partnering with congregations to assist in home care for patients recently discharged from Memphis hospitals. The MEMPHIS Plan, CHC's employer-sponsored health care plan for small business and the self-employed, offers uninsured people in lower-wage jobs access to quality, affordable health care. The CHC also conducts replications workshops several times a year to share their model with leaders in other communities. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) recently completed a case study that concluded: "The CHC is one of a very few organizations successfully embodying all three components of the IHI Triple Aim by improving population health outcomes, enhancing the individual's health care experience, and controlling costs. All three have been part of the Center's DNA since its inception, and as a transforming force in the community, the model is well worth national attention."

Community mental health care in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Padmavati, R

2005-04-01

Recent times are witnessing methods in the various forms of community care for the mentally ill in India. Non-governmental organizations (NGO) play a pivotal role in filling the gap in the existing mental health services in India and the substantial need for these services. Various strategies that have been employed in community care have attempted to utilize existing community resources for implementation. Informal manpower resources incorporated with specialist psychiatric care and integrated with existing health care facilities have been general strategies. While the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of the NGO operated community outreach programs for the mentally ill have been demonstrated, various factors are seen to influence the planning and execution of such programs. This paper elucidates some critical factors that would need to be considered in community mental health care in India.

Evaluating and Quantifying User and Carer Involvement in Mental Health Care Planning (EQUIP: Co-Development of a New Patient-Reported Outcome Measure.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Penny Bee

Full Text Available International and national health policy seeks to increase service user and carer involvement in mental health care planning, but suitable user-centred tools to assess the success of these initiatives are not yet available. The current study describes the development of a new reliable and valid, interval-scaled service-user and carer reported outcome measure for quantifying user/carer involvement in mental health care planning. Psychometric development reduced a 70-item item bank to a short form questionnaire using a combination of Classical Test, Mokken and Rasch Analyses. Test-retest reliability was calculated using t-tests of interval level scores between baseline and 2-4 week follow-up. Items were worded to be relevant to both service users and carers. Nine items were removed following cognitive debriefing with a service user and carer advisory group. An iterative process of item removal reduced the remaining 61 items to a final 14-item scale. The final scale has acceptable scalability (Ho = .69, reliability (alpha = .92, fit to the Rasch model (χ2(70 = 97.25, p = .02, and no differential item functioning or locally dependent items. Scores remained stable over the 4 week follow-up period, indicating good test-retest reliability. The 'Evaluating the Quality of User and Carer Involvement in Care Planning (EQUIP' scale displays excellent psychometric properties and is capable of unidimensional linear measurement. The scale is short, user and carer-centred and will be of direct benefit to clinicians, services, auditors and researchers wishing to quantify levels of user and carer involvement in care planning.

Care for children with special health care needs in a managed care system: a patient satisfaction survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Flynn, J M; Bravo, C J; Reyes, O

2001-09-01

In 1994 the government of Puerto Rico adopted a capitated managed health care system for the medically indigent. The new law has been implemented in most municipalities. A survey of children with special health care needs treated at a tertiary pediatric center under the capitated managed care system and the prior non-capitated system was analyzed using the Consumer Assessments of Health Plan Survey (CHAPS) instrument. One third of the patients who were under the new capitated managed care system were not satisfied with the medial care they were receiving. The parents of children with multidisciplinary conditions found it much more difficult to access care at the tertiary center. It took parents two years to learn to navigate within the capitated managed care system. Studies to measure outcome and health quality of children with special health care needs in capitated managed health care programs must be developed to learn how the potential benefits of managed care can be maximized and the potential harms minimized. The purpose of this study was to analyze the accessibility and satisfaction of caretakers of children with special health care needs under a capitated managed health care system.

Have out-of-pocket health care payments risen under free health care policy? The case of Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Pallegedara, Asankha; Grimm, Michael

2018-04-26

Compared to its neighbors, Sri Lanka performs well in terms of health. Health care is provided for free in the public sector, yet households' out-of-pocket health expenditures are steadily increasing. We explore whether this increase can be explained by supply shortages and insufficient public health care financing or whether it is rather the result of an income-induced demand for supplementary and higher quality services from the private sector. We focus on total health care expenditures and health care expenditures for specific services such as expenses on private outpatient treatments and expenses on laboratory and other diagnostic services. Overall, we find little indication that limited supply of public health care per se pushes patients into the private sector. Yet income is identified as one key driver of rising health care expenditures, ie, as households get richer, they spend an increasing amount on private services suggesting a dissatisfaction with the quality offered by the public sector. Hence, quality improvements in the public sector seem to be necessary to ensure sustainability of the public health care sector. If the rich and the middle class increasingly opt out of public health care, the willingness to pay taxes to finance the free health care policy will certainly shrink. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. The International Journal of Health Planning and Management published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Public reporting in health care: how do consumers use quality-of-care information? A systematic review.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Faber, M.J.; Bosch, M.C.; Wollersheim, H.C.H.; Leatherman, S.; Grol, R.P.T.M.

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND: One of the underlying goals of public reporting is to encourage the consumer to select health care providers or health plans that offer comparatively better quality-of-care. OBJECTIVE: To review the weight consumers give to quality-of-care information in the process of choice, to

Health Plan Performance Measurement within Medicare Subvention.

Science.gov (United States)

1998-06-01

the causes of poor performance (Siren & Laffel, 1996). Although outcomes measures such as nosocomial infection rates, admission rates for select...defined. Traditional outcomes measures include infection rates, morbidity, and mortality. The problem with these traditional measures is... Maternal /Child Care Indicators Nursing Staffing Indicators Outcome Indicators Technical Outcomes Plan Performance Stability of Health Plan

[Evaluation of women's health care programs in the main institutions of the Mexican health system].

Science.gov (United States)

Enciso, Graciela Freyermuth; Navarro, Sergio Meneses; Martínez, Martín Romero

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the institutional capacity for provision of women's health care services in Mexico in accordance with prevailing regulations. A probabilistic national sample of health care institutions was used to compare performance rates according to services packages based on analysis of variance. No package showed outstanding performance. Adequate performance was seen in referral and counter-referral centers for uterine cervical cancer, childbirth care, breast cancer diagnosis, family planning counseling, and training in sexual and reproductive health. The lowest performance was seen in the prevention of uterine cervical cancer, obstetric urgencies, family and sexual violence, and promotion of family planning. All the institutions showed low performance in the prevention of breast cancer, promotion of family planning, and management of family and gender violence. The Ministry of Health's leadership needs to be strengthened in order to overcome resistance for the institutions to adhere to the prevailing regulations.

Health federalism: the role of health care professionals in Nepal.

Science.gov (United States)

Dulal, R K

2009-01-01

Nepal has entered from its unitary system into a new "Federal Democratic Republic State". The current constitution presents basic health care services as a fundamental right. The Ministry for Health and Population has been providing resources to meet health demands, but managers are wrestling to meet these demands. Persistent disparities between rural and urban and across regions resulted inferior health outcomes, e.g., life expectancy in an urban district like Bhaktapur is 71 years, whereas in the rural district of Mugu it is 44 years. The poor health and poor access to health care in the past systems prompted people to seek a different model. Ultimately, all political parties except one have agreed on federalism. The exact number of federal states that are going to be created is unknown. In federalism, all federated states have to assume certain relationships between the locality, the region, and the nation that apply not only in politics but in health care too. Managing changes in health care organization during the transitional period and after restructuring the unitary Nepal into federal states should be carefully planned. In case, if new system also fails to deliver necessary health care services, the possibility of igniting of dissatisfaction, public unrest and even disintegration cannot be ignored. In order to outline a structure and give life to a health care system under federalism, health care professionals need to engage themselves seriously.

Czechoslovakia's changing health care system.

Science.gov (United States)

Raffel, M W; Raffel, N K

1992-01-01

Before World War II, Czechoslovakia was among the most developed European countries with an excellent health care system. After the Communist coup d'etat in 1948, the country was forced to adapt its existing health care system to the Soviet model. It was planned and managed by the government, financed by general tax money, operated in a highly centralized, bureaucratic fashion, and provided service at no direct charge at the time of service. In recent years, the health care system had been deteriorating as the health of the people had also been declining. Life expectancy, infant mortality rates, and diseases of the circulatory system are higher than in Western European countries. In 1989, political changes occurred in Czechoslovakia that made health care reform possible. Now health services are being decentralized, and the ownership of hospitals is expected to be transferred to communities, municipalities, churches, charitable groups, or private entities. Almost all health leaders, including hospital directors and hospital department heads, have been replaced. Physicians will be paid according to the type and amount of work performed. Perhaps the most important reform is the establishment of an independent General Health Care Insurance Office financed directly by compulsory contributions from workers, employers, and government that will be able to negotiate with hospitals and physicians to determine payment for services.

Cost escalation in health-care technology - possible solutions

African Journals Online (AJOL)

and its application to rural health care is cited as an exaIllple ofa ... other sources of information in our health-care planning process. ... chances with unproven devices from unknown manufac- turers. ... ment, and the high training level and relatively large number of ... would provide jobs and also stimulate the economy. It.

Electronic health records: a valuable tool for dental school strategic planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Filker, Phyllis J; Cook, Nicole; Kodish-Stav, Jodi

2013-05-01

The objective of this study was to investigate if electronic patient records have utility in dental school strategic planning. Electronic health records (EHRs) have been used by all predoctoral students and faculty members at Nova Southeastern University's College of Dental Medicine (NSU-CDM) since 2006. The study analyzed patient demographic and caries risk assessment data from October 2006 to May 2011 extracted from the axiUm EHR database. The purpose was to determine if there was a relationship between high oral health care needs and patient demographics, including gender, age, and median income of the zip code where they reside in order to support dental school strategic planning including the locations of future satellite clinics. The results showed that about 51 percent of patients serviced by the Broward County-based NSU-CDM oral health care facilities have high oral health care needs and that about 60 percent of this population resides in zip codes where the average income is below the median income for the county ($41,691). The results suggest that EHR data can be used adjunctively by dental schools when proposing potential sites for satellite clinics and planning for future oral health care programming.

Evaluating the impact of the community-based health planning and services initiative on uptake of skilled birth care in Ghana.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fiifi Amoako Johnson

Full Text Available The Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS initiative is a major government policy to improve maternal and child health and accelerate progress in the reduction of maternal mortality in Ghana. However, strategic intelligence on the impact of the initiative is lacking, given the persistant problems of patchy geographical access to care for rural women. This study investigates the impact of proximity to CHPS on facilitating uptake of skilled birth care in rural areas.Data from the 2003 and 2008 Demographic and Health Survey, on 4,349 births from 463 rural communities were linked to georeferenced data on health facilities, CHPS and topographic data on national road-networks. Distance to nearest health facility and CHPS was computed using the closest facility functionality in ArcGIS 10.1. Multilevel logistic regression was used to examine the effect of proximity to health facilities and CHPS on use of skilled care at birth, adjusting for relevant predictors and clustering within communities. The results show that a substantial proportion of births continue to occur in communities more than 8 km from both health facilities and CHPS. Increases in uptake of skilled birth care are more pronounced where both health facilities and CHPS compounds are within 8 km, but not in communities within 8 km of CHPS but lack access to health facilities. Where both health facilities and CHPS are within 8 km, the odds of skilled birth care is 16% higher than where there is only a health facility within 8km.Where CHPS compounds are set up near health facilities, there is improved access to care, demonstrating the facilitatory role of CHPS in stimulating access to better care at birth, in areas where health facilities are accessible.

Evaluating the impact of the community-based health planning and services initiative on uptake of skilled birth care in Ghana.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Fiifi Amoako; Frempong-Ainguah, Faustina; Matthews, Zoe; Harfoot, Andrew J P; Nyarko, Philomena; Baschieri, Angela; Gething, Peter W; Falkingham, Jane; Atkinson, Peter M

2015-01-01

The Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) initiative is a major government policy to improve maternal and child health and accelerate progress in the reduction of maternal mortality in Ghana. However, strategic intelligence on the impact of the initiative is lacking, given the persistant problems of patchy geographical access to care for rural women. This study investigates the impact of proximity to CHPS on facilitating uptake of skilled birth care in rural areas. Data from the 2003 and 2008 Demographic and Health Survey, on 4,349 births from 463 rural communities were linked to georeferenced data on health facilities, CHPS and topographic data on national road-networks. Distance to nearest health facility and CHPS was computed using the closest facility functionality in ArcGIS 10.1. Multilevel logistic regression was used to examine the effect of proximity to health facilities and CHPS on use of skilled care at birth, adjusting for relevant predictors and clustering within communities. The results show that a substantial proportion of births continue to occur in communities more than 8 km from both health facilities and CHPS. Increases in uptake of skilled birth care are more pronounced where both health facilities and CHPS compounds are within 8 km, but not in communities within 8 km of CHPS but lack access to health facilities. Where both health facilities and CHPS are within 8 km, the odds of skilled birth care is 16% higher than where there is only a health facility within 8km. Where CHPS compounds are set up near health facilities, there is improved access to care, demonstrating the facilitatory role of CHPS in stimulating access to better care at birth, in areas where health facilities are accessible.

Issues of quality and consumer rights in the health care market.

