HCI 550 Healthcare Policy and Innovation

Overview

In the 6th module of HCI 550 Healthcare Policy and Innovation, we learn about financing healthcare and strategies to increase consumer participation in the policy-making process. Of great interest to healthcare industry experts and policy-makers, is the million dollar (actually, multi-million) question of how to pay for healthcare and the ongoing debates concerning the financial impact of health care reform. How might innovative approaches to delivery of healthcare services help control medical costs? What impact may consumers have in expanding access and availability of healthcare?

As a reminder, your final healthcare policy presentation project is due the end of this week. To finalize your healthcare policy presentation, utilize the information garnered from readings, other PP presentations, lectures, videos and websites, as well as the research conducted pursuant to your healthcare policy issue topic.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, students will be able to:

1. Analyze the process for creating and amending healthcare policy specific to financing, technology, institutions and stakeholders.
2. Explain the relationship between innovation, change management and policy development.

Learning Materials

Readings

Read the following:

• Healthcare Financing
  • Murray, R., Delbanco, S., & King, J., (2021, January 6).  How can state legislation promote value in health care? Three innovative models. Health Affairs. 10.1377/hblog20201222.609656 (Links to an external site.).  HEALTH AFFAIRS BLOG State Legislation.docx

Actions

• • Osborn, R., Squires, D., Doty, M., Sarnak, D., Schneider, E.  (2016,November). In New Survey of 11 Countries, U.S. Adults Still Struggle with Access to and Affordability of Health Care.

Actions

The Commonwealth Fund. Retrieved from www.commonwealthfund.org.

• • Squires, D. (2012, May). Explaining high health care spending in the United States: An international comparison of supply, utilization, prices, and quality.

Actions

The Commonwealth Fund. Retrieved from www.commonwealthfund.org (Links to an external site.).

• • Kacik, A. (2019, February). Hospital price growth driving healthcare spending

Actions

.  Modern Healthcare.  Retrieved from www.modernhealthcare.com (Links to an external site.)

• Strategies for Increasing Citizen Participation in the Policy Process
  • Longest (2016) – Chapter 10

Videos

Watch the following:

• Insurance Makes Healthcare Far More Expensive (6:44)

John Stossel, ABC News, examines the cost of healthcare treatment. As you watch this video think about transparency in healthcare treatment options and costs. Whole Foods uses a Consumer-Driven Health Plan (CDHP) model where employees are provided a specified number of dollars in an account and choose how to spend these medical dollars. Is Whole Foods’ approach to cost-sharing of medical costs fair and equitable to employees?

• Why the US Pays More for Health Care than the Rest of the World (9:24)

Why are American health care costs by far the highest in the world? Journalist and former practicing physician Elisabeth Rosenthal chronicles how we got here in her book, “An American Sickness.” Economics correspondent Paul Solman talks with Rosenthal about the forces driving high prices and what could be done to bring costs down.

• Health Reform: Why are Health Care Costs Rising?

The following lecture and staff activity was developed by a former MHI student and analyzes the financial impact of health reform. Mollica (2011) – Health Reform: Why are Health Care Costs Rising?

Actions

Website:

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Innovations Exchange website outlines criteria for inclusion as health care policy innovations. Also included on the website is a video series which recognizes frontline innovators which have made a difference in healthcare.

https://innovations.ahrq.gov/ (Links to an external site.)

PreviousNext

Explore the Center for Medicare and Medicaid(CMS) website in the Innovation Department and post your finding in Extra Credit discussion board.    https://innovation.cms.gov/. (Links to an external site.)

In a concise manner, write a summary of an innovation project from the site.  As part of the summary, include the department, section, or project specifics, the stakeholders that would benefit from the program, any potential pitfalls, and what innovative ideas you have for the project you are reviewing.  In addition, your innovative idea could be included and what the next steps would be to bring your project to the CMS Innovation Department.

The goal of this assignment is to intrigue your readers enough to have them want to check into it themselves for more information.  (Summaries should be 250 – 400 words.)