NHS6008 Economics
and Decision Making in Health Care

Unit 1 Discussion DQ1 The Changing Health Care Economic Landscape

Think of recent changes in health care economics, such as
patient satisfaction scores and reimbursement, or universal health care
coverage. Then respond to the following:

How have these changes affected your current or desired role
and health care setting?

Briefly share with your fellow learners your suggestions for
improving the economic situation of your health care setting. You do not have
to provide an in-depth plan, but at least address:

How would you maximize its resources?

How might strategies or priorities need to shift to keep up
with the changing health care economic environment?

Post according to the Faculty Expectations Response
Guidelines. Remember to cite the readings, resources, and research that you
have used in the development of your post.

Response Guidelines

Respond to the posts of other learners according to the
Faculty Expectations Response Guidelines.

Do you see similar effects in your current or desired
workplace?

What differences do you see?

DQ2 Supply And Demand

Discuss the impact of supply and demand for the department
or service line in which you currently work, or would like to work.

Consider the following when writing your initial post
(Cooper & John, 2011, p. 688):

What factors determine the price and quantity of health
care?

In what sense is spending on health an investment?

What factors determine the demand for health care services?

How does demand drive the ability for or willingness of a
health care setting to provide a service line?

Post according to the Faculty Expectations Response
Guidelines. Remember to cite the readings, resources, and research that you
have used in the development of your post.

Response Guidelines

Respond to the posts of other learners according to the
Faculty Expectations Response Guidelines.

Do you see similar impacts in your department or service
line?

What differences do you see?

Compare and contrast your views on the link between demand
and the ability for a health care setting to provide a service line.

NHS6008 Economics
and Decision Making in Health Care

Unit 2
Discussion

DQ1 CMS Regulations

To complete this discussion:

Identify a scenario that would be impacted by Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regulations.

An example would be an unexpected complication during or
immediately after a patient’s hospitalization, which might have been prevented.

Discuss the economic impact of recent CMS regulations with respect
to documentation, billing, and reimbursement for services.

Additionally, address how these impacts affect your current
role, or the future role to which you are aspiring, in the health care
industry.

Post according to the Faculty Expectations Response
Guidelines. Remember to cite the readings, resources, and research that you
have used in the development of your post.

Response Guidelines

Respond to the posts of other learners according to the
Faculty Expectations Response Guidelines.

Offer additional economic impacts that you see in the
scenario your peer discussed.

How do you see the scenario that your peer discussed playing
out and impacting your practice and health care setting?

DQ2 Vila Health: A New Mobile Clinic

This discussion will be based upon the media simulation, Vila
Health: A New Mobile Clinic.

To complete this discussion please address the following:

Reflecting on the concerns of the various stakeholders,
which concern or concerns would be the most important to address in order for
the grant to be completed?

How would you go about addressing the concern or concerns
you identified?

After the grant funding was secured, which concern or
concerns would be the most important to address for the initial implementation
of the project?

How would you go about address the concern or concerns you
identified?

Which concern or concerns would be the most important to
address to ensure the mobile unit would be a sustainable project?

How would you go about addressing the concern or concerns
you identified?

Why is it important to consider the views, needs, and
concerns of stakeholder when developing a plan for a new economic opportunity?

Post according to the Faculty Expectations Response
Guidelines. Remember to cite the readings, resources, and research that you
have used in the development of your post.

Response Guidelines

Respond to the posts of other learners according to the
Faculty Expectations Response Guidelines.

In your response be sure to address one or more of the
following:

How did the concerns you identified as being most important
to address compare to those of your peer?

How did your approach to addressing the concerns of
stakeholders compare to that of your peer?

Do you have any further recommendations on strategies for
approaching stakeholder concerns that could help your peer?

NHS6008 Economics
and Decision Making in Health Care

Unit 3
Discussion

Reimbursement Recommendations

Given the topic you selected in the Unit 2 discussion, CMS
Regulations, complete the following:

Propose insights and recommendations to promote
reimbursement for services offered by the provider organization.

Discuss the implications for future supply and demand for
services provided.

Examples: A preventable fall results in non-payment to
provider; inaccurate coding or untimely claim submission results in payment
denial; or patient satisfaction scores deteriorate, and CMS denies payment for
provider services.

Post according to the Faculty Expectations Response
Guidelines. Remember to cite the readings, resources, and research that you
have used in the development of your post.

Response Guidelines

Respond to the posts of other learners according to the
Faculty Expectations Response Guidelines.