Science.gov (United States)

Copeland, C

1998-04-01

This Issue Brief describes how the structure of the health care market has changed in the recent years. It outlines the growth in managed care and the changes in the types of managed care plans available. In addition, it discusses the issue of quality in the health care market. It also includes an overview of the legislative topics and issues relating to quality and consumer rights that policymakers are currently considering. Growth in national health expenditures, the medical care price index, and employer health care costs has slowed significantly since 1990. This decreased growth has coincided with substantial increases in managed care plan enrollment. The percentage of employees enrolled in managed care plans increased from 48 percent to 85 percent from 1992 to 1997. Quality is a multidimensional concept. Although individuals may agree on its components, they may disagree on the relative importance of these components. Therefore, disagreement exists not only on how to measure quality but also on how it is defined. Consequently, policy decisions need to be based on an evaluation of a particular law's effect as opposed to its stated goal or intent. This distinction is important because a law that addresses access or consumer rights does not necessarily address the quality of care a consumer receives. Ultimately, whether an individual believes that a law truly addresses quality will depend in a large part on his or her subjective opinion of what quality entails. To date, comparison of the quality of managed care plans with that of fee-for-service plans has not produced results that uniformly differentiate between these two plan types in either a positive or a negative way. In addition, it is important to note that the current debate on the quality of care provided in the health care market is not new to the present managed care era. The regulations and mandates discussed in this report would not guarantee increased quality in the health care market, unless quality

The changing roles of community nurses: the case of health plan nurses in Israel.

Science.gov (United States)

Nissanholtz-Gannot, Rachel; Rosen, Bruce; Hirschfeld, Miriam

2017-12-23

In Israel, approximately one-third of the country's nurses work in community settings - primarily as salaried employees in Israel's four non-profit health plans. Many health system leaders believe that the roles of health plan nurses have changed significantly in recent years due to a mix of universal developments (such as population aging and academization of the profession) and Israel-specific changes (such as the introduction of extensive quality monitoring in primary care). The main objectives of the study were to identify recent changes in the roles of health plan nurses and their current areas of activity. It also explored the experience of front-line nurses with regard to autonomy, work satisfaction, and barriers to further role development. The study integrated interviews and surveys of nurses and other professionals conducted across 4 years. Data generated from earlier study components were used to guide questions and focus for later components. In 2013, in-depth interviews were held with 55 senior nursing and medical professionals supplemented by interviews in mid-2017 with the head nurses in the four health plans. In addition, a national survey was conducted in 2014-5 among a representative sample of 1019 community nurses who work for the health plans and who are engaged in direct patient care. Six hundred ninety-two nurses responded to the survey, yielding a response rate of 69%. The survey sample consisted of an equal number of nurses from each health plan, and the observations were weighted accordingly. Senior professionals identified general themes associated with a shift in nursing roles, including a transition from reactive to initiated work, increased specialization, and a shifting of tasks from hospitals to community settings. They identified the current main areas of activity in the health plans as being: routine care, chronic care, health promotion, quality monitoring and improvement, specialized care (such as wound care), and home care. In

Where There's a Will: The Link Between Estate Planning and Disparities in Advance Care Planning by White and Black Older Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Koss, Catheryn S; Baker, Tamara A

2018-03-01

Data from the Health and Retirement Study ( n = 6,946) were used to test whether differences in estate planning accounted for disparities in advance care planning between White and Black older adults. White participants were more likely to have advance directives after controlling for demographic, health, and financial variables. When estate planning was also controlled, the odds of having an advance directive were equal for White and Black participants. In contrast, Whites remained more likely to discuss end-of-life preferences after controlling for demographic, health, financial, and estate planning variables. White participants were almost four times as likely to have wills or trusts. Wealth, income, and home ownership were predictive of estate planning. Financial disparities contributed to lower rates of estate planning which in turn explained in large part why Black older adults were less likely to have advance directives but did not account for race disparities in advance care discussion.

Improving health care strategy planning through assessment of perceptions of consumers, providers and administrators.

Science.gov (United States)

Scammon, D; Kennard, L

1983-01-01

Perceptions of consumers, health care administrators, and physicians regarding health care providers are analyzed. Ratings on 26 dimensions of health care services were obtained from members of the three participant groups using measures of image and satisfaction of both physicians in general, and of specific physicians. Discriminant analysis reveals significantly different perceptions of the health care system among the three groups of respondents. These differences suggest some changes in health care administration which could lead to increased consumer satisfaction and competitive advantages for physicians and health care institutions.

How the Affordable Care Act Has Helped Women Gain Insurance and Improved Their Ability to Get Health Care: Findings from the Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey, 2016.

Science.gov (United States)

Gunja, Munira Z; Collins, Sara R; Doty, Michelle M; Beautel, Sophie

2017-08-01

ISSUE: Prior to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), one-third of women who tried to buy a health plan on their own were either turned down, charged a higher premium because of their health, or had specific health problems excluded from their plans. Beginning in 2010, ACA consumer protections, particularly coverage for preventive care screenings with no cost-sharing and a ban on plan benefit limits, improved the quality of health insurance for women. In 2014, the law’s major insurance reforms helped millions of women who did not have employer insurance to gain coverage through the ACA’s marketplaces or through Medicaid. GOALS: To examine the effects of ACA health reforms on women’s coverage and access to care. METHOD: Analysis of the Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Surveys, 2001–2016. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS: Women ages 19 to 64 who shopped for new coverage on their own found it significantly easier to find affordable plans in 2016 compared to 2010. The percentage of women who reported delaying or skipping needed care because of costs fell to an all-time low. Insured women were more likely than uninsured women to receive preventive screenings, including Pap tests and mammograms.

Experiences of Fast Queue health care users in primary health care facilities in eThekwini district, South AfricaExperiences of Fast Queue health care users in primary health care facilities in eThekwini district, South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dudu G. Sokhela

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Comprehensive Primary Health Care (PHC, based on the principles of accessibility, availability, affordability, equity and acceptability, was introduced in South Africa to address inequalities in health service provision. Whilst the Fast Queue was instrumental in the promotion of access to health care, a major goal of the PHC approach, facilities were not prepared for the sudden influx of clients. Increased access resulted in long waiting times and queues contributing to dissatisfaction with the service which could lead to missed appointments and non-compliance with established treatment plans.Objectives: Firstly to describe the experiences of clients using the Fast Queue strategy to access routine healthcare services and secondly, to determine how the clients’ experiences led to satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the Fast Queue service.Method: A descriptive qualitative survey using content analysis explored the experiences of the Fast Queue users in a PHC setting. Setting was first identified based on greatest number using the Fast Queue and geographic diversity and then a convenience sample of health care users of the Fast Queue were sampled individually along with one focus group of users who accessed the Queue monthly for medication refills. The same interview guide questions were used for both individual interviews and the one focus group discussion. Five clinics with the highest number of attendees during a three month period and a total of 83 health care users of the Fast Queue were interviewed. The average participant was female, 31 years old, single and unemployed.Results: Two themes with sub-themes emerged: health care user flow and communication, which highlights both satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the fast queue and queue marshals, could assist in directing users to the respective queues, reduce waiting time and keep users satisfied with the use of sign posts where there is a lack of human resources

Selecting effective incentive structures in health care: A decision framework to support health care purchasers in finding the right incentives to drive performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Custers, Thomas; Hurley, Jeremiah; Klazinga, Niek S.; Brown, Adalsteinn D.

2008-01-01

Background: The Ontario health care system is devolving planning and funding authority to community based organizations and moving from steering through rules and regulations to steering on performance. As part of this transformation, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) are

Completing advance directives for health care decisions: getting to yes.

Science.gov (United States)

Shewchuk, T R

1998-09-01

The concept of advance directives for health care decision making has been judicially condoned, legislatively promoted, and systematically implemented by health care institutions, yet the execution rate of advance directives remains low. Physicians should discuss with their patients advance care planning generally and end-of-life issues specifically, preferably when patients are in good health and not when they face an acute medical crisis. The physician-hospital relationship poses particular challenges for the optimal implementation of advance directives that must be addressed. Hospital administrators must improve education of patients and physicians on the value of such documents as well as internal mechanisms to ensure better implementation of directives. Health insurance plans may be better able to ensure optimal gathering and implementation of directives. Patients must become more familiar and more comfortable with advance care planning and the reality of death and dying issues. Full acceptance of the value of directives ultimately rests on achieving full participation of all involved--providers, patients, families, and payors--in this most profound process.

Enhancing Survivorship Care Planning for Patients With Localized Prostate Cancer Using a Couple-Focused mHealth Symptom Self-Management Program: Protocol for a Feasibility Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Lixin; Dunlap, Kaitlyn L; Tan, Xianming; Chen, Ronald C; Nielsen, Matthew E; Rabenberg, Rebecca L; Asafu-Adjei, Josephine K; Koontz, Bridget F; Birken, Sarah A; Northouse, Laurel L; Mayer, Deborah K

2018-02-26

This project explores a new model of care that enhances survivorship care planning and promotes health for men with localized prostate cancer transitioning to posttreatment self-management. Survivorship care planning is important for patients with prostate cancer because of its high incidence rate in the United States, the frequent occurrence of treatment-related side effects, and reduced quality of life (QOL) for both men and their partners. A key component of comprehensive survivorship care planning is survivorship care plans (SCPs), documents that summarize cancer diagnosis, treatment, and plans for follow-up care. However, research concerning the effectiveness of SCPs on patient outcomes or health service use has thus far been inconclusive. SCPs that are tailored to individual patients' needs for information and care may improve effectiveness. This study aims to examine the feasibility of an enhanced survivorship care plan (ESCP) that integrates a symptom self-management mHealth program called Prostate Cancer Education and Resources for Couples (PERC) into the existing standardized SCP. The specific aims are to (1) examine the feasibility of delivering ESCPs and (2) to estimate the magnitude of benefit of ESCPs. We will use a two-group randomized controlled pretest-posttest design and collect data at baseline (T1) and 4 months later (T2) among 50 patients completing initial treatment for localized prostate cancer and their partners. First, we will assess the feasibility of ESCP by recruitment, enrollment, and retention rates; program satisfaction with the ESCP; and perceived ease of use of the ESCP. To achieve the secondary aim, we will compare the ESCP users with the standardized SCP users and assess their primary outcomes of QOL (overall, physical, emotional, and social QOL); secondary outcomes (reduction in negative appraisals and improvement in self-efficacy, social support, and health behaviors to manage symptoms); and number of visits to posttreatment

Mandatory universal drug plan, access to health care and health: Evidence from Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chao; Li, Qing; Sweetman, Arthur; Hurley, Jeremiah

2015-12-01

This paper examines the impacts of a mandatory, universal prescription drug insurance program on health care utilization and health outcomes in a public health care system with free physician and hospital services. Using the Canadian National Population Health Survey from 1994 to 2003 and implementing a difference-in-differences estimation strategy, we find that the mandatory program substantially increased drug coverage among the general population. The program also increased medication use and general practitioner visits but had little effect on specialist visits and hospitalization. Findings from quantile regressions suggest that there was a large improvement in the health status of less healthy individuals. Further analysis by pre-policy drug insurance status and the presence of chronic conditions reveals a marked increase in the probability of taking medication and visiting a general practitioner among the previously uninsured and those with a chronic condition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ten years of health workforce planning in the Netherlands: a tentative evaluation of GP planning as an example.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Greuningen, M. van; Batenburg, R.S.; Velden, L.F.J. van der

2012-01-01

INTRODUCTION: In many countries, health-care labour markets are constantly being challenged by an alternation of shortage and oversupply. Avoiding these cyclic variations is a major challenge. In the Netherlands, a workforce planning model has been used in health care for ten years. Case description

Changes in Quality of Health Care Delivery after Vertical Integration.

Science.gov (United States)

Carlin, Caroline S; Dowd, Bryan; Feldman, Roger

2015-08-01

To fill an empirical gap in the literature by examining changes in quality of care measures occurring when multispecialty clinic systems were acquired by hospital-owned, vertically integrated health care delivery systems in the Twin Cities area. Administrative data for health plan enrollees attributed to treatment and control clinic systems, merged with U.S. Census data. We compared changes in quality measures for health plan enrollees in the acquired clinics to enrollees in nine control groups using a differences-in-differences model. Our dataset spans 2 years prior to and 4 years after the acquisitions. We estimated probit models with errors clustered within enrollees. Data were assembled by the health plan's informatics team. Vertical integration is associated with increased rates of colorectal and cervical cancer screening and more appropriate emergency department use. The probability of ambulatory care-sensitive admissions increased when the acquisition caused disruption in admitting patterns. Moving a clinic system into a vertically integrated delivery system resulted in limited increases in quality of care indicators. Caution is warranted when the acquisition causes disruption in referral patterns. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

The business case for payer support of a community-based health information exchange: a humana pilot evaluating its effectiveness in cost control for plan members seeking emergency department care.

Science.gov (United States)

Tzeel, Albert; Lawnicki, Victor; Pemble, Kim R

2011-07-01

As emergency department utilization continues to increase, health plans must limit their cost exposure, which may be driven by duplicate testing and a lack of medical history at the point of care. Based on previous studies, health information exchanges (HIEs) can potentially provide health plans with the ability to address this need. To assess the effectiveness of a community-based HIE in controlling plan costs arising from emergency department care for a health plan's members. Albert Tzeel. The study design was observational, with an eligible population (N = 1482) of fully insured plan members who sought emergency department care on at least 2 occasions during the study period, from December 2008 through March 2010. Cost and utilization data, obtained from member claims, were matched to a list of persons utilizing the emergency department where HIE querying could have occurred. Eligible members underwent propensity score matching to create a test group (N = 326) in which the HIE database was queried in all emergency department visits, and a control group (N = 325) in which the HIE database was not queried in any emergency department visit. Post-propensity matching analysis showed that the test group achieved an average savings of $29 per emergency department visit compared with the control group. Decreased utilization of imaging procedures and diagnostic tests drove this cost-savings. When clinicians utilize HIE in the care of patients who present to the emergency department, the costs borne by a health plan providing coverage for these patients decrease. Although many factors can play a role in this finding, it is likely that HIEs obviate unnecessary service utilization through provision of historical medical information regarding specific patients at the point of care.

