paper 5

The purpose of this research is to solve the problems international students have with health insurance or healthcare in the United States. This portfolio is comprised of four separate papers that examined all of the various strategies and approaches that can be adopted by foreign students to select an appropriate health insurance policy. The paper covers all of these approaches in great detail, also providing (a) recommendations and strategic planning techniques, which should be adopted by the students in order to assess the value of the health insurance policy they are planning to purchase (MSA 603), (b) the ways different ethnic groups perceive health insurance or quality healthcare, while evaluating and hypothesizing the way cultural variables interact in shaping the individual’s perception within an organization and society (MSA604), (c) strategies for effective communication most important in helping patients and doctors communicate (MSA601), and (d) the evaluation model in financial performance in healthcare or in hospitals (MSA602). In each of the papers, the researchers used strategic planning projects to help improve the operations and services offered by health insurance and healthcare systems. Regardless of the conclusions found through this research, more follow-up studies should be conducted that consider the continued development and corresponding effectiveness.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS HEALTH INSURANCE 4

Table of Contents Executive summary 2 The Framework of Strategic Planning 5 Summary of the Portfolio Contents 7 MSA 603: Strategic Planning for the Administrator 7 MSA 601: Organizational Dynamics 8 MSA 604: Administration, Globalization and Multiculturalism 9 MSA 602: Financial Analysis, Planning, and Control 10 Key Recommendations from the Research 11 Recommendation: Key Takeaways and Lessons Learned from MSA 603 11 Recommendation: Key Takeaways and Lessons Learned from MSA 601 12 Recommendation: Key Takeaways and Lessons Learned from MSA 604 12 Recommendation: Key Takeaways and Lessons Learned from MSA 602 12 Conclusion 13 References 16

Problems Facing International Students with Health Insurance Companies

in the USA Healthcare System

Health insurance and healthcare are significant to international students in the United States. International students should receive health insurance when they come to the U.S., because without the benefits that health insurance provides, outstanding medical bills can lead to financial ruin. However, health insurance is expensive and fails to cover every treatment for international students. Few international students can afford to have healthcare insurance; the costs exceed their ability to pay for the premium. Therefore, researchers must address the shortfalls in the quality of care.

The U.S. healthcare system is very complex in structure. As the overall health of the population is not improving as quickly as spending is increasing, one can argue that there are several external factors to the healthcare system that influence the objective of improving the overall health of the population. The U.S. is increasing the amount of access people have to quality healthcare, reducing disparities, and protecting households from financial insolvency due to medical expenses. However, the healthcare system lacks affordable prices. Such challenges clearly indicate the urgent need for reform. Reforming the healthcare delivery system to improve the quality, as well as the value of care, is essential in addressing escalating costs and poor quality.

In each of the four papers, the researcher made a strategy to solve the problem of international students being unable to afford U.S. health insurance. Also, these students should learn how to communicate with their healthcare providers. To provide the best possible care for international students, healthcare providers should focus on educating themselves about other cultures to achieve multiculturalism. Following this, brief summaries of each of the four papers were given. In closing, four key recommendations about the most essential lessons learned from each of the individual research papers were provided.

The purpose of this research was to help international students obtain health insurance to make their lives easier in the U.S. This study also aims to help people in general who come to the U.S. to work or study. Moreover, the study might also assist those who are born in the U.S. Healthcare providers and patients need to improve quality in healthcare. A portfolio comprised of four papers that aimed to improve the current strategy planning of health insurance and healthcare providers was developed. Key concepts from the core courses of the Master of Science in Administration (MSA) with a concentration in Health Services Administration were compiled by the researcher.

Moreover, by communicating with healthcare professionals, students can enable physicians to identify their healthcare issues. Students and physicians can make decisions regarding healthcare issues on a collaborative basis (Androniceanu, 2017). The connection between healthcare professionals and their patients should be a strong one, because a weak connection results in inefficacy, as well as less patient satisfaction. People require more data about their wellbeing and they want to receive complete information from their concerned physicians. Therefore, communication between healthcare providers and their patients plays a major role in achieving excellence in performance in the healthcare sector.

