Healthcare system

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During the late twentieth century so many for-profit hospitals have come up all over the world. I choose to make for-profit hospitals the basis for this paper because of their increase in number. There is the need to find out why these hospitals have become so many and if they are effective. It is crucial to establish what these hospitals entail and how they are run. It is also important to note how these healthcare systems differ from other systems.

For-profit hospitals are chains of hospitals that are owned and managed by private investors. They have become a predominant means of medical services delivery all over the world. Unlike other healthcare systems, for-profit hospitals are established in order for the shareholders to make profits. Though all hospitals earn some sufficient profits for their operation, for-profit hospitals have a high likelihood of responding to their profitability as compared to other types when it comes to making decisions on supply (Silverman, & Skinner, 2001). For-profit hospitals place themselves in the medical marketplace in a way that they offer mainly care services that are profitable for individuals who are affluent and insured. These for-profit hospitals are not located in areas that will not be profitable to the organizations. This means that patients who seek services of for-profit hospitals are those who are wealthy hence can be able to afford the services. Since these hospitals are costly, patients who seek the services often pay through insurance. It would be difficult for individuals who are not insured to seek services from for-profit hospitals since they might not be able to pay (Silverman, & Skinner, 2001).

For-profit hospitals mostly specialize in medical fields that are highly lucrative like elective or plastic surgery, medical rehabilitation, cardiology among others. At the same time, they usually avoid providing services which they term as loss-making such as emergency medicine which is mainly provided to the indigent. The critics of for-profit hospitals argue that these hospitals insure healthy people disproportionately at the same time eschewing patients who are chronically ill. These people have no option but rely on services from non-profit providers and public insurance schemes. This is referred to as dumping of patients who they do not desire. The advocates of for-profit hospitals argue that these hospitals can be able to offer better care to patients at lower costs due to their high efficiency. It is also claimed that in a free market such as the healthcare market, hospitals have the incentive to perform better because of the existing competition.

We can compare for-profit hospitals and not-for profit hospitals using different factors. Not-for-profit hospitals are facilities that do not pay taxes to the government since they are considered to be charity and provides benefit to the community according to the guidelines that have been set. On the other hand, for-profit hospitals are facilities owned by private investors. For the not-for profit hospitals the assets remain within the community while assets in the for-profit hospitals remain to be the property of the owners or investors.

In the not-for profit hospitals, there are a local board of trustees who serve without being paid and create a balance between financial decisions and the concerns of the members of the community (Gentry, & Penrod, 2008). In for-profit hospitals, critical decisions are made by people outside the community who focus mainly on making profits for the stockholders. The not-for profit hospitals are not meant for making private profit but for-profit hospitals can have physicians practicing at the hospital as stockholders but members of the community are not allowed to buy stocks. For the not-for profit hospitals, all the income realized after expenses have been catered for is used in the improvement of healthcare in the entire community. On the other hand, the profits in for-profit hospitals leave the community and are only enjoyed by the stockholders involved.

When it comes to service delivery, not-for profit hospitals provide a complete spectrum of care that entails education, prevention and treatment which are of great benefit to the community (Gentry, & Penrod, 2008). For-profit hospitals offer a full range of care that is aimed at benefiting the community but their main focus is how best to serve the investors. The for-profit hospitals mainly target wealthy and insured people while not for profit hospitals provide healthcare services to the poor and insured members of the community. Both the for-profit and not-for profit hospitals provide healthcare services to members of the community where they are located.

In conclusion, we can say that not-for-profit hospitals are more effective in their service delivery compared to for-profit hospitals. This is because the for-profit hospitals focus on making profits so as to please their stockholders. Their priority is profit making and not delivering quality services to patients. The not-for profit hospitals always put the health of their patients first and they hold themselves accountable for the patients they serve in the hospitals.

References

Gentry, W.,& Penrod, J. (2008). The tax benefits of not-for-profit hospitals. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.

Bottom of Form

Silverman, E., & Skinner, J. (2001). Are for-profit hospitals really different? Medicare upcoding and market structure. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.