How Home Health Nurses Plan Their Work Schedules: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.

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Irani, Elliane; Hirschman, Karen B; Cacchione, Pamela Z; Bowles, Kathryn H

2018-06-12

To describe how home health nurses plan their daily work schedules and what challenges they face during the planning process. Home health nurses are viewed as independent providers and value the nature of their work because of the flexibility and autonomy they hold in developing their work schedules. However, there is limited empirical evidence about how home health nurses plan their work schedules, including the factors they consider during the process and the challenges they face within the dynamic home health setting. Qualitative descriptive design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 registered nurses who had greater than 2 years of experience in home health and were employed by one of the three participating home health agencies in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Four themes emerged about planning work schedules and daily itineraries: identifying patient needs to prioritize visits accordingly, partnering with patients to accommodate their preferences, coordinating visit timing with other providers to avoid overwhelming patients, and working within agency standards to meet productivity requirements. Scheduling challenges included readjusting the schedule based on patient needs and staffing availability, anticipating longer visits, and maintaining continuity of care with patients. Home health nurses make autonomous decisions regarding their work schedules while considering specific patient and agency factors, and overcome challenges related to the unpredictable nature of providing care in a home health setting. Future research is needed to further explore nurse productivity in home health and improve home health work environments. Home health nurses plan their work schedules to provide high quality care that is patient-centered and timely. The findings also highlight organizational priorities to facilitate continuity of care and support nurses while alleviating the burnout

Health Plans Can't Ignore The Customer Experience Any Longer.

Science.gov (United States)

Swanson, Erik

2017-10-01

With regulations limiting differentiation between products, health plans must rethink consumer experience to meet expectations of today's consumers, who seek convenience, quality, and speed from their health care organizations. Many plans understand they need to connect more effectively with their end customers, but technological, cultural, and other obstacles are in the way.

Identifying alternatives to old age psychiatry inpatient admission: an application of the balance of care approach to health and social care planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Tucker, Sue; Brand, Christian; Wilberforce, Mark; Abendstern, Michele; Challis, David

2015-07-17

Mental health problems in older people are common and costly, posing multiple challenges for commissioners. Against this backdrop, a series of initiatives have sought to shift resources from institutional to community care in the belief that this will save money and concurs with user preferences. However, most of this work has focused on the use of care home beds and general hospital admissions, and relatively little attention has been given to reducing the use of mental health inpatient beds, despite their very high cost. The study employed a 'Balance of Care approach' in three areas of North-West England. This long-standing strategic planning framework identifies people whose needs can be met in more than one setting, and compares the costs and consequences of the possible alternatives in a simulation modelling exercise. Information was collected about a six-month cohort of admissions in 2010/11 (n = 216). The sample was divided into groups of people with similar needs for care, and vignettes were formulated to represent the most prevalent groups. A range of key staff judged the appropriateness of these admissions and suggested alternative care for those considered least appropriate for hospital. A public sector costing approach was used to compare the estimated costs of the recommended care with that people currently receive. The findings suggest that more than a sixth of old age psychiatry inpatient admissions could be more appropriately supported in other settings if enhanced community services were available. Such restructuring could involve the provision of intensive support from Care Home Outreach and Community Mental Health Teams, rather than the development of crisis intervention and home treatment teams as currently advocated. Estimated savings were considerable, suggesting local agencies might release up to £1,300,000 per annum. No obvious trade-off between health and social care costs was predicted. There is considerable potential to change the

Health care consumerism: incentives, behavior change and uncertainties.

Science.gov (United States)

Domaszewicz, Sander; Havlin, Linda; Connolly, Susan

2010-01-01

Employers affected by the recession's 2009 peak must press for cost containment in 2010, especially in health care benefits. Encouraging employee consumerism--through consumer-directed health plans and other strategies--can be enhanced by incentives, but federal efforts at health care reform add some element of uncertainty to the consumer-directed solution. This article provides some lessons to guide the course of action for employers considering implementing a consumerist approach to improve employee health and control the cost trend.

Controlling for race/ethnicity: a comparison of California commercial health plans CAHPS scores to NCBD benchmarks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lopez Rebeca A

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Because California has higher managed care penetration and the race/ethnicity of Californians differs from the rest of the United States, we tested the hypothesis that California's lower health plan Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS® survey results are attributable to the state's racial/ethnic composition. Methods California CAHPS survey responses for commercial health plans were compared to national responses for five selected measures: three global ratings of doctor, health plan and health care, and two composite scores regarding doctor communication and staff courtesy, respect, and helpfulness. We used the 2005 National CAHPS 3.0 Benchmarking Database to assess patient experiences of care. Multiple stepwise logistic regression was used to see if patient experience ratings based on CAHPS responses in California commercial health plans differed from all other states combined. Results CAHPS patient experience responses in California were not significantly different than the rest of the nation after adjusting for age, general health rating, individual health plan, education, time in health plan, race/ethnicity, and gender. Both California and national patient experience scores varied by race/ethnicity. In both California and the rest of the nation Blacks tended to be more satisfied, while Asians were less satisfied. Conclusions California commercial health plan enrollees rate their experiences of care similarly to enrollees in the rest of the nation when seven different variables including race/ethnicity are considered. These findings support accounting for more than just age, gender and general health rating before comparing health plans from one state to another. Reporting on race/ethnicity disparities in member experiences of care could raise awareness and increase accountability for reducing these racial and ethnic disparities.

Improving care planning and coordination for service users with medical co-morbidity transitioning between tertiary medical and primary care services.

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Cranwell, K; Polacsek, M; McCann, T V

2017-08-01

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Mental health service users with medical co-morbidity frequently experience difficulties accessing and receiving appropriate treatment in emergency departments. Service users frequently experience fragmented care planning and coordinating between tertiary medical and primary care services. Little is known about mental health nurses' perspectives about how to address these problems. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: Emergency department clinicians' poor communication and negative attitudes have adverse effects on service users and the quality of care they receive. The findings contribute to the international evidence about mental health nurses' perspectives of service users feeling confused and frustrated in this situation, and improving coordination and continuity of care, facilitating transitions and increasing family and caregiver participation. Intervention studies are needed to evaluate if adoption of these measures leads to sustainable improvements in care planning and coordination, and how service users with medical co-morbidity are treated in emergency departments in particular. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Effective planning and coordination of care are essential to enable smooth transitions between tertiary medical (emergency departments in particular) and primary care services for service users with medical co-morbidity. Ongoing professional development education and support is needed for emergency department clinicians. There is also a need to develop an organized and systemic approach to improving service users' experience in emergency departments. Introduction Mental health service users with medical co-morbidity frequently experience difficulties accessing appropriate treatment in medical hospitals, and often there is poor collaboration within and between services. Little is known about mental health nurses' perspectives on how to address these problems. Aim To explore mental health nurses

Electronic Health Record for Continuous Shared Health Care

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Hanzlíček, Petr; Zvárová, Jana

2005-01-01

Roč. 9, - (2005), s. 275-280 ISSN 1335-2393. [YBERC 2005. Young Biomedical Engineers and Researchers Conference. Stará Lesná, 13.07.2005-15.07.2005] R&D Projects: GA AV ČR 1ET200300413 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : information society * telemedicine * electronic health record * digital signature * personal data protection * biomedical informatics Subject RIV: FQ - Public Health Care, Social Medicine

Growth and variability in health plan premiums in the individual insurance market before the Affordable Care Act.

Science.gov (United States)

Gruber, Jonathan

2014-06-01

Before we can evaluate the impact of the Affordable Care Act on health insurance premiums in the individual market, it is critical to understand the pricing trends of these premiums before the implementation of the law. Using rates of increase in the individual insurance market collected from state regulators, this issue brief documents trends in premium growth in the pre-ACA period. From 2008 to 2010, premiums grew by 10 percent or more per year. This growth was also highly variable across states, and even more variable across insurance plans within states. The study suggests that evaluating trends in premiums requires looking across a broad array of states and plans, and that policymakers must examine how present and future changes in premium rates compare with the more than 10 percent per year premium increases in the years preceding health reform.

A Web-based interactive diabetes registry for health care management and planning in Saudi Arabia.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Rubeaan, Khalid A; Youssef, Amira M; Subhani, Shazia N; Ahmad, Najlaa A; Al-Sharqawi, Ahmad H; Ibrahim, Heba M

2013-09-09

Worldwide, eHealth is a rapidly growing technology. It provides good quality health services at lower cost and increased availability. Diabetes has reached an epidemic stage in Saudi Arabia and has a medical and economic impact at a countrywide level. Data are greatly needed to better understand and plan to prevent and manage this medical problem. The Saudi National Diabetes Registry (SNDR) is an electronic medical file supported by clinical, investigational, and management data. It functions as a monitoring tool for medical, social, and cultural bases for primary and secondary prevention programs. Economic impact, in the form of direct or indirect cost, is part of the registry's scope. The registry's geographic information system (GIS) produces a variety of maps for diabetes and associated diseases. In addition to availability and distribution of health facilities in the Kingdom, GIS data provide health planners with the necessary information to make informed decisions. The electronic data bank serves as a research tool to help researchers for both prospective and retrospective studies. A Web-based interactive GIS system was designed to serve as an electronic medical file for diabetic patients retrieving data from medical files by trained registrars. Data was audited and cleaned before it was archived in the electronic filing system. It was then used to produce epidemiologic, economic, and geographic reports. A total of 84,942 patients were registered from 2000 to 2012, growing by 10% annually. The SNDR reporting system for epidemiology data gives better understanding of the disease pattern, types, and gender characteristics. Part of the reporting system is to assess quality of health care using different parameters, such as HbA1c, that gives an impression of good diabetes control for each institute. Economic reports give accurate cost estimation of different services given to diabetic patients, such as the annual insulin cost per patient for type 1, type 2, and

Patterns of Service Use in Two Types of Managed Behavioral Health Care Plan

Science.gov (United States)

Merrick, Elizabeth Levy; Hodgkin, Dominic; Hiatt, Deirdre; Horgan, Constance M.; Azzone, Vanessa; McCann, Bernard; Ritter, Grant; Zolotusky, Galina; McGuire, Thomas G.; Reif, Sharon

2009-01-01

Objective To describe service use patterns by level of care in two managed care products: employee assistance program (EAP) combined with behavioral health benefits, and standard behavioral health benefits. Methods This is a cross-sectional analysis of administrative data for 2004 from a national managed behavioral health care organization (MBHO). Utilization of 11 specific service categories was compared across products. The weighted sample reflected exact matching on sociodemographics (N= 710,014 unweighted; 286,750 weighted). Results In the EAP/behavioral health product,, the proportion of enrollees with outpatient mental health and substance abuse office visits (including EAP) was higher (pEAP/behavioral health and standard behavioral health care products had distinct utilization patterns in this large MBHO. In particular, greater use of certain outpatient services was observed within the EAP/behavioral health product. PMID:20044425

Personalized health care: from theory to practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Snyderman, Ralph

2012-08-01

The practice of medicine stands at the threshold of a transformation from its current focus on the treatment of disease events to an emphasis on enhancing health, preventing disease and personalizing care to meet each individual's specific health needs. Personalized health care is a new and strategic approach that is driven by personalized health planning empowered by personalized medicine tools, which are facilitated by advances in science and technology. These tools improve the capability to predict health risks, to determine and quantify the dynamics of disease development, and to target therapeutic approaches to the needs of the individual. Personalized health care can be implemented today using currently available technologies and know-how and thereby provide a market for the rational introduction of new personalized medicine tools. The need for early adoption of personalized health care stems from the necessity to reduce the egregious and wasteful burden of preventable chronic diseases, which is not effectively addressed by our current approach to care. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Using the collaborative intervention planning framework to adapt a health-care manager intervention to a new population and provider group to improve the health of people with serious mental illness.

Science.gov (United States)

Cabassa, Leopoldo J; Gomes, Arminda P; Meyreles, Quisqueya; Capitelli, Lucia; Younge, Richard; Dragatsi, Dianna; Alvarez, Juana; Manrique, Yamira; Lewis-Fernández, Roberto

2014-11-30

Health-care manager interventions improve the physical health of people with serious mental illness (SMI) and could be widely implemented in public mental health clinics. Local adaptations and customization may be needed to increase the reach of these interventions in the public mental health system and across different racial and ethnic communities. In this study, we describe how we used the collaborative intervention planning framework to customize an existing health-care manager intervention to a new patient population (Hispanics with SMI) and provider group (social workers) to increase its fit with our local community. The study was conducted in partnership with a public mental health clinic that serves predominantly Hispanic clients. A community advisory board (CAB) composed of researchers and potential implementers (e.g., social workers, primary care physicians) used the collaborative intervention planning framework, an approach that combines community-based participatory research principles and intervention mapping (IM) procedures, to inform intervention adaptations. The adaptation process included four steps: fostering collaborations between CAB members; understanding the needs of the local population through a mixed-methods needs assessment, literature reviews, and group discussions; reviewing intervention objectives to identify targets for adaptation; and developing the adapted intervention. The application of this approach enabled the CAB to identify a series of cultural and provider level-adaptations without compromising the core elements of the original health-care manager intervention. Reducing health disparities in people with SMI requires community engagement, particularly when preparing existing interventions to be used with new communities, provider groups, and practice settings. Our study illustrates one approach that can be used to involve community stakeholders in the intervention adaptation process from the very beginning to enhance the

Impact of Family Planning and Business Trainings on Private-Sector Health Care Providers in Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Ugaz, Jorge; Leegwater, Anthony; Chatterji, Minki; Johnson, Doug; Baruwa, Sikiru; Toriola, Modupe; Kinnan, Cynthia

2017-06-01

Private health care providers are an important source of modern contraceptives in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet they face many challenges that might be addressed through targeted training. This study measures the impact of a package of trainings and supportive supervision activities targeted to private health care providers in Lagos State, Nigeria, on outcomes including range of contraceptive methods offered, providers' knowledge and quality of counseling, recordkeeping practices, access to credit and revenue. A total of 965 health care facilities were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. Facilities in the treatment group-but not those in the control group-were offered a training package that included a contraceptive technology update and interventions to improve counseling and clinical skills and business practices. Multivariate regression analysis of data collected through facility and mystery client surveys was used to estimate effects. The training program had a positive effect on the range of contraceptive methods offered, with facilities in the treatment group providing more methods than facilities in the control group. The training program also had a positive impact on the quality of counseling services, especially on the range of contraceptive methods discussed by providers, their interpersonal skills and overall knowledge. Facilities in the treatment group were more likely than facilities in the control group to have good recordkeeping practices and to have obtained loans. No effect was found on revenue generation. Targeted training programs can be effective tools to improve the provision of family planning services through private providers.

