HLT 314V Week 4 Assignment 

Details:

Choose two research articles published by a scholarly (peer-reviewed) journal on a current health care issue in the United States, controversial or otherwise.

Topics:

Suggested topics may include:

A study of vaccinations and autism rates

Maternal health, fetal health, or elder health

Disease-based studies, such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease

The increasing rates of caesarean sections in birthrates

Managed health care in the United States

Any of the leading Health Indicator topics (2020 LHI Topics) profiled in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Healthy People 2020 initiative website

Part One

Complete the attached “Article Comparison Table” to compare the two articles in terms of content, research methods, focus of the study, target audiences and subjects, and their possible impacts on the future of health care delivery.

Part Two

Write a 500-750 words analysis that includes the following:

A summary of the topic you chose with rationale. (This may have personal significance to you or it may be a topic of particular interest that you have seen in the news.)

An explanation of the significance of the two research studies to health care delivery in the United States.

A description of the major functions provided by research and data monitoring of health care delivery in the United States.

Identification of potential environments within health care delivery appropriate to research and data monitoring.

Your assessment of the impact of the studies in your chosen articles in regards to health care delivery, incorporating and expanding on the information you provided in Part One. Were the studies intended to change or influence health care delivery? If so, how? If not, what are the implications of each study for health care delivery?

Your assessment of the role the allied health professional plays, or could play, in research and data monitoring of health care delivery in the United States.

Attach the “Article Comparison Table” to your written analysis and submit as one document.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.

 

SAMPLE PAPER

Managed health care in the United States

Introduction

Managed care is a term that has been coined to describe the trend of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and other managed care organizations (MCOs) for managing and controlling costs by paying providers on a capitation basis rather than in the traditional fee-for-service model.

The trend in the United States has been toward managed care since the 1980s, when Medicare began negotiating contracts with HMOs to provide more comprehensive benefits at lower costs. Since then, most Americans have had access to such coverage through their employer or via Medicare.

History

Managed care was first introduced in the 1960s as a response to rising costs and a shortage of physicians. The concept behind managed care is that patients are assigned to a health plan and then receive care from providers in the network. Providers are paid by the health plan based on their volume of business; they’re compensated for each patient they see, so it’s important that they provide quality care as well as cost containment.

Managed care plans have been around since then, but only recently has it become popular among employers due to its efficiency—in addition to being able to control spending, these plans also allow you more control over your own medical needs (the ability for patients who want more attention than others can get it).

Relation to government-funded plans

The Federal Government has a major influence on health care, as it provides funding for Medicaid and Medicare. Medicaid is a program that provides health insurance coverage to low-income individuals, while Medicare is a federal government program providing hospitalization and medical services to those 65 years old or older who meet certain requirements. Private health insurance is another type of plan available that can be purchased by individuals without any financial assistance from their employer or the government. Self-funded plans are self-insured organizations such as employer sponsored benefit packages; these types of plans have historically been more common in large companies but have become increasingly popular among small businesses as well because they offer more flexibility than traditional indemnity insurance schemes (like HMOs).

Effectiveness

Effectiveness is measured by the proportion of members for whom a service was provided. The higher the effectiveness, the better managed care is performing.

In fee-for-service, providers can choose to see any patient that comes in front of them regardless of whether or not they have insurance coverage or if they’re part of an HMO network. In contrast, managed care plans require members to be covered through an HMO network before seeing a doctor at all—and if those patients aren’t covered by their plan’s network, then the provider may deny them treatment altogether (or demand high copays).

Cost savings

A managed care plan can reduce costs in the following ways:

• Negotiate discounts with hospitals and other providers. Because managed care plans are able to negotiate lower prices with these vendors, they can reduce their overall costs by reducing unnecessary services. Some examples include negotiating lower rates for lab tests and X-rays, or having a primary care physician handle everything but emergency room visits (which might be handled by an outside contractor).

• Reduce unnecessary services that may not actually improve patient outcomes. For example, if you go see your doctor every two weeks instead of every week because your blood pressure is at a healthy level most days but suddenly spikes after eating a piece of cake at work on Friday afternoon—a spike that lasts until Sunday morning—then it’s likely not necessary for him or her to order an extra test just so they can get paid more money from insurance companies

Approximately 50 million Americans were uninsured in 2008.

According to the United States Census Bureau, approximately 50 million Americans were uninsured in 2008. This number is growing at an average rate of 20% per year and 50% per year.

Takeaway:

Takeaway:

The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not have universal health care. This is not because we don’t want it or can’t afford it—we spend more than any other nation on health care, and our per capita costs are among the highest in the world. But because of our political system and its resistance to change, we have never been able to pass a national law guaranteeing access to affordable health insurance for all Americans.

Conclusion

In conclusion, managed care is not a new concept that should be ignored. It is a way to cover the cost of health care without going bankrupt. With this system in place, you can save thousands of dollars over time by not paying as much for insurance coverage or doctor visits if you do not have access to either one at all times. The only problem with managed care is that there are many different variations on how it operates and what it covers so finding out which one works best for each person requires careful consideration before choosing