Research Paper

Introduction | Possible Course Project Topics | Grading Rubrics

Introduction
This course project gives you the opportunity to select a problem that
currently exists in our healthcare system and analyze its implications
on our healthcare system. The paper should critically analyze the
issues related to the topic and identify key strategies for
improvement. In order to meet the project requirements, it is
important to identify an issue or problem within the healthcare
system. Please analyze and review the grading rubric to understand why
this is important. Both web references and professional journals
should be considered as references. Don’t overlook the Keller Online
Library as an important source of information for your paper. The
paper should include 8-10 references in APA or another approved
format.

See a more detailed Grading Rubric below.

The length of the final paper should be approximately 8-10 pages,
double-spaced in MS Word.

Possible Course Project Topics
Describe the problems with our multiple reimbursement systems. Discuss
how a single-payer system may improve access and cost containment in
the U.S. healthcare system.

Evaluate the lack of reimbursement environments for preventive
healthcare programs, and evaluate the effectiveness of the current
reimbursement patterns. Propose solutions for expanding these
programs.
Describe the problems in the U.S. healthcare system and how we might
use another nation’s healthcare system for reform. Evaluate how a new
system would improve access to care, quality of care, and the
efficient utilization of resources.
Choose one particular form of complementary (nontraditional,
alternative) medicine and explain why it may not be accepted by
insurance providers or reimbursed by insurance companies. Describe its
clinical approach and effectiveness, evaluate its economic impact, and
review its potential for mainstream use, including future licensing
and third party reimbursement.
Evaluate the problem of fraud and abuse in the current U.S. healthcare
system. Analyze the effectiveness of the OIG’s Healthcare Fraud and
Abuse Program, and analyze effective actions healthcare organizations
can take to decrease their liability in this area, offering examples.
Critically evaluate the readiness and the effectiveness of the U.S.
Healthcare Delivery System in responding to a widespread bioterrorism
event; propose changes as appropriate to your analysis.
Discuss some of the problems in measuring quality in the healthcare
environment and investigate quality measurement. Provide options for
quality measurement and the processes that could be measured in a
healthcare setting.
Critically evaluate the use of technology in healthcare and the
challenges it presents in healthcare delivery. Offer specific examples
or situations aIDressing technology’s contributions to improving the
quality of health and healthcare; consider impact on healthcare costs
and analyze trade-offs.
Describe the problem of medical errors in our delivery system.
Evaluate the effectiveness of selected programs aimed at reducing
medical errors in the U.S. healthcare system; discuss one or more of
the most effective measures identified to date and make
recommendations for aIDitional action.
NOTE: Other topics related to course content/TCOs will be considered,
but only as approved in advance by your instructor.

Grading Rubrics

Introduce the issue.
Define the problem.
Search the literature.
Analyze the problem.
Offer possible solutions.
Propose a single solution.
Develop an implementation plan.
Justify why/how if your solution will solve the identified problem.
Your paper must include, but is not limited to, the following sections:

Category Points Description
BACKGROUND 10 Describe the problem, organization, or situation you
selected; identify the specific issues of interest or controversy; and
present background/facts of the problem, organization, or situation
that will enable the reader to clearly understand the issue.
DEFINE THE PROBLEM 10
Identify and clearly state the problem, the management issue, in which
an element of the identified problem or situation is not meeting
expectations. Remember that what appears to be the problem may
actually be just a symptom of a bigger problem – dig deep to be sure
you’ve identified the real problems. If there appears to be more than
one problem/issue, decide if they are separate or related issues.

State the problem in the form of a question. For example, if a work
group is not performing effectively, an effective problem statement
might be “How can the staff shortage improve?” rather than simply
“Short Staff problems.”