Assessment, authorization and access to medicaid managed mental health care.

Science.gov (United States)

Masland, Mary C; Snowden, Lonnie R; Wallace, Neal T

2007-11-01

Examined were effects on access of managed care assessment and authorization processes in California's 57 county mental health plans. Primary data on managed care implementation were collected from surveys of county plan administrators; secondary data were from Medicaid claims and enrollment files. Using multivariate fixed effects regression, we found that following implementation of managed care, greater access occurred in county plans where assessments and treatment were performed by the same clinician, and where service authorizations were made more rapidly. Lower access occurred in county plans where treating clinicians authorized services themselves. Results confirm the significant effects of managed care processes on outcomes and highlight the importance of system capacity.

Advance care planning in a community setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Connolly, Josaleen; Milligan, Stuart; Stevens, Elaine; Jackson, Susan; Rooney, Kevin

2015-02-10

To evaluate the effects of implementing an advance care planning process within pilot sites in North Ayrshire in 2010, focusing on people with palliative care needs. Data were collected from participants in advance care planning training using a questionnaire. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and an audit of documentation was undertaken. Thirty nine questionnaires were returned, a response rate of 16%. Twenty four out of 25 (96%) participants rated the training as having improved their understanding of the advance care planning process. The general consensus in interviews was that advance care planning is a worthwhile process. Participants reported patients achieving their preferred place of end of life care and greater consultation regarding hospitalisation. Within the pilot sites, advance care planning training enhanced the ability of professionals to implement the advance care planning process and record the wishes of patients and residents.

Facilitating advance care planning in community palliative care: conversation starters across the client journey.

Science.gov (United States)

Blackford, Jeanine; Street, Annette F

2013-03-01

This paper describes the development of a tool for palliative care nurses to initiate and facilitate advance care planning (ACP) conversations in community palliative care practice. Seven community palliative care services located across Australia participated in a multi-site action research project. Data included participant observation, individual and focus group interviews with palliative care health professionals, and medical record audit. A directed content analysis used a pre-established palliative care practice framework of referral, admission, ongoing management, and terminal/discharge care. From this framework a Conversation Starter Tool for ACP was developed. The Tool was then used in orientation and continuing nurse education programmes. It provided palliative care nurses the opportunity to introduce and progress ACP conversations.

Quality of Family Planning Services in Primary Health Centers of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Good quality of care in family planning (FP) services help individuals and couples to meet their reproductive health needs safely and effectively. Therefore, assessment and improvement of the quality of family planning services could enhance family planning services utilization. This study was thus conducted ...

Marketing a managed care plan: achieving product differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Romeo, N C

1996-01-01

The health care marketplace is changing dramatically, even without federal reform measures. This is a volatile, yet promising, time to market a managed care plan. Before marketing the product, it is critical that the competition is thoroughly evaluated and consumer and employer needs are researched. The final product should be distinguishable from the competition and address market needs. Promotion can then begin, utilizing a proactive public relations and advertising campaign in addition to traditional methods of marketing.

Interpersonal relations between health care workers and young clients: barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health care.

Science.gov (United States)

Alli, Farzana; Maharaj, Pranitha; Vawda, Mohammed Yacoob

2013-02-01

Interpersonal relations between health care providers and young clients have long being cited as an important element for improving client up take of services, satisfaction and overall health outcomes. In an era of HIV and AIDS this forms a critical determinant to young people accessing sexual and reproductive health care. This study explores to what extent interpersonal relations form a barrier to young peoples access to and satisfaction of health services. The study draws on data from 200 client exit interviews and four in-depth interviews conducted with university students and university health care staff in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. While young people are aware of the importance of utilising STI, HIV and family planning services they experienced barriers in their relationship with providers. This served as a deterrent to their use of the health facility. Adequate training in interpersonal relations for youth-friendly service provision is essential in helping overcome communication problems and enabling providers to interact with young clients at a more personal level.

The Impact of a Primary Care Education Program Regarding Cancer Survivorship Care Plans: Results from an Engineering, Primary Care, and Oncology Collaborative for Survivorship Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Donohue, SarahMaria; Haine, James E; Li, Zhanhai; Trowbridge, Elizabeth R; Kamnetz, Sandra A; Feldstein, David A; Sosman, James M; Wilke, Lee G; Sesto, Mary E; Tevaarwerk, Amye J

2017-09-20

Survivorship care plans (SCPs) have been recommended as tools to improve care coordination and outcomes for cancer survivors. SCPs are increasingly being provided to survivors and their primary care providers. However, most primary care providers remain unaware of SCPs, limiting their potential benefit. Best practices for educating primary care providers regarding SCP existence and content are needed. We developed an education program to inform primary care providers of the existence, content, and potential uses for SCPs. The education program consisted of a 15-min presentation highlighting SCP basics presented at mandatory primary care faculty meetings. An anonymous survey was electronically administered via email (n = 287 addresses) to evaluate experience with and basic knowledge of SCPs pre- and post-education. A total of 101 primary care advanced practice providers (APPs) and physicians (35% response rate) completed the baseline survey with only 23% reporting prior receipt of a SCP. Only 9% could identify the SCP location within the electronic health record (EHR). Following the education program, primary care physicians and APPs demonstrated a significant improvement in SCP knowledge, including improvement in their ability to locate one within the EHR (9 vs 59%, p educational program containing information about SCP existence, content, and location in the EHR increased primary care physician and APP knowledge in these areas, which are prerequisites for using SCP in clinical practice.

Health care agreements as a tool for coordinating health and social services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreas Rudkjøbing

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction: In 2007, a substantial reform changed the administrative boundaries of the Danish health care system and introduced health care agreements to be signed between municipal and regional authorities. To assess the health care agreements as a tool for coordinating health and social services, a survey was conducted before (2005–2006 and after the reform (2011.Theory and methods: The study was designed on the basis of a modified version of Alter and Hage's framework for conceptualising coordination. Both surveys addressed all municipal level units (n = 271/98 and a random sample of general practitioners (n = 700/853.Results: The health care agreements were considered more useful for coordinating care than the previous health plans. The power relationship between the regional and municipal authorities in drawing up the agreements was described as more equal. Familiarity with the agreements among general practitioners was higher, as was the perceived influence of the health care agreements on their work.Discussion: Health care agreements with specific content and with regular follow-up and systematic mechanisms for organising feedback between collaborative partners exemplify a useful tool for the coordination of health and social services.Conclusion: There are substantial improvements with the new health agreements in terms of formalising a better coordination of the health care system.

Effects of Early Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans on Health Expenditure.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yongkang; Diana, Mark L

2017-10-18

To examine the effects of the penetration of dual-eligible special needs plans (D-SNPs) on health care spending. Secondary state-level panel data from Medicare-Medicaid Linked Enrollee Analytic Data Source (MMLEADS) public use file and Special Needs Plan Comprehensive Reports, Area Health Resource Files, and Medicaid Managed Care Enrollment Report between 2007 and 2011. A difference-in-difference strategy that adjusts for dual-eligibles' demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, state health resources, beneficiaries' health risk factors, Medicare/Medicaid enrollment, and state- and year-fixed effects. Data from MMLEADS were summarized from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)'s Chronic Conditions Data Warehouse, which contains 100 percent of Medicare enrollment data, claims for beneficiaries who are enrolled in the fee-for-service (FFS) program, and Medicaid Analytic Extract files. The MMLEADS public use file also includes payment information for managed care. Data in Special Needs Plan Comprehensive Reports were from CMS's Health Plan Management System. Results indicate that D-SNPs penetration was associated with reduced Medicare spending per dual-eligible beneficiary. Specifically, a 1 percent increase in D-SNPs penetration was associated with 0.2 percent reduction in Medicare spending per beneficiary. We found no association between D-SNPs penetration and Medicaid or total spending. Involving Medicaid services in D-SNPs may be crucial to improve coordination between Medicare and Medicaid programs and control Medicaid spending among dual-eligible beneficiaries. Starting from 2013, D-SNPs were mandated to have contracts with state Medicaid agencies. This change may introduce new effects of D-SNPs on health care spending. More research is needed to examine the impact of D-SNPs on dual-eligible spending. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Two-Step Optimization for Spatial Accessibility Improvement: A Case Study of Health Care Planning in Rural China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Luo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A recent advancement in location-allocation modeling formulates a two-step approach to a new problem of minimizing disparity of spatial accessibility. Our field work in a health care planning project in a rural county in China indicated that residents valued distance or travel time from the nearest hospital foremost and then considered quality of care including less waiting time as a secondary desirability. Based on the case study, this paper further clarifies the sequential decision-making approach, termed “two-step optimization for spatial accessibility improvement (2SO4SAI.” The first step is to find the best locations to site new facilities by emphasizing accessibility as proximity to the nearest facilities with several alternative objectives under consideration. The second step adjusts the capacities of facilities for minimal inequality in accessibility, where the measure of accessibility accounts for the match ratio of supply and demand and complex spatial interaction between them. The case study illustrates how the two-step optimization method improves both aspects of spatial accessibility for health care access in rural China.

A cluster randomized controlled trial on the effects and costs of advance care planning in elderly care: study protocol

NARCIS (Netherlands)

I.J. Korfage; B.J. Hammes; J. Severijnen; S. Polinder; A. van der Heide; A. Overbeek; F.E. Witkamp; E. Hansen - van der Meer; L.J. Jabbarian; P. Billekens; S.J. Swart; J.A.C. Rietjens

2015-01-01

Abstract Background: Currently, health care and medical decision-making at the end of life for older people are often insufficiently patient-centred. In this trial we study the effects of Advance Care Planning (ACP), a formalised process of timely communication about care preferences at the end of

A cluster randomized controlled trial on the effects and costs of advance care planning in elderly care: Study protocol

NARCIS (Netherlands)

I.J. Korfage (Ida); J.A.C. Rietjens (Judith); A. Overbeek (Anouk); L.J. Jabbarian (Lea J.); P. Billekens (Pascalle); B.J. Hammes (Bernard J.); E. Hansen-Van Der Meer (Ellen); S. Polinder (Suzanne); J. Severijnen (Johan); S.J. Swart (Siebe); F.E. Witkamp (Frederika); A. van der Heide (Agnes)

2015-01-01

textabstractBackground: Currently, health care and medical decision-making at the end of life for older people are often insufficiently patient-centred. In this trial we study the effects of Advance Care Planning (ACP), a formalised process of timely communication about care preferences at the end

Defining the role of University of Kentucky HealthCare in its medical market--how strategic planning creates the intersection of good public policy and good business practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Karpf, Michael; Lofgren, Richard; Bricker, Timothy; Claypool, Joseph O; Zembrodt, Jim; Perman, Jay; Higdon, Courtney M

2009-02-01

In response both to national pressures to reduce costs and improve health care access and outcomes and to local pressures to become a top-20 public research university, the University of Kentucky moved toward an integrated clinical enterprise, UK HealthCare, to create a common vision, shared goals, and an effective decision-making process. The leadership formed the vision and then embarked on a comprehensive and coordinated planning process that addressed financial, clinical, academic, and operational issues. The authors describe in depth the strategic planning process and specifically the definition of UK HealthCare's role in its medical marketplace. They began a rigorous process to assess and develop goals for the clinical programs and followed the progress of these programs through meetings driven by data and attended by the organization's senior leadership. They describe their approach to working with rural and community hospitals throughout central, eastern, and southern Kentucky to support the health care infrastructure of the state. They review the early successes of their strategic approach and describe the lessons they learned. The clinical successes have led to academic gains. The experience of UK HealthCare suggests that good business practices and good public policy are synergistic.