The researcher used the framework of strategic planning and development to tackle the issues of the healthcare of international students. This framework relies on strategic planning development projects. The first paper emphasizes the significance of strategic planning and development. The projects of strategic planning and development assist in improving the amenities and operations that are provided by healthcare organizations. In addition, strategic planning offers strategies that should be applied and incorporated into the system of healthcare. By implementing these strategies, health insurance organizations can improve their functions and assist individuals in a more efficacious manner. The second paper emphasizes the MSA 601 concepts of effective communication, and found that the study provided initial evidence that patient-physician relationships are an important factor in encouraging people to take a more active role in their healthcare. The third paper focused on expanding the MSA 604 concept of multiculturalism by explaining the emphasis on the multicultural approach in healthcare. The inequalities that exist in the system of healthcare contribute to imbalances in health conditions, which impact racial and ethnic minorities. The third paper has also taken into account the techniques that can be executed by healthcare organizations at interpersonal and intrapersonal levels. The researcher identified the approaches that are dependent upon research and social psychology theory, which likely improve healthcare facilities in multicultural settings (Weech-Maldonado et al., 2015). The final paper concentrated on the MSA 602 concept of the models that can be utilized to assess the financial productivity of healthcare institutions. The researcher considered various models like the Affordable Care Act, the Patient’s Safety and Financial Performance, Integrated Health Systems, Change to Models of Care Delivery, the Financial Performance of Rural Hospitals, Health Information Technology and the Physician Group Practice. These models to evaluate in financial performance in healthcare or hospital. In addition, this models used to improve healthcare quality, improve the health of patients as well as insurance company pay, either partially or in-full, for medical services and drug for patients. Comment by Jenn: I love the detail in this sentence with listing all the models that you examined. However, the sentence isn’t really complete. If you look at it without the examples, you have The researcher considered various models. What about these models were considered? Think about these questions/examples as you go over this: Why were these models considered? What were the intended end results that you were wanting to achieve? What was the reasoning behind these? The researcher considered various models, such as the Affordable Care Act,…Physician Group Practice, to [determine/do what?].

There were presumptions that streamlined the investigation of the study when each research paper was created. Firstly, the study presumed that at a certain time in the U.S., a global student having a medical problem would be pressured to visit one of the chosen medical clinics that is supported by his or her health insurance organization (Mackert, Koh, Mabry-Flynn, Champlin & Beal, 2017). Secondly, the study presumed that enhancement of communication between healthcare providers and patients would assist physicians in knowing how patients feel and what they think about the standard of the care offered (Riedl & Schüßler, 2017). Thirdly, a thesestudy by Hausmann, Gao, Mor, Schaefer and Fine (2014) found that inequalities in the system of healthcare will lead to overall healthcare imbalances that influence racial and ethnic minorities. Lastly, the study presumed that implementation of unique hospital IT applications would make a critical impact upon quality, as well as cost of care. Irrespective of the individual problems, which were spotted in the research papers separately, suggestions were constructed on the inferences that were drawn in each of the studies.

The first paper focused on strategic planning to enable international students to have access to health insurance coverage. The first strategy introduced was a mobile app to improve healthcare. Oscar (2013) found that many healthcare organizations have personal health records of patients that can be integrated into smartphone technology. In addition, the mobile app will help patients make appointments, check emergency room wait times, look at doctor’s office hours, and refill prescription medications. This strategy is helpful for patients to make healthy lifestyle choices and to reduce costs.

The researcher found another strategy that could help international students gain healthcare insurance coverage with the use of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This act allows students, up until the age of 26, to access dependent coverage, which improves access to care. Because of this, adults aged 19–25 were included in the control group (Sommers et al., 2013). The ACA permits a student to complete his or her studies and to pursue new career opportunities without fear of losing his or her health insurance coverage.

International students typically face additional challenges while learning about the healthcare systems in the United States (Sommers et al., 2013). Comment by Jenn: With this part here – I am left with questions when reading this. What additional challenges were faced for international students, compared to students who were born in the US? I am going to suggest using this to start a new paragraph and then add a few sentences after this to describe some of the challenges that international students face.

The challenges for international students is financial challenge many international visitors to the United States do not expect is the cost of health insurance. There is no automatic, universal healthcare for Americans or visitors, so make sure you get good insurance through your university. Also, university can offer for international students to use student Secure insurance.