LITERATURE REVIEW 35
Present what you discovered in your search of the literature. Review
issues, theories, concepts, and studies discussed in class and in our
textbook, and review what other writers/researchers have to say about
the subject of your analysis. Discuss the concepts, ideas, or insights
that are most valuable in helping you make sense of your project. What
theories can you use? What writers say something of value? Why is it
of value? Which models are the least helpful, and why? What theories
or concepts will you challenge or criticize because your findings are
different? In short, demonstrate an understanding of the literature
and apply it sensibly to the problem. This is not a course in applied
commonsense; however, such practical intelligence is important,
especially in the application stage.

A literature review is like playing a video game in which you are in a
chamber with many doors. As you open each door, you uncover clues to
help you progress to the next level. Similarly, in a literature
review, your objective is to open the doors that can point the way to
solving your business problem. Begin your literature review with a
broad look at your field of interest, then narrow your focus until you
zero in on the essential issues of concern.

NOTE: A literature review is a required element of this assignment. A
good rule of thumb is to review at least 10 resources, beyond the
textbook and class readings, to ensure the effectiveness of your
research.

SUGGESTION: Begin your literature survey by accessing Keller’s online
library at www.keller.edu.

PROBLEM ANALYSIS 30 This section should provide a detailed analysis of
the causes of the problem(s) or issue(s) you identified in Section II.
A major objective is to clearly illustrate how you are using the
healthcare course concepts (as well as what your learned from your
literature review) to better understand the causes of the problem(s)
or issue(s). Show that you are applying course material! (Note: Use
subheadings to identify each factor you aIDress.)
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS 30 Explore three solutions that could be
appropriate ways to solve the identified problem/issue. Be sure these
solutions are logical based on your analysis and that they each would
effectively treat the problem, not the symptoms. Also, discuss the
anticipated outcomes (both positive and negative) of implementing each
of the possible solutions you identified.
SOLUTION AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION 35 Outline your recommended solution
to the problem/issue, one of the alternatives explored in Section V,
or a combination of those alternatives. State your solution clearly
and specifically. Describe exactly what should be done and how it
should be done, including by whom, with whom, and in what sequence.
Here are some points to keep in mind as you write this section:
Have I indicated an awareness of the problem of implementation (the how aspect)?
Have I been specific enough? For example, a general solution might
state, “The healthcare manager needs to realize that his or her style
should match the situation.”
A specific solution would state what style is most appropriate for the
situation and how you will attempt to the have the manager realize the
appropriate style.
What aspects of the problem remain unresolved by my solution?
Does my recommended solution and implementation plan aIDress the
problem/issues and causes identified in the previous sections?
Does my solution consider and resolve the identified pros and cons?
How will I evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented recommended solution?
What process checks or procedures will I put in place to
institutionalize the improvement?
Could my solution cause other problems/issues? What risks are inherent
in the solution you recommend? What contingency plans do you
recommend?
Assess the realism of your proposed action plan. For example, is there
adequate time, money, or other resources for your solution? In
aIDition, does your solution place too much reliance on other people
being reasonable or what you think is reasonable?
JUSTIFICATION 25 Justify why your recommended solution and its
implementation will solve the identified problem/issue in the
organization/unit you selected. An important element of this section
is to show very clearly how you applied course concepts to arrive at a
workable solution and a successful implementation. Apply appropriate
course material; support your conclusions with appropriately
referenced facts, quotes, and readings; and be sure your justification
aIDresses identified pros and cons.
REFERENCES 25 All citations in the paper must appear in the reference
list, and all references must be cited in the text of the paper.
Choose references judiciously and cite them accurately. Citations of
an author’s work in the text documents your work, briefly identifies
the source for readers, and enables readers to locate the source of
information in the alphabetical reference list at the end of the
paper. To use the ideas or words of another without crediting the
source is plagiarism.
Plagiarism, in its purest form, involves copying of entire passages
either verbatim or nearly verbatim, with no direct acknowledgment of
the source. The most common (and unconscious) form of plagiarism is
when a direct quotation is simply paraphrased. Paraphrasing does not
relieve you of the obligation to provide proper identification of
source data. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to make sure all
quotes, ideas, or conclusions not your own are given proper
acknowledgment in your text.
Total 200 A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.