Practice and Perceived Importance of Advance Care Planning and Difficulties in Providing Palliative Care in Geriatric Health Service Facilities in Japan: A Nationwide Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Yokoya, Shoji; Kizawa, Yoshiyuki; Maeno, Takami

2018-03-01

The provision of end-of-life (EOL) care by geriatric health service facilities (GHSFs) in Japan is increasing. Advance care planning (ACP) is one of the most important issues to provide quality EOL care. This study aimed to clarify the practice and perceived importance of ACP and the difficulties in providing palliative care in GHSFs. A self-report questionnaire was mailed to head nurses at 3437 GHSFs nationwide. We asked participants about their practices regarding ACP, their recognition of its importance, and their difficulties in providing palliative care. We also analyzed the relationship between these factors and EOL care education. Among 844 respondents (24.5% response rate), approximately 69% to 81% of head nurses confirmed that GHSF residents and their families understood disease conditions and goals of care. There was a large discrepancy between the actual practice of ACP components and the recognition of their importance (eg, asking residents about existing advance directive [AD; 27.5% practiced it, while 79.6% considered it important]; recommending completion of an AD [18.1% vs 68.4%], and asking for designation of a health-care proxy [30.4% vs 76.8%]). The EOL care education was provided at 517 facilities (61.3%). Head nurses working at EOL care education-providing GHSFs practiced ACP significantly more frequently and had significantly fewer difficulties in providing palliative care. A large discrepancy was found between GHSF nurses' practice of ACP and their recognition of its importance. Providing EOL care education in GHSFs may increase ACP practices and enhance respect for resident's preferences concerning EOL care.

The effect of mergers and acquisitions on behavioral health care.

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Lazarus, A

1995-01-01

The consolidation of America's managed health care industry rivals any corporate raider scenario. Unlike previous merger booms, however, health care unions in the 1990s have been strategically planned. Particular attention is paid to merger activity in the behavioral health care field. Ultimately, the author writes, mergers will bring greater efficiency and lower costs to health care but also less choice for patients. Unless providers and payers pay close attention to the human side of mergers and acquisitions, new alliances are likely to fall short of their goals.

Health care and equity in India

Science.gov (United States)

Balarajan, Yarlini; Selvaraj, S; Subramanian, S V

2011-01-01

India’s health system faces the ongoing challenge of responding to the needs of the most disadvantaged members of Indian society. Despite progress in improving access to health care, inequalities by socioeconomic status, geography and gender continue to persist. This is compounded by high out-of-pocket expenditures, with the rising financial burden of health care falling overwhelming on private households, which account for more than three-quarter of health spending in India. Health expenditures are responsible for more than half of Indian households falling into poverty; the impact of this has been increasing pushing around 39 million Indians into poverty each year. In this paper, we identify key challenges to equity in service delivery, and equity in financing and financial risk protection in India. These include imbalanced resource allocation, limited physical access to quality health services and inadequate human resources for health; high out-of-pocket health expenditures, health spending inflation, and behavioral factors that affect the demand for appropriate health care. Complementing other paper in this Series, we argue for the application of certain principles in the pursuit of equity in health care in India. These are the adoption of equity metrics in monitoring, evaluation and strategic planning, investment in developing a rigorous knowledge-base of health systems research; development of more equity-focused process of deliberative decision-making in health reform, and redefinition of the specific responsibilities and accountabilities of key actors. The implementation of these principles, together with strengthening of public health and primary care services, provide an approach for ensuring more equitable health care for India’s population. PMID:21227492

Federal, provincial and territorial public health response plan for biological events.

Science.gov (United States)

McNeill, R; Topping, J

2018-01-04

The Federal/Provincial/Territorial (FPT) Public Health Response Plan for Biological Events was developed for the Public Health Network Council (PHNC). This plan outlines how the national response to public health events caused by biological agents will be conducted and coordinated, with a focus on implementation of responses led by senior-level FPT public health decision-makers. The plan was developed by an expert task group and was approved by PHNC in October, 2017. The plan describes roles, responsibilities and authorities of FPT governments for public health and emergency management, a concept of operations outlining four scalable response levels and a governance structure that aims to facilitate an efficient, timely, evidence-informed and consistent approach across jurisdictions. Improving effective engagement amongst public health, health care delivery and health emergency management authorities is a key objective of the plan.

Planning a change project in mental health nursing.

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Thorpe, Rebecca

2015-09-02

This article outlines a plan for a change project to improve the quality of physical health care on mental health wards. The plan was designed to improve the monitoring and recording of respiratory rates on mental health wards, through the implementation of a training programme for staff. A root cause analysis was used to explore the reasons for the low incidence of respiratory rate measurement on mental health wards, and the results of this establish the basis of the proposed change project and its aims and objectives. The article describes how the project could be implemented using a change management model, as well as how its effects could be measured and evaluated. Potential barriers to the planned change project are discussed, including the human dimensions of change. The article suggests methods to overcome such barriers, discusses the value of leadership as an important factor, and examines the principles of clinical governance in the context of the planned change project.

Is quality of care a key predictor of perinatal health care utilization and patient satisfaction in Malawi?

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Creanga, Andreea A; Gullo, Sara; Kuhlmann, Anne K Sebert; Msiska, Thumbiko W; Galavotti, Christine

2017-05-22

The Malawi government encourages early antenatal care, delivery in health facilities, and timely postnatal care. Efforts to sustain or increase current levels of perinatal service utilization may not achieve desired gains if the quality of care provided is neglected. This study examined predictors of perinatal service utilization and patients' satisfaction with these services with a focus on quality of care. We used baseline, two-stage cluster sampling household survey data collected between November and December, 2012 before implementation of CARE's Community Score Card© intervention in Ntcheu district, Malawi. Women with a birth during the last year (N = 1301) were asked about seeking: 1) family planning, 2) antenatal, 3) delivery, and 4) postnatal care; the quality of care received; and their overall satisfaction with the care received. Specific quality of care items were assessed for each type of service, and up to five such items per type of service were used in analyses. Separate logistic regression models were fitted to examine predictors of family planning, antenatal, delivery, and postnatal service utilization and of complete satisfaction with each of these services; all models were adjusted for women's socio-demographic characteristics, perceptions of the closest facility to their homes, service use indicators, and quality of care items. We found higher levels of perinatal service use than previously documented in Malawi (baseline antenatal care 99.4%; skilled birth attendance 97.3%; postnatal care 77.5%; current family planning use 52.8%). Almost 73% of quality of perinatal care items assessed were favorably reported by > 90% of women. Women reported high overall satisfaction (≥85%) with all types of services examined, higher for antenatal and postnatal care than for family planning and delivery care. We found significant associations between perceived and actual quality of care and both women's use and satisfaction with the perinatal health

The future of health insurance for children with special health care needs.

Science.gov (United States)

Newacheck, Paul W; Houtrow, Amy J; Romm, Diane L; Kuhlthau, Karen A; Bloom, Sheila R; Van Cleave, Jeanne M; Perrin, James M

2009-05-01

Because of their elevated need for services, health insurance is particularly important for children with special health care needs. In this article we assess how well the current system is meeting the insurance needs of children with special health care needs and how emerging trends in health insurance may affect their well-being. We begin with a review of the evidence on the impact of health insurance on the health care experiences of children with special health care needs based on the peer-reviewed literature. We then assess how well the current system meets the needs of these children by using data from 2 editions of the National Survey of Children With Special Health Care Needs. Finally, we present an analysis of recent developments and emerging trends in the health insurance marketplace that may affect this population. Although a high proportion of children with special health care needs have insurance at any point in time, nearly 40% are either uninsured at least part of the year or have coverage that is inadequate. Recent expansions in public coverage, although offset in part by a contraction in employer-based coverage, have led to modest but significant reductions in the number of uninsured children with special health care needs. Emerging insurance products, including consumer-directed health plans, may expose children with special health care needs and their families to greater financial risks. Health insurance coverage has the potential to secure access to needed care and improve the quality of life for these children while protecting their families from financially burdensome health care expenses. Continued vigilance and advocacy for children and youth with special health care needs are needed to ensure that these children have access to adequate coverage and that they fare well under health care reform.

The U.S. National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy: A Model for Positive Organizational Change.

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Baur, Cynthia; Harris, Linda; Squire, Elizabeth

2017-01-01

This chapter presents the U.S. National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy and its unique contribution to public health and health care in the U.S. The chapter details what the National Action Plan is, how it evolved, and how it has influenced priorities for health literacy improvement work. Examples of how the National Action Plan fills policy and research gaps in health care and public health are included. The first part of the chapter lays the foundation for the development of the National Action Plan, and the second part discusses how it can stimulate positive organizational change to help create health literate organizations and move the nation towards a health literate society.

Health care in rural areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Nath, L M

1994-02-01

In India, although the health care system infrastructure is extensive, the people often regard government facilities as family planning (FP) centers instead of primary health care centers. This problem has been compounded by the separation of health care and FP at all stages, even down to the storage of the same medication in two different locations depending upon whether it is to be used for "health" or for "FP." In rural areas where the government centers are particularly desolate, the community has chosen to erect its own health care system of private practitioners of all sorts and qualifications. Even in rural areas where a comprehensive health service is provided, with each household visited regularly by health workers, and where this service has resulted in a lowering of the crude death rate from 14.6 to 7 and the maternal mortality rate from 4.7 to 0.5/1000, people depend upon practitioners of various types. Upon analysis, it was discovered that the reason for using this multiplicity of practitioners had nothing to do with the level of satisfaction with the government service or with the accessibility of the services. Rather, when ill, the people make a diagnosis and then go to the proper place for treatment. If, for instance, they believe their malady was caused by the evil eye, they consult a magico-religious practitioner. These various types of practitioners flourish in areas with the best primary health care because they fulfill a need not met by the primary health care staff. If government agencies work with the local practitioners and afford them the proper respect, their skills can be upgraded in selected areas and the whole community will benefit.

Environmental health and health planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1975-07-01

Areas of environmental concern are identified and recommendations for improving environmental health are proposed by the Environmental Health Task Force of the Western Massachusetts Health Planning Council. Environmental health concerns in Western Massachusetts are in the areas of: air pollution; dental health and the specific problem of water flouridation; housing; injury control, including accidental death and disability; land use, and the specific problem of critical receptors; noise pollution; occupational hazards, specifically occupational accidents; pesticides; radiological exposure, particularly medical X-ray exposure and nuclear exposure; rural health care; sanitation; solid waste; and water quality including private and public water supplies, road salting, and rural sewerages. Each area of concern and specific problem are broken down into sections: background information; comments which incorporate recommendations for general problem-solving activities; and resources, including lists of key organization, individuals, laws and regulations, and publications relevant to the area of concern. Recommendations are presented based on long-term and short-term environmental goals. An inventory of environmental health organizations in Western Massachusetts is included. Appendices contain the charge to the Task Force, a definition of environmental health, sources of drinking water, the sanitation and sanitary codes, and housing and sanitation standards. Portions of this document are not fully legible

Survivorship care planning in skin cancer: An unbiased statistical approach to identifying patterns of care-plan use.

Science.gov (United States)

Benci, Joseph L; Minn, Andy J; Vachani, Carolyn C; Bach, Christina; Arnold-Korzeniowski, Karen; Hampshire, Margaret K; Metz, James M; Hill-Kayser, Christine E

2018-01-01

Nearly 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer, and as a result, survivors of skin cancer compose one of the largest groups of cancer survivors. Survivorship care plans (SCPs) are an important tool for improving patient outcomes and provide critical information to both survivors and health care professionals. Recent efforts have been made to expand SCP utilization; however, which patients currently receive SCPs is poorly understood. This study used 596 individuals with a diagnosis of melanoma (n = 391) or nonmelanoma skin cancer (n = 205) who had used an Internet-based SCP tool from May 2010 to December 2016 to model the patient and provider characteristics that determine SCP utilization. Survivors were predominantly white (95.3%) and female (56.5%). Survivors who received a treatment summary were more likely to also receive an SCP. University and nonuniversity cancer centers used SCPs at a higher rate than other care settings. Survivors whose care was managed by a team rather than just an individual physician were also more likely to receive an SCP. Survivors older than 70 years at diagnosis were almost twice as likely to receive a plan as survivors who were diagnosed at a younger age. With a convenience sample of skin cancer survivors, it is possible to model factors that predict the receipt of SCPs. Important variables include the diagnosis age, treatment setting, physician type, and treatment-summary utilization. A closer examination of these variables identified several disparities in care-plan use and, therefore, opportunities to improve the distribution of SCPs. Further validation in additional cohorts of survivors is necessary to confirm these conclusions. Cancer 2018;124:183-91. © 2017 American Cancer Society. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

Business continuity and pandemic preparedness: US health care versus non-health care agencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Rebmann, Terri; Wang, Jing; Swick, Zachary; Reddick, David; delRosario, John Leon

2013-04-01

Only limited data are available on US business continuity activities related to biologic events. A questionnaire was administered to human resource professionals during May-July 2011 to assess business continuity related to biologic events, incentives businesses are providing to maximize worker surge capacity, and seasonal influenza vaccination policy. Linear regressions were used to describe factors associated with higher business continuity and pandemic preparedness scores. The χ(2) and Fisher exact tests compared health care versus non-health care businesses on preparedness indicators. Possible business continuity and pandemic preparedness scores ranged from 0.5 to 27 and 0 to 15, with average resulting scores among participants at 13.2 and 7.3, respectively. Determinants of business continuity and pandemic preparedness were (1) business size (larger businesses were more prepared), (2) type of business (health care more prepared), (3) having human resource professional as company disaster planning committee member, and (4) risk perception of a pandemic in the next year. Most businesses (63.3%, n = 298) encourage staff influenza vaccination; 2.1% (n = 10) mandate it. Only 10% of businesses (11.0%, n = 52) provide employee incentives, and fewer than half (41.0%, n = 193) stockpile personal protective equipment. Despite the recent H1N1 pandemic, many US businesses lack adequate pandemic plans. It is critical that businesses of all sizes and types become better prepared for a biologic event. Copyright © 2013 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

The relationship between perceived discrimination and patient experiences with health care.