Another strategy identified through this research for healthcare insurance planning was the provision of choices of health insurance coverage services to patients. When considering which health insurance coverage to adopt, patients mainly focus on high quality, affordable prices, and excellent experiences, as well as healthcare systems available in hospitals. A new strategy enables international students to acquire healthcare insurance coverage servers using a cost sharing approach. This strategy requires patients to pay half of the health insurance costs, while the insurance provider covers the remaining half. Another strategy is the Safety Net System, where providers organize and deliver a significant level of health care and other related services to uninsured, Medicaid, and other vulnerable populations. Safety Net Systems help international students and residents of the U.S. who are not insured due to financial problems, but also tends to discourage patients from purchasing healthcare insurance coverage. International students will be able to acquire health insurance more easily by using the Safety Net System.

The second paper discusses the importance of successful communication as a supplement to healthcare for patients. Different strategies were discussed in this paper that can be adopted to strengthen the communication between healthcare suppliers and patients (Riedl & Schüßler, 2017). Furthermore, successful communication assists healthcare officials in understanding the beliefs of the patients that impact the successful transmission of healthcare services. Healthcare officials should be trained regarding communication expertise because of the importance of providing high quality healthcare services. Communication among teammates also affects their interpersonal relationships and levels of job contentment at their workplaces. Thus, training of healthcare providers regarding mandatory communication aspects is important to encourage allocation of standardized healthcare (Riedl & Schüßler, 2017).

An important element that should be considered for effective communication between doctors and patients is the level of education. The education level of healthcare providers is essential in increasing the standard of communication in healthcare amenities. A few particular components of socio-emotional communication to be focused on include: involving patients in short discussions, calling patients by their names, representing friendly gestures, and listening to patients in an attentive way (Desjarlais & Wallace, 2013). In addition, evaluation of the cultural atmospheres of the patients prove very conducive in increasing communication.

This paper discusses how healthcare organizations can adopt a multiculturalism approach. Culture performs a significant role in the quality of health insurance facilities provided to international students. The inequalities in the mechanisms of healthcare impact racial and ethnic groups. Asking patients to rate their healthcare experiences has become increasingly important in the recent assessments of provision of healthcare amenities (Hasnain et al., 2013). The constant racial or ethnic imbalances in healthcare facilities have resulted in the identification of the inequalities which exist in the patients’ perceptions concerning standards of healthcare over ethnically-variegated populations. This paper critically evaluated the role of race in allocation of quality healthcare facilities (Pai & Chary, 2016).

There were different approaches to improve healthcare providers’ familiarity with different cultures. First, by implementing interventions that target stereotypes and attitudes of ethnic or racial groups, changes can occur among the perceptions of healthcare officials and patients. This further impacts the discrepancies in healthcare. Second, by executing interventions which target racially or ethnically contradictory healthcare interactions, healthcare providers improve the quality of care for their ethnically and racially diverse patients. The productivity of healthcare interactions will increase by minimizing the influence of negative thoughts and feelings, which are linked to a patient or healthcare supplier participating in a healthcare interaction (Weech-Maldonado et al., 2015). Furthermore, multiculturalism in healthcare can be achieved by having a diverse workforce. By executing culture competency training, patient results can be enhanced and liability claims can be decreased. Therefore, cultural competency should be incorporated in healthcare education at all stages (Hefele et al., 2016).

The fourth paper discusses the models that can be used to assess the financial performance of hospitals. This paper essentially provides an understanding of how hospital systems and healthcare provisions can be strengthened. The first model described was the Physical Group Practice Demonstration Project, which was executed to assess if Medicare patients can be covered by offering high quality healthcare and decreasing the costs of Medicare simultaneously (Paul, 2014). A different model, the Affordable Care Act, ensures that the people who rely on Medicare should achieve standardized healthcare at affordable costs (Paul, 2014). Another model that is used to assess financial performance is the Integrated Health System. This system emphasizes the working costs, functioning of operating economies, and financial productivity of Healthcare Information Systems (HIS) and the operating incomes that are generated as a result of carrier devices of the physicians.

The model of patient’s safety and financial performance not only increases the safety of the patients in the hospitals, but also works on improving the financial performance of the patient. Executives of healthcare institutions should take necessary steps to utilize the appropriate model to determine financial measures. For instance, the healthcare organizations can implement the use of electronic medical records (EMR), along with HