class responses WK 9

By Day 6 of Week 9

Respond to at least  two of your colleagues * on two different days by suggesting additional opportunities or recommendations for overcoming the challenges described by your colleagues.

Response 1

HealthCare Program Evaluation 

A program evaluation is an effective and systematic way to improve and account for different public health actions (Framework for Program Evaluation - CDC, n.d.). Policy evaluation is essential in public health and is essential to take public health action (U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES, 1999). This evaluation is an effective way that is designed to summariz and oragnize essential elements of program evaluations (Framework for Program Evaluation - CDC, n.d.). The process of evaluating policy may be done using a formal method called a program evaluation design (Milstead & Short, 2017). This relies on standardized strategic evaluation processes (Milstead & Short, 2017). Program evaluation follows specific guidelines tha ai,s to provide information to assit others in making accurate and well informed decisions about a program or policy (Milstead & Short, 2017).  There are five steps involved in the evaluation framework (Milstead & Short, 2017). The first step begins as the program is being planned and aims to establish goals, objectives, and timelines (Milstead & Short, 2017). The second step involves developing a formalized process where individuals are given responsibilities for each step, data is collected, and a timeline is selected (Milstead & Short, 2017). The third step involves gathering data using a determined format which is analyzed to reach a conclusion (Milstead & Short, 2017). The fourth step involves the evaluator trying to understand the success of the program in attaining the goals and objectives that were first set (Milstead & Short, 2017). Step five involves sharing the information in an evaluation report high is a formsal document that highlights the evaluation methods and results (Milstead & Short, 2017). At the federal level the oversight and evaluation of policies or programs occurs in the executive agencies and General Accounting Office (Milstead & Short, 2017).  When conducting a program or policy evaluation, it may be negative,y or positively skewed by different social determinants. For example, if you are evaluating the a program aiming to decrease the amount of cavities seen in kids, the community you are eva,hating is going to skew the results. In a wealthier neighborhood, kids will have the necessary resources to see a regular dentist and eat healthy foods to prevent cavities. In a low income neighborhood, kids may not have the necessary resources to see a regular dentist and to eat healthy no sugary foods. A program evaluation in the rich neighborhood may seem successful, where the low income neighborhood may seem like it failed. In reality, this program could be equally impactful in both communities, the only difference is one community has the necessary resources while the other doesn't. When evaluating a program it would be helpful to have data on a whole people group, while also having data on the smaller people groups that make up the larger community. By doing this it would be possible to determine which people groups are or aren't being affected and determine how to reach those that are still experiencing little to no change. 

Response 2

The healthcare program/policy that I choose is the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on access to healthcare services by diabetic adults.  ACA has been the most important policy across the globe in transforming America's history recently. This policy was commissioned by President Obama back in 2010 and since then it has been the driver in transforming the country's healthcare. Before the introduction of this policy, uninsured adults living with diabetes could hardly access affordable and preventive health care care (Huguet et al., 2018). ACA has greatly increased coverage and access to uninsured adults with diabetes, thus increasing their health care use. This has led to reduced incidences of diabetes-related complications and improving health in general. ACA has increased health insurance coverage for the uninsured and implemented reforms to the health insurance market.

To measure the success of the policy or program, the evaluation considered the program’s impact on the healthcare outcomes of diabetic individuals. The healthcare outcomes of insured individuals were compared to those of the uninsured. Various aspects were considered during the evaluation. They include expenditure on health services and access to care (Brown & McBride, 2015). The program's success was measured against insured persons' outcomes by paying attention to the access between the groups, their uptake of healthcare services, and how much they spend on such services.

Lack of health insurance has been a barrier to medical care thus increasing the costs and the risk of diabetes complications.  Poverty is one of the social determinants of health.  Uninsured persons reported poorer access to care, compared to insured adults (Myerson & Laiteerapong, 2016). Assessing the potential of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 can help in improving diabetes care by increasing health care access. Health and health care outcomes of both uninsured and insured persons can be compared under ACA.