Assessment 3
Costs and Benefits of Performance Improvement

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

Introduction

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

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

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

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

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

• How do governmental approaches compare when addressing a healthcare issue?
• How does a nation's political and economic makeup shape a country's social services and the way healthcare services are delivered?
• Which healthcare performance indicators are most often used?

Preparation

Complete the following:

• Research the costs and benefits associated with the changes required to bring the government programs in your chosen country (from Assessment 1) up to the standards exemplified by the best practices of the model country you identified in the Assessment 2.
• Research and consider ways to measure the benefits of program performance.
• View the Paul-Elder's Critical Thinking Model activity.

Deliverable

Complete the following:

• Describe briefly the scope of changes needed to raise your chosen country's care standards to the levels reached by your model country. Limit your focus to a single program, department, or initiative relative to the issue and area you chose to focus on in Assessment 2. Document any assumptions you make.
• Discuss a significant benefit of the program from the perspective of either the government or the healthcare consumer.
• Identify and discuss the major costs (that is, personnel, education, equipment, et cetera) associated with implementing the described changes.
• Identify a source (private, NGO, or government) that could be a likely or reasonable source to help fund this quality improvement project. Explain your reasoning.
• Consider performance measures to assess program performance. Complete both of the following:
  • Qualitative: Explain a way to qualitatively assess the program performance. Why is this an effective way to assess it?
  • Quantitative: Discuss a model that you would choose to quantitatively assess the program performance. Why is this an effective way to assess it?
• Apply all the elements of the Paul-Elder critical thinking model in your paper. (What are you taking for granted based on your frame of reference? How does your program imply cultural bias? What information are you ignoring or devaluing the importance of to make your program work?)

Additional Requirements

Your paper should meet the following requirements:

• Formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current APA style and formatting.
• Number of resources: Use a minimum of three resources.
• Length: 5–7 double-spaced pages, not including the references page.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.

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

• Competency 2: Evaluate the costs and benefits associated with implementation of a quality improvement initiative.
  • Discuss benefits of program performance improvement.
  • Describe major costs associated with a quality improvement program.
  • Explain a way to qualitatively assesses program performance.
  • Analyze a model that quantitatively assesses program performance.
• Competency 3: Apply key performance measures to address a specific health issue within an international community.
  • Describe the scope of changes needed to bring a country up to identified standards.
• Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for professionals in health care administration.
  • Apply all the elements of the Paul-Elder critical thinking model in your paper.
  • Convey purpose, in an appropriate tone and style, incorporating supporting evidence and adhering to organizational, professional, and scholarly writing standards.