Offer additional insights and recommendations for promoting
reimbursement that you have observed or worked with from your own practice or
health care setting.

Offer additional implications of the current state of
reimbursement on future supply and demand within the scope of a health care
setting or health care practice role with which you are familiar.

NHS6008 Economics
and Decision Making in Health Care

Unit 4
Discussion

DQ1 Value Judgments and Economic Evaluation

Within the context of a community, organization, or health
care setting:

Identify a health care issue that is directly tied to an
economic decision and is related to the economic opportunity you proposed in
your Unit 3 assignment.

How does the use of a value judgment and evaluation of
resources affect this health care issue?

What is one economic alternative related to resource
management that could cause a positive change in this situation?

How will this decision impact the community and care
delivery resources?

Post according to the Faculty Expectations Response
Guidelines. Remember to cite the readings, resources, and research that you
have used in the development of your post.

Response Guidelines

Respond to the posts of other learners according to the
Faculty Expectations Response Guidelines.

What other value judgments and evaluation of resources may
be relevant to the health care issue that you peer wrote about?

How do these decisions affect care delivery in the
community?

Offer an additional economic alternative that could cause a
positive change in the situation your peer described.

DQ2 Economic Considerations

Think about what you found and wrote about for the first
discussion in this unit.

In two sentences, briefly summarize the economic alternative
that you presented in the first discussion of this unit.

What types of evaluation, both quantitative and qualitative,
might you develop to evaluate your alternative idea?

What outcome measure are you expecting, and why?

Post according to the Faculty Expectations Response
Guidelines. Remember to cite the readings, resources, and research that you have
used in the development of your post.

Response Guidelines

Respond to the posts of other learners according to the
Faculty Expectations Response Guidelines.

Which economic considerations do you think have the
strongest influence on the problem?

Refer your peer to one or more data sources that could help
them further develop or support their economic alternative.

NHS6008 Economics
and Decision Making in Health Care

Unit 5
Discussion

DQ1 Benefit Values

To complete this discussion:

Conduct research and determine benefits associated with the
economic opportunity that you proposed in your Unit 3 assignment.

Assign dollar values to each benefit.

Explain how you found or arrived at the assigned dollar
values.

Use the preformatted Cost-Benefit Analysis Template
spreadsheet, linked in the Resources.

Post according to the Faculty Expectations Response
Guidelines. Remember to cite the readings, resources, and research that you
have used in the development of your post.

Response Guidelines

Respond to the posts of other learners according to the
Faculty Expectations Response Guidelines.

How do the benefits associated with your peer’s proposed
initiative compare with yours?

Do you see any benefits that your peer might have missed?

Do you have alternative sources relevant to determining the
dollar value of one or more of your peer’s benefits?

DQ2 Cost-Benefit Analysis

In this discussion, you will build upon the economic
opportunity that you proposed in your Unit 3 assignment and use the information
you researched for you Benefits Values discussion post.

Analyze the costs and benefits over a five-year time horizon
for your economic opportunity.

Propose executive recommendations to proceed with or defer
the pursuit of the economic opportunity. Be sure to include a sound rationale.
This may incorporate regulations, industry standards, and best practices.

Use the preformatted Cost-Benefit Analysis Template
spreadsheet, linked in the Resources, to conduct your analysis.

Post according to the Faculty Expectations Response
Guidelines. Remember to cite the readings, resources, and research that you
have used in the development of your post.

Response Guidelines

Respond to the posts of other learners according to the
Faculty Expectations Response Guidelines.

If possible, select a learner who has not yet received a
response and evaluate their submission, highlighting both strengths and
weaknesses.

NHS6008 Economics
and Decision Making in Health Care

Unit 6
Discussion

Vila Health: Assessing Financial Risk

This discussion will be based upon the media simulation,
Vila Health: Assessing Financial Risk.

To complete this discussion please address the following:

Reflect on the various financial risks that were brought up
throughout the media simulation:

Which risks did you feel were the most vital to address?

Describe, in general, your preferred approach to
investigating and addressing the financial risks that were brought up.

Why did you take the approach that you did?

Why is it important to consider and address the financial
risks when planning and implementing a new service or project?

Post according to the Faculty Expectations Response
Guidelines. Remember to cite the readings, resources, and research that you
have used in the development of your post.

Response Guidelines

Respond to the posts of other learners according to the
Faculty Expectations Response Guidelines. In your response address one or more
of the following:

How did the risks you identified as being most important to
address compare to those of your peer?