Science.gov (United States)

Weech-Maldonado, Robert; Hall, Allyson; Bryant, Thomas; Jenkins, Kevin A; Elliott, Marc N

2012-09-01

Prior studies have shown that racial/ethnic minorities have lower Consumer Assessments of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) scores. Perceived discrimination may mediate the relationship between race/ethnicity and patient experiences with care. To examine the relationship between perceived discrimination based on race/ethnicity and Medicaid insurance and CAHPS reports and ratings of care. The study analyzed 2007 survey data from 1509 Florida Medicaid beneficiaries. CAHPS reports (getting needed care, timeliness of care, communication with doctor, and health plan customer service) and ratings (personal doctor, specialist care, overall health care, and health plan) of care were the primary outcome variables. Patient perceptions of discrimination based on their race/ethnicity and having Medicaid insurance were the primary independent variables. Regression analysis modeled the effect of perceptions of discrimination on CAHPS reports and ratings controlling for age, sex, education, self-rated health status, race/ethnicity, survey language, and fee-for-service enrollment. SEs were corrected for correlation within plans. Medicaid beneficiaries reporting discrimination based on race/ethnicity had lower CAHPS scores, ranging from 15 points lower (on a 0-100 scale) for getting needed care to 6 points lower for specialist rating, compared with those who never experienced discrimination. Similar results were obtained for perceived discrimination based on Medicaid insurance. Perceptions of discrimination based on race/ethnicity and Medicaid insurance are prevalent and are associated with substantially lower CAHPS reports and ratings of care. Practices must develop and implement strategies to reduce perceived discrimination among patients.

The equity lens in the health care performance evaluation system.

Science.gov (United States)

Barsanti, Sara; Nuti, Sabina

2014-01-01

The main objective of this paper is to describe how indicators of the equity of access to health care according to socioeconomic conditions may be included in a performance evaluation system (PES) in the regional context level and in the planning and strategic control system of healthcare organisations. In particular, the paper investigates how the PES adopted, in the experience of the Tuscany region in Italy, indicators of vertical equity over time. Studies that testify inequality of access to health services often remain just a research output and are not used as targets and measurements in planning and control systems. After a brief introduction to the concept of horizontal and vertical equity in health care systems and equity measures in PES, the paper describes the 'equity process' by which selected health indicators declined by socioeconomic conditions were shared and used in the evaluation of health care institutions and in the CEOs' rewarding system, and subsequently analyses the initial results. Results on the maternal and child path and the chronicity care path not only show improvements in addressing health care inequalities, but also verify whether the health system responds appropriately to different population groups. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The effectiveness of health care cost management strategies: a review of the evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Fronstin, P

1994-10-01

This Issue Brief discusses the evolution of the health care delivery and financing systems and its effects on health care cost management and describes the changes in the health care delivery system as they pertain to managed care. It presents empirical evidence on the effectiveness of managed care and concludes with an analysis of the potential of future health care reform to influence the evolution of the health care delivery system and affect health care costs. Between 1987 and 1993, total enrollment in health maintenance organizations (HMOs) increased from 28.6 million to 39.8 million, representing an additional 11.2 million individuals, or 4 percent of the U.S. population. At the same time, new forms of managed care organizations emerged. Enrollment in preferred provider organizations increased from 12.2 million individuals in 1987 to 58 million in 1992, and enrollment in point-of-service plans increased from virtually none in 1987 to 2.3 million individuals in 1992. In addition, the percentage of traditional fee-for-service plans with some form of utilization review increased to 95 percent in 1990 from 41 percent in 1987. Measuring the effects of the changing delivery system on the costs and quality of health care services has been a difficult task, resulting in considerable disagreement as to whether or not costs have been affected. In a recent report, the Congressional Budget Office recognizes two new major findings. First, managed care can provide cost-effective health care at a level of quality comparable with the care typically provided by a fee-for-service plan. Second, independent practice associations can be as effective as group- or staff-model HMOs under certain conditions. In the future, we are likely to see a continued movement of Americans into managed care arrangements, an increase in the number of physicians forming networks, a reduction in the number of insurers, an increase in the number of employers joining coalitions to purchase health care

Practicing health promotion in primary care -a reflective enquiry.

Science.gov (United States)

Pati, S; Chauhan, A S; Mahapatra, S; Sinha, R; Pati, S

2017-12-01

Health promotion is an integral part of routine clinical practice. The physicians' role in improving the health status of the general population, through effective understanding and delivery of health promotion practice, is evident throughout the international literature. Data from India suggest that physicians have limited skills in delivering specific health promotion services. However, the data available on this is scarce. This study was planned to document the current health promotion knowledge, perception and practices of local primary care physicians in Odisha. An exploratory study was planned between the months of January - February 2013 in Odisha among primary care physicians working in government set up. This exploratory study was conducted, using a two-step self-administered questionnaire, thirty physicians practicing under government health system were asked to map their ideal and current health promotion practice, and potential health promotion elements to be worked upon to enhance the practice. The study recorded a significant difference between the mean of current and ideal health promotion practices. The study reported that physicians want to increase their practice on health education. We concluded that inclusion of health promotion practices in routine care is imperative for a strong healthcare system. It should be incorporated as a structured health promotion module in medical curriculum as well.

Curative procedures of oral health and structural characteristics of primary dental care.

Science.gov (United States)

Baumgarten, Alexandre; Hugo, Fernando Neves; Bulgarelli, Alexandre Fávero; Hilgert, Juliana Balbinot

2018-04-09

To evaluate if the provision of clinical dental care, by means of the main curative procedures recommended in Primary Health Care, is associated with team structural characteristics, considering the presence of a minimum set of equipment, instrument, and supplies in Brazil's primary health care services. A cross-sectional exploratory study based on data collected from 18,114 primary healthcare services with dental health teams in Brazil, in 2014. The outcome was created from the confirmation of five clinical procedures performed by the dentist, accounting for the presence of minimum equipment, instrument, and supplies to carry them out. Covariables were related to structural characteristics. Poisson regression with robust variance was used to obtain crude and adjusted prevalence ratios, with 95% confidence intervals. A total of 1,190 (6.5%) dental health teams did not present the minimum equipment to provide clinical dental care and only 2,498 (14.8%) had all the instrument and supplies needed and provided the five curative procedures assessed. There was a positive association between the outcome and the composition of dental health teams, higher workload, performing analysis of health condition, and monitoring of oral health indicators. Additionally, the dental health teams that planned and programmed oral health actions with the primary care team monthly provided the procedures more frequently. Dentists with better employment status, career plans, graduation in public health or those who underwent permanent education activities provided the procedures more frequently. A relevant number of Primary Health Care services did not have the infrastructure to provide clinical dental care. However, better results were found in dental health teams with oral health technicians, with higher workload and that plan their activities, as well as in those that employed dentists with better working relationships, who had dentists with degrees in public health and who underwent

Curative procedures of oral health and structural characteristics of primary dental care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandre Baumgarten

2018-04-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To evaluate if the provision of clinical dental care, by means of the main curative procedures recommended in Primary Health Care, is associated with team structural characteristics, considering the presence of a minimum set of equipment, instrument, and supplies in Brazil’s primary health care services. METHODS A cross-sectional exploratory study based on data collected from 18,114 primary healthcare services with dental health teams in Brazil, in 2014. The outcome was created from the confirmation of five clinical procedures performed by the dentist, accounting for the presence of minimum equipment, instrument, and supplies to carry them out. Covariables were related to structural characteristics. Poisson regression with robust variance was used to obtain crude and adjusted prevalence ratios, with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS A total of 1,190 (6.5% dental health teams did not present the minimum equipment to provide clinical dental care and only 2,498 (14.8% had all the instrument and supplies needed and provided the five curative procedures assessed. There was a positive association between the outcome and the composition of dental health teams, higher workload, performing analysis of health condition, and monitoring of oral health indicators. Additionally, the dental health teams that planned and programmed oral health actions with the primary care team monthly provided the procedures more frequently. Dentists with better employment status, career plans, graduation in public health or those who underwent permanent education activities provided the procedures more frequently. CONCLUSIONS A relevant number of Primary Health Care services did not have the infrastructure to provide clinical dental care. However, better results were found in dental health teams with oral health technicians, with higher workload and that plan their activities, as well as in those that employed dentists with better working relationships

Curative procedures of oral health and structural characteristics of primary dental care

Science.gov (United States)

Baumgarten, Alexandre; Hugo, Fernando Neves; Bulgarelli, Alexandre Fávero; Hilgert, Juliana Balbinot

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To evaluate if the provision of clinical dental care, by means of the main curative procedures recommended in Primary Health Care, is associated with team structural characteristics, considering the presence of a minimum set of equipment, instrument, and supplies in Brazil’s primary health care services. METHODS A cross-sectional exploratory study based on data collected from 18,114 primary healthcare services with dental health teams in Brazil, in 2014. The outcome was created from the confirmation of five clinical procedures performed by the dentist, accounting for the presence of minimum equipment, instrument, and supplies to carry them out. Covariables were related to structural characteristics. Poisson regression with robust variance was used to obtain crude and adjusted prevalence ratios, with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS A total of 1,190 (6.5%) dental health teams did not present the minimum equipment to provide clinical dental care and only 2,498 (14.8%) had all the instrument and supplies needed and provided the five curative procedures assessed. There was a positive association between the outcome and the composition of dental health teams, higher workload, performing analysis of health condition, and monitoring of oral health indicators. Additionally, the dental health teams that planned and programmed oral health actions with the primary care team monthly provided the procedures more frequently. Dentists with better employment status, career plans, graduation in public health or those who underwent permanent education activities provided the procedures more frequently. CONCLUSIONS A relevant number of Primary Health Care services did not have the infrastructure to provide clinical dental care. However, better results were found in dental health teams with oral health technicians, with higher workload and that plan their activities, as well as in those that employed dentists with better working relationships, who had dentists

Four proposals for market-based health care system reform.

Science.gov (United States)

Sumner, W

1994-08-01

A perfectly free, competitive medical market would not meet many social goals, such as universal access to health care. Micromanagement of interactions between patients and providers does not guarantee quality care and frequently undermines that relationship, to the frustration of all involved. Furthermore, while some North American health care plans are less expensive than others, none have reduced the medical inflation rate to equal the general inflation rate. Markets have always fixed uneven inflation rates in other domains. The suggested reforms could make elective interactions between patients and providers work more like a free market than did any preceding system. The health and life insurance plan creates cost-sensitive consumers, informed by a corporation with significant research incentives and abilities. The FFEB proposal encourages context-sensitive pricing, established by negotiation processes that weigh labor and benefit. Publication of providers' expected outcomes further enriches the information available to consumers and may reduce defensive medicine incentives. A medical career ladder would ease entry and exit from medical professions. These and complementary reforms do not specifically cap spending yet could have a deflationary impact on elective health care prices, while providing incentives to maintain quality. They accomplish these ends by giving more responsibility, information, incentives, and choice to citizens. We could provide most health care in a marketlike environment. We can incorporate these reforms in any convenient order and allow them to compete with alternative schemes. Our next challenge is to design, implement, and evaluate marketlike health care systems.

Who plans for health improvement? SEA, HIA and the separation of spatial planning and health planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bond, Alan; Cave, Ben; Ballantyne, Rob

2013-01-01

This study examines whether there is active planning for health improvement in the English spatial planning system and how this varies across two regions using a combination of telephone surveys and focus group interviews in 2005 and 2010. The spatial planning profession was found to be ill-equipped to consider the health and well-being implications of its actions, whilst health professionals are rarely engaged and have limited understanding and aspirations when it comes to influencing spatial planning. Strategic Environmental Assessment was not considered to be successful in integrating health into spatial plans, given it was the responsibility of planners lacking the capacity to do so. For their part, health professionals have insufficient knowledge and understanding of planning and how to engage with it to be able to plan for health gains rather than simply respond to health impacts. HIA practice is patchy and generally undertaken by health professionals outside the statutory planning framework. Thus, whilst appropriate assessment tools exist, they currently lack a coherent context within which they can function effectively and the implementation of the Kiev protocol requiring the engagement of health professionals in SEA is not to likely improve the consideration of health in planning while there continues to be separation of functions between professions and lack of understanding of the other profession. -- Highlights: ► Health professionals have limited aspirations for health improvement through the planning system. ► Spatial planners are ill-equipped to understand the health and well-being implications of their activities. ► SEA and HIA currently do not embed health consideration in planning decisions. ► The separation of health and planning functions is problematic for the effective conduct of SEA and/or HIA

Who plans for health improvement? SEA, HIA and the separation of spatial planning and health planning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bond, Alan, E-mail: alan.bond@uea.ac.uk [InteREAM (Interdisciplinary Research in Environmental Assessment and Management), School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ (United Kingdom); Cave, Ben, E-mail: ben.cave@bcahealth.co.uk [Ben Cave Associates Ltd., Leeds (United Kingdom); Ballantyne, Rob, E-mail: robdballantyne@gmail.com [Planning and Health Consultant, Oxfordshire (United Kingdom)

2013-09-15

This study examines whether there is active planning for health improvement in the English spatial planning system and how this varies across two regions using a combination of telephone surveys and focus group interviews in 2005 and 2010. The spatial planning profession was found to be ill-equipped to consider the health and well-being implications of its actions, whilst health professionals are rarely engaged and have limited understanding and aspirations when it comes to influencing spatial planning. Strategic Environmental Assessment was not considered to be successful in integrating health into spatial plans, given it was the responsibility of planners lacking the capacity to do so. For their part, health professionals have insufficient knowledge and understanding of planning and how to engage with it to be able to plan for health gains rather than simply respond to health impacts. HIA practice is patchy and generally undertaken by health professionals outside the statutory planning framework. Thus, whilst appropriate assessment tools exist, they currently lack a coherent context within which they can function effectively and the implementation of the Kiev protocol requiring the engagement of health professionals in SEA is not to likely improve the consideration of health in planning while there continues to be separation of functions between professions and lack of understanding of the other profession. -- Highlights: ► Health professionals have limited aspirations for health improvement through the planning system. ► Spatial planners are ill-equipped to understand the health and well-being implications of their activities. ► SEA and HIA currently do not embed health consideration in planning decisions. ► The separation of health and planning functions is problematic for the effective conduct of SEA and/or HIA.