How did your approach to addressing these risks compare to
that of your peer?

Do you have any further recommendations on strategies for
addressing financial risks that could be helpful to your peer?

NHS6008 Economics
and Decision Making in Health Care

Unit 7
Discussion

DQ1 Comparative Economic Analysis

To complete this discussion:

Briefly describe the five different types of comparative
economic analysis.

Provide an example of application for each within your
current or desired workplace.

Post according to the Faculty Expectations Response
Guidelines. Remember to cite the readings, resources, and research that you
have used in the development of your post.

Response Guidelines

Respond to the posts of other learners according to the
Faculty Expectations Response Guidelines.

How is the application of the various analyses different in
your workplace?

DQ2 Economic Valuation

To complete this discussion:

Discuss three of the following methods for valuation:

Human capital.

Risk preference.

Contingent valuation.

Cost-benefit ratio.

Analyze which method best fits a selected problem or issue
in your current or desired workplace.

Discuss why you think this method has the best fit.

Post according to the Faculty Expectations Response
Guidelines. Remember to cite the readings, resources, and research that you
have used in the development of your post.

Response Guidelines

Respond to the posts of other learners according to the
Faculty Expectations Response Guidelines.

What are the similarities and differences in the problem or
issue you selected?

Did you choose the same method for solving the problem? Why
or why not?

NHS6008 Economics
and Decision Making in Health Care

Unit 8
Discussion

DQ1 Initiative Financing

To complete this discussion:

Select an initiative or issue in your current or desired
workplace that requires economic evaluation.

Conduct research on human resources, equipment, technology,
and other resources required for the proposed initiative.

Formulate the costs associated with the proposed initiative.

Post according to the Faculty Expectations Response
Guidelines. Remember to cite the readings, resources, and research that you
have used in the development of your post.

Response Guidelines

Respond to the posts of other learners according to the
Faculty Expectations Response Guidelines.

How do the costs associated with his or her proposed
initiative compare with yours?

DQ2 Cost Shifting

To complete this discussion:

Research cost shifting and present a definition of this
practice in your own words.

Do you think that it is a fair practice or should it be
legally banned?

Why would a change in a hospital’s variable costs change the
hospital’s profit-maximizing price?

Post according to the Faculty Expectations Response
Guidelines. Remember to cite the readings, resources, and research that you
have used in the development of your post

Response Guidelines

Respond to the posts of other learners according to the
Faculty Expectations Response Guidelines.

Select a post that differs from your own, and have a
respectful debate in which you challenge your peer’s opinions. The goal of this
debate is to further define your own opinions, not to disrespect the opinions
of others.

NHS6008 Economics
and Decision Making in Health Care

Unit 9
Discussion

Ethics and Economic Decision Making

For this discussion:

Select one issue that deals with ethics and economic
decision making.

Provide an overview of leadership implications.

Suggest recommendations for addressing the issue along with
a framework or resource to promote ethical decision making.

Post according to the Faculty Expectations Response
Guidelines. Remember to cite the readings, resources, and research that you
have used in the development of your post.

Response Guidelines

Respond to the posts of other learners according to the
Faculty Expectations Response Guidelines.

Evaluate their recommendations.

Discuss two strengths of their recommendations.

Suggest one way in which their recommendations could be
improved.

NHS6008 Economics
and Decision Making in Health Care

Unit 10
Discussion

DQ1 Economics in Your Practice

For this discussion:

Discuss the highest-impact facet of health care economics
that relates to your current or desired leadership role.

What action steps and resources might you use to assure
objective and ethical economic decision making in that role?

Post according to the Faculty Expectations Response
Guidelines. Remember to cite the readings, resources, and research that you
have used in the development of your post.

Response Guidelines

Respond to the posts of other learners according to the
Faculty Expectations Response Guidelines.

What similarities and differences do you see between their
post and your own?

DQ2 Economics to Further Your Practice

For this discussion reflect upon the following:

How will the knowledge and skills related to economics that
you have acquired in this course help you to improve your personal efficacy in
practice, or make you better prepared to move into a desired practice position?

How has your view of your practice shifted as you have
learned more about the economics in the health care industry?

Post according to the Faculty Expectations Response
Guidelines. Remember to cite the readings, resources, and research that you
have used in the development of your post.

Response Guidelines

Respond to the posts of other learners according to the
Faculty Expectations Response Guidelines.

Compare and contrast your reflection to your peer’s.