Health care spending accounts: a flexible solution for Canadian employers.

Science.gov (United States)

Smithies, R; Steeves, L

1996-01-01

Flexible benefits plans have grown more slowly in Canada than in the United States, largely because of certain legal and regulatory considerations. Health care spending accounts (HCSAs) provide a cost-effective way for Canadian employers to address the health care benefit needs of a diverse workforce. A flexible health care spending account is a versatile and cost-effective instrument that can be used by Canadian employers that wish to provide a full range of health care benefits to employees. The health care alternatives available through an HCSA can provide employees with an opportunity to customize and optimize their benefits program. Regulatory requirements that an HCSA must meet in order to qualify for available tax advantages are discussed, as are the range of health care services that may be covered.

Experiences of Fast Queue health care users in primary health care facilities in eThekwini district, South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Sokhela, Dudu G; Makhanya, Nonhlanhla J; Sibiya, Nokuthula M; Nokes, Kathleen M

2013-07-05

Comprehensive Primary Health Care (PHC), based on the principles of accessibility, availability, affordability, equity and acceptability, was introduced in South Africa to address inequalities in health service provision. Whilst the Fast Queue was instrumental in the promotion of access to health care, a major goal of the PHC approach, facilities were not prepared for the sudden influx of clients. Increased access resulted in long waiting times and queues contributing to dissatisfaction with the service which could lead to missed appointments and non-compliance with established treatment plans. Firstly to describe the experiences of clients using the Fast Queue strategy to access routine healthcare services and secondly, to determine how the clients' experiences led to satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the Fast Queue service. A descriptive qualitative survey using content analysis explored the experiences of the Fast Queue users in a PHC setting. Setting was first identified based on greatest number using the Fast Queue and geographic diversity and then a convenience sample of health care users of the Fast Queue were sampled individually along with one focus group of users who accessed the Queue monthly for medication refills. The same interview guide questions were used for both individual interviews and the one focus group discussion. Five clinics with the highest number of attendees during a three month period and a total of 83 health care users of the Fast Queue were interviewed. The average participant was female, 31 years old, single and unemployed. Two themes with sub-themes emerged: health care user flow and communication, which highlights both satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the fast queue and queue marshals, could assist in directing users to the respective queues, reduce waiting time and keep users satisfied with the use of sign posts where there is a lack of human resources. Effective health communication strategies contribute to positive

Experiences of Fast Queue health care users in primary health care facilities in eThekwini district, South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dudu G. Sokhela

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Comprehensive Primary Health Care (PHC, based on the principles of accessibility, availability, affordability, equity and acceptability, was introduced in South Africa to address inequalities in health service provision. Whilst the Fast Queue was instrumental in the promotion of access to health care, a major goal of the PHC approach, facilities were not prepared for the sudden influx of clients. Increased access resulted in long waiting times and queues contributing to dissatisfaction with the service which could lead to missed appointments and non-compliance with established treatment plans. Objectives: Firstly to describe the experiences of clients using the Fast Queue strategy to access routine healthcare services and secondly, to determine how the clients’ experiences led to satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the Fast Queue service. Method: A descriptive qualitative survey using content analysis explored the experiences of the Fast Queue users in a PHC setting. Setting was first identified based on greatest number using the Fast Queue and geographic diversity and then a convenience sample of health care users of the Fast Queue were sampled individually along with one focus group of users who accessed the Queue monthly for medication refills. The same interview guide questions were used for both individual interviews and the one focus group discussion. Five clinics with the highest number of attendees during a three month period and a total of 83 health care users of the Fast Queue were interviewed. The average participant was female, 31 years old, single and unemployed. Results: Two themes with sub-themes emerged: health care user flow and communication, which highlights both satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the fast queue and queue marshals, could assist in directing users to the respective queues, reduce waiting time and keep users satisfied with the use of sign posts where there is a lack of human resources

Issues in Health Care of Middle Eastern Patients

Science.gov (United States)

Lipson, Juliene G.; Meleis, Afaf I.

1983-01-01

Relationships between Middle Eastern patients and Western health care professionals are often troubled by mutual misunderstanding of culturally influenced values and communication styles. Although Middle Easterners vary ethnically, they do share a core of common values and behavior that include the importance of affiliation and family, time and space orientations, interactional style and attitudes toward health and illness. Problems in providing health care involve obtaining adequate information, “demanding behavior” by a patient's family, conflicting beliefs about planning ahead and differing patterns of communicating grave diagnoses or “bad news.” There are guidelines that will provide an understanding of the cultural characteristics of Middle Easterners and, therefore, will improve rather than impede their health care. A personal approach and continuity of care by the same health care professional help to bridge the gap between Middle Eastern cultures and Western medical culture. In addition, periodic use of cultural interpreters helps ameliorate the intensity of some cultural issues. PMID:6364575

[Municipal planning of care services between competition neutrality and demand planning. An example of care structure planning in Rhineland-Palatinate].

Science.gov (United States)

Klie, T; Pfundstein, T

2010-04-01

In times of demographic and social change, it is increasingly important to ensure the availability of care services to cover the growing demand. With the implementation of the German long-term insurance act in 1994, the responsibility of states and municipalities was maintained; however, given the long-term care legislation's market orientation and competition neutrality, the classic instruments for demand planning and supervision of infrastructure developments were lost. This leads to new challenges for states and municipalities: their conventional objective-oriented planning lacks professional and juridical legitimization. Calculations of requirements must relate to methodology and professional expertise. In order to exercise their influence on infrastructure development, instruments of demand planning other than subsidization are required. Using the example of Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate) and the newly implemented care structure planning, the concept of care monitoring is introduced, and instruments to influence infrastructure development are outlined.

The coming alliance revolution in health care.

Science.gov (United States)

Lynch, R P

1993-01-01

Like it or not, the health care profession is being "shifted" into a revolutionary new world. The question is not will it change but rather how will it change? Who will determine its fate? What form will these changes take? What are the best alternatives for physicians, institutions, health care workers, insurers, employers, and, most importantly, patients? Some of the changes will come from government mandate, others from market forces. To understand what the future might bring, we should look at both the driving forces behind the changes and how other industries have responded to similar forces. An important consideration for health care professionals will be how, if at all, the concepts of collaboration and cooperation that are inherent in networking and alliances will guide their planning.

Effect of a comprehensive plan for periodontal disease care on oral health-related quality of life in patients with periodontal disease in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Tze-Fang; Fang, Chun-Han; Hsiao, Kai-Jong; Chou, Chyuan

2018-02-01

A comprehensive plan for periodontal disease (PD) care in Taiwan provides non-surgical and supportive periodontal treatment. The aim of this study was to determine whether the care plan could improve the oral health-related quality of life of patients with PD.This study was conducted by purposive sampling and a quasi-experimental design. Patients with PD were assigned to either comprehensive periodontal treatment (n = 32) or a simple cleaning regimen (n = 32). Their oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) was measured using the Taiwanese version of the Brief World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) scale (general QoL) and the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) (OHRQoL). Both scales were completed 14, 28, and 90 days after the initial assessment. The extent of PD in the experimental group was determined again at the end of the study.On the 28-item WHOQOL-BREF scale, the scores of the experimental group were higher than those of the control group on 5 items and the environmental domain at 14 days. There was a significant improvement in the experimental group on 2 items at 28 days and at 90 days after periodontal treatment (both P improvement in the experimental group in total score at 28 and 90 days after periodontal treatment (both P plan for PD care showed some improvement in QoL, including in the environmental domain, and on the total score for OHRQoL. Comprehensive periodontal treatment also alleviated periodontal symptoms.

A PDA based Point of Care E-Health Solution for Ambulatory Care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Walsh

2005-11-01

Full Text Available The adoption of PDAs and mobile communication is expected to provide a solution to the use of computer technology by healthcare workers at the point-of-care. The Australian National Health Information Strategy, Health Online, is providing national leadership for approaches to address the quality and availability of information to assist in the planning and delivery of care. One area for potential growth is the availability and capture of information at the point of care by healthcare providers. A key factor in the lack of adoption of systems, is that traditionally health care information systems have been designed for desktop computing whereas many healthcare workers are highly mobile. This paper discusses phase one of a larger, four-phase project which aims to develop information access applications at point-of-care for Ambulatory Care Services. The initial phase of the research (phase one involves workflow analysis, requirements specification and the development and testing of a system prototype to assess the feasibility of achieving increased efficiencies in workflow at the Ambulatory Care Service.

Computational health economics for identification of unprofitable health care enrollees.

Science.gov (United States)

Rose, Sherri; Bergquist, Savannah L; Layton, Timothy J

2017-10-01

Health insurers may attempt to design their health plans to attract profitable enrollees while deterring unprofitable ones. Such insurers would not be delivering socially efficient levels of care by providing health plans that maximize societal benefit, but rather intentionally distorting plan benefits to avoid high-cost enrollees, potentially to the detriment of health and efficiency. In this work, we focus on a specific component of health plan design at risk for health insurer distortion in the Health Insurance Marketplaces: the prescription drug formulary. We introduce an ensembled machine learning function to determine whether drug utilization variables are predictive of a new measure of enrollee unprofitability we derive, and thus vulnerable to distortions by insurers. Our implementation also contains a unique application-specific variable selection tool. This study demonstrates that super learning is effective in extracting the relevant signal for this prediction problem, and that a small number of drug variables can be used to identify unprofitable enrollees. The results are both encouraging and concerning. While risk adjustment appears to have been reasonably successful at weakening the relationship between therapeutic-class-specific drug utilization and unprofitability, some classes remain predictive of insurer losses. The vulnerable enrollees whose prescription drug regimens include drugs in these classes may need special protection from regulators in health insurance market design. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

Integrated approach to oral health in aged care facilities using oral health practitioners and teledentistry in rural Queensland.

Science.gov (United States)

Tynan, Anna; Deeth, Lisa; McKenzie, Debra; Bourke, Carolyn; Stenhouse, Shayne; Pitt, Jacinta; Linneman, Helen

2018-04-16

Residents of residential aged care facilities are at very high risk of developing complex oral diseases and dental problems. Key barriers exist in delivering oral health services to residential aged care facilities, particularly in regional and rural areas. A quality improvement study incorporating pre- and post chart audits and pre- and post consultation with key stakeholders, including staff and residents, expert opinion on cost estimates and field notes were used. One regional and three rural residential aged care facilities situated in a non-metropolitan hospital and health service in Queensland. Number of appointments avoided at an oral health facility Feedback on program experience by staff and residents Compliance with oral health care plan implementation Observations of costs involved to deliver new service. The model developed incorporated a visit by an oral health therapist for screening, education, simple intervention and referral for a teledentistry session if required. Results showed an improvement in implementation of oral health care plans and a minimisation of need for residents to attend an oral health care facility. Potential financial and social cost savings for residents and the facilities were also noted. Screening via the oral health therapist and teledentistry appointment minimises the need for a visit to an oral health facility and subsequent disruption to residents in residential aged care facilities. © 2018 National Rural Health Alliance Ltd.

Advance care planning within survivorship care plans for older cancer survivors: A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Caoimh, Rónán; Cornally, Nicola; O'Sullivan, Ronan; Hally, Ruth; Weathers, Elizabeth; Lavan, Amanda H; Kearns, Tara; Coffey, Alice; McGlade, Ciara; Molloy, D William

2017-11-01

Advances in the medical treatment of cancer have increased the number of survivors, particularly among older adults, who now represent the majority of these. Survivorship care plans (SCPs) are documents that cancer patients receive summarising their care, usually at the end of treatment but preferably from initial diagnosis. These may increase patient satisfaction and represent an opportunity to initiate preventative strategies and address future care needs. Advance care planning (ACP), incorporating advance healthcare decision-making, including formal written directives, increases satisfaction and end-of-life care. This paper systematically reviews evaluations of ACP within SCPs among older (≥65 years) cancer survivors. No studies meeting the inclusion criteria were identified by search strategies conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE and the Cochrane databases. One paper examined cancer survivors' mainly positive views of ACP. Another discussed the use of a SCP supported by a 'distress inventory' that included an advance care directive (living will) as an issue, though no formal evaluation was reported. Although ACP is important for older adults, no study was found that evaluated its role within survivorship care planning. Despite the risk of recurrence and the potential for morbidity and mortality, especially among older cancer survivors, ACP is not yet a feature of SCPs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

System-level planning, coordination, and communication: care of the critically ill and injured during pandemics and disasters: CHEST consensus statement.

Science.gov (United States)

Dichter, Jeffrey R; Kanter, Robert K; Dries, David; Luyckx, Valerie; Lim, Matthew L; Wilgis, John; Anderson, Michael R; Sarani, Babak; Hupert, Nathaniel; Mutter, Ryan; Devereaux, Asha V; Christian, Michael D; Kissoon, Niranjan

2014-10-01

System-level planning involves uniting hospitals and health systems, local/regional government agencies, emergency medical services, and other health-care entities involved in coordinating and enabling care in a major disaster. We reviewed the literature and sought expert opinions concerning system-level planning and engagement for mass critical care due to disasters or pandemics and offer suggestions for system-planning, coordination, communication, and response. The suggestions in this chapter are important for all of those involved in a pandemic or disaster with multiple critically ill or injured patients, including front-line clinicians, hospital administrators, and public health or government officials. The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) consensus statement development process was followed in developing suggestions. Task Force members met in person to develop nine key questions believed to be most relevant for system-planning, coordination, and communication. A systematic literature review was then performed for relevant articles and documents, reports, and other publications reported since 1993. No studies of sufficient quality were identified upon which to make evidence-based recommendations. Therefore, the panel developed expert opinion-based suggestions using a modified Delphi process. Suggestions were developed and grouped according to the following thematic elements: (1) national government support of health-care coalitions/regional health authorities (HC/RHAs), (2) teamwork within HC/RHAs, (3) system-level communication, (4) system-level surge capacity and capability, (5) pediatric patients and special populations, (6) HC/RHAs and networks, (7) models of advanced regional care systems, and (8) the use of simulation for preparedness and planning. System-level planning is essential to provide care for large numbers of critically ill patients because of disaster or pandemic. It also entails a departure from the routine, independent system and

Regulating managed care plans: is the telecommunications industry a possible model?

Science.gov (United States)

Jorgensen, N E; Weil, T P

1998-01-01

Merger mania has been a striking trend in the health and managed care fields during the last decade, promising to improve integration of services, decrease excess capacity, enhance price competition, and increase the ability of providers and insurers to handle risk-based payment. In view of these promises, our first argument in this paper is that undoubtedly strong, well-financed managed care plans and health networks will continue to utilize the merger concept to acquire additional insurers and providers, eventually gaining more control over the organization and the financing of a region's health care delivery system. Our second thesis is that the quasicompetitive, quasiregulatory authority inherent in the Telecommunications Act of 1996, somewhat similar in concept to the American Hospital Association's earlier Ameriplan (1970), might serve as an appropriate model for Congress to use in designing future managed care, health field, and federal/state governmental interrelationships.

Financial health and customer satisfaction in private health care providers in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Schiozer, Rafael Felipe; Saito, Cristiana Checchia; Saito, Richard

2011-11-01

This paper analyzes the relationship between the financial health and organizational form of private health care providers in Brazil. It also examines the major determinants of customer satisfaction associated with the provider's organizational form. An adjusted Altman's z-score is used as an indicator of financial health. A proxy variable based on customer complaints filed at the Brazilian National Agency for Supplementary Health is used as an indicator for customer satisfaction. The study uses a sample of 270 private health care providers and their operations over the period 2003-2005. Panel data analysis includes control variables related to market, operations, and management. Principal results indicate that: (1) private health care providers benefit from economies of scale; (2) self-funded health plans have better financial health; (3) spending on marketing does not have a significant impact on customer satisfaction in Brazil; (4) weak empirical evidence exists showing that good financial performance enhances customer's satisfaction.

Internet in Continuous Health Care

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Zvárová, Jana; Hanzlíček, Petr

2005-01-01

Roč. 13, č. 5 (2005), s. 451-452 ISSN 0928-7329. [MedNet 2005. World Congress on the Internet in Medicine /10./. 04.12.2005-07.12.2005, Prague] R&D Projects: GA AV ČR 1ET200300413 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : Internet * health care * technology Subject RIV: BD - Theory of Information

Electrical safety in health care area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amer, G.M.

2011-01-01

An electrical safety in health care area is necessary to protect patients and staff from potential electrical hazards.Functional, accurate and safe clinical equipment is an essential requirement in the provision of health services. Well-maintained equipment will give clinicians greater confidence in the reliability of its performance and contribute to a high standard of client care. Clinical equipment, like all health services, requires annual or periodic servicing of medical equipment. In addition to planned servicing and preventative maintenance, there may be the unexpected failure of medical (and other) equipment, necessitating repair. In general, clinical equipment that has an electrical power source and has direct contact with the client must be serviced as a first priority. In this presentation, a review of the main concepts related to the electrical safety in health area,theinternational standard, the distribution of electric power in hospital and protection against shockwill be introduced. Protection system in hospital will be presented in its two ways: inpower distribution in hospitaland inbiomedical equipment design,finally the optimum maintenance technology and safety tests in health care areawill presented also.

Active Involvement of Students in the Learning Process of the American Health Care System.

Science.gov (United States)

Poirier, Sylvie

1997-01-01

Over 200 pharmacy students in a University of Georgia class on the American health care system engaged in debates on health care issues, discussed newspaper articles, conducted client home visits, analyzed county health statistics, and completed exercises on pharmacists' compensation and health care planning. Most participating students responded…

Health care achievement and challenges in the Western Cape

African Journals Online (AJOL)

our citizens: (I) the introduction of free primary health care. (PHC) services has made ... Representatives, House of Delegates, House of Assembly. (which operated ... produce the Provincial Health Plan with its 26 task team reports, which have ...

How Peru introduced a plan for comprehensive HIV prevention and care for transwomen.

Science.gov (United States)

Salazar, Ximena; Núnez-Curto, Arón; Villayzán, Jana; Castillo, Regina; Benites, Carlos; Caballero, Patricia; Cáceres, Carlos F

2016-01-01

As a group, transwomen in Peru have the highest prevalence of HIV (>20%) in the country, but they have little access to HIV prevention, testing and care services. Until recently, Peru's national HIV programme did not recognize transwomen and had remained essentially static for decades. This changed in December 2014, when the Ministry of Health expressed its commitment to improve programming for transwomen and to involve transwomen organizations by prioritizing the development of a "Targeted Strategy Plan of STIs/HIV/AIDS Prevention and Comprehensive Care for Transwomen." A policy dialogue between key stakeholders - Peru's Ministry of Health, academic scientists, civil society, transgender leaders and international agencies - created the conditions for a change in Peru's national HIV policy for transwomen. Supported by the effective engagement of all sectors, the Ministry of Health launched a plan to provide comprehensive HIV prevention and care for transwomen. The five-year plan includes new national guidelines for HIV prevention, care and support, and country-level investments in infrastructure and equipment. In addition to new biomedical strategies, the plan also incorporates several strategies to address structural factors that contribute to the vulnerability of transwomen. We identified three key factors that created the right conditions for this change in Peru's HIV policy. These factors include (1) the availability of solid evidence, based on scientific research; (2) ongoing efforts within the transwomen community to become better advocates of their own rights; and (3) a dialogue involving honest discussions between stakeholders about possibilities of changing the nation's HIV policy. The creation of Peru's national plan for HIV prevention and care for transwomen shows that long-term processes, focused on human rights for transwomen in Peru, can lead to organizational and public-policy change.

Patient-driven resource planning of a health care facility evacuation.

Science.gov (United States)

Petinaux, Bruno; Yadav, Kabir

2013-04-01

The evacuation of a health care facility is a complex undertaking, especially if done in an immediate fashion, ie, within minutes. Patient factors, such as continuous medical care needs, mobility, and comprehension, will affect the efficiency of the evacuation and translate into evacuation resource needs. Prior evacuation resource estimates are 30 years old. Utilizing a cross-sectional survey of charge nurses of the clinical units in an urban, academic, adult trauma health care facility (HCF), the evacuation needs of hospitalized patients were assessed periodically over a two-year period. Survey data were collected on 2,050 patients. Units with patients having low continuous medical care needs during an emergency evacuation were the postpartum, psychiatry, rehabilitation medicine, surgical, and preoperative anesthesia care units, the Emergency Department, and Labor and Delivery Department (with the exception of patients in Stage II labor). Units with patients having high continuous medical care needs during an evacuation included the neonatal and adult intensive care units, special procedures unit, and operating and post-anesthesia care units. With the exception of the neonate group, 908 (47%) of the patients would be able to walk out of the facility, 492 (25.5%) would require a wheelchair, and 530 (27.5%) would require a stretcher to exit the HCF. A total of 1,639 patients (84.9%) were deemed able to comprehend the need to evacuate and to follow directions; the remainder were sedated, blind, or deaf. The charge nurses also determined that 17 (6.9%) of the 248 adult intensive care unit patients were too ill to survive an evacuation, and that in 10 (16.4%) of the 61 ongoing surgery cases, stopping the case was not considered to be safe. Heath care facilities can utilize the results of this study to model their anticipated resource requirements for an emergency evacuation. This will permit the Incident Management Team to mobilize the necessary resources both within

Using project management methodology to plan and track inpatient care.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaufman, Darren S

2005-08-01

Effective care of each patient throughout a hospital admission involves executing a specific set of tasks to produce a favorable outcome within an appropriate time frame. The ProjectRounds methodology, which can be implemented using widely available software, incorporates the principles of project management in planning and control hospital inpatient care. It consists of four stages--clinical assessment, planning, scheduling, and tracking. OVERVIEW OF PROJECTROUNDS AND EXAMPLE: As an example, a 68-year-old-man is admitted with pneumonia. In clinical assessment, the admitting physician uses an assessment tool that prompts her to list all the patient's clinical issues, define the conditions that need to be met to discharge the patient, highlight special problems, and list any consultations, diagnostic tests, and procedures that are planned. In planning, the work breakdown structure--a tabulation of all the tasks in the "project" (the admission)--is created. In scheduling, a project schedule is generated, and in tracking, the clinical team evaluates and monitors the project's course. During interdisciplinary clinical rounds, the progress of the patient's hospital care can be tracked and quantified by employing the percent complete method. Tracking can be used as a "dashboard," providing a concise summary of the care that needs to be and has been rendered to the patient. Applying the tenets of project management can optimize the process of providing health care to hospital inpatients.

Cost of delivering health care services at primary health facilities in Ghana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maxwell Ayindenaba Dalaba

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There is limited knowledge on the cost of delivering health services at primary health care facilities in Ghana which is posing a challenge in resource allocations. This study therefore estimated the cost of providing health care in primary health care facilities such as Health Centres (HCs and Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS in Ghana. Methods The study was cross-sectional and quantitative data was collected from the health provider perspective. Data was collected between July and August, 2016 at nine primary health facilities (six CHPS and three HCs from the Upper West region of Ghana. All health related costs for the year 2015 and revenue generated for the period were collected. Data were captured and analysed using Microsoft excel. Costs of delivery health services were estimated. In addition, unit costs such as cost per Outpatient Department (OPD attendance were estimated. Results The average annual cost of delivering health services through CHPS and HCs was US$10,923 and US$44,638 respectively. Personnel cost accounted for the largest proportion of cost (61% for CHPS and 59% for HC. The cost per OPD attendance was higher at CHPS (US$8.79 than at HCs (US$5.16. The average Internally Generated Funds (IGF recorded for the period at CHPS and HCs were US$2327 and US$ 15,795 respectively. At all the facilities, IGFs were greatly lower than costs of running the health facilities. Also, at both the CHPS and HCs, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS reimbursement was the main source of revenue accounting for over 90% total IGF. Conclusions The average annual cost of delivering primary health services through CHPS and HCs is US$10,923 and US$44,638 respectively and personnel cost accounts for the major cost. The government should be guided by these findings in their financial planning, decision making and resource allocation in order to improve primary health care in the country. However, more similar

Insurance Accounts: The Cultural Logics of Health Care Financing.

Science.gov (United States)

Mulligan, Jessica

2016-03-01

The financial exuberance that eventually culminated in the recent world economic crisis also ushered in dramatic shifts in how health care is financed, administered, and imagined. Drawing on research conducted in the mid-2000s at a health insurance company in Puerto Rico, this article shows how health care has been financialized in many ways that include: (1) privatizing public services; (2) engineering new insurance products like high deductible plans and health savings accounts; (3) applying financial techniques to premium payments to yield maximum profitability; (4) a managerial focus on shareholder value; and (5) prioritizing mergers and financial speculation. The article argues that financial techniques obfuscate how much health care costs, foster widespread gaming of reimbursement systems that drives up prices, and "unpool" risk by devolving financial and moral responsibility for health care onto individual consumers. © 2015 by the American Anthropological Association.

A Website Supporting Sensitive Religious and Cultural Advance Care Planning (ACPTalk): Formative and Summative Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Mader, Patrick; O'Callaghan, Clare; Boyd, Leanne

2018-01-01

Background Advance care planning (ACP) promotes conversations about future health care needs, enacted if a person is incapable of making decisions at end-of-life that may be communicated through written documentation such as advance care directives. To meet the needs of multicultural and multifaith populations in Australia, an advance care planning website, ACPTalk, was funded to support health professionals in conducting conversations within diverse religious and cultural populations. ACPTalk aimed to provide religion-specific advance care planning content and complement existing resources. Objective The purpose of this paper was to utilize the context, input, process, and product (CIPP) framework to conduct a formative and summative evaluation of ACPTalk. Methods The CIPP framework was used, which revolves around 4 aspects of evaluation: context, input, process, and product. Context: health professionals’ solutions for the website were determined through thematic analysis of exploratory key stakeholder interviews. Included religions were determined through an environmental scan, Australian population statistics, and documentary analysis of project steering committee meeting minutes. Input: Project implementation and challenges were examined through documentary analysis of project protocols and meeting minutes. Process: To ensure religion-specific content was accurate and appropriate, a website prototype was built with content review and functionality testing by representatives from religious and cultural organizations and other interested health care organizations who completed a Web-based survey. Product: Website analytics were used to report utilization, and stakeholder perceptions were captured through interviews and a website survey. Results Context: A total of 16 key stakeholder health professional (7 general practitioners, 2 primary health nurses, and 7 palliative care nurses) interviews were analyzed. Website solutions included religious and cultural

Breastfeeding: Planning Ahead

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Understanding and managing change in health care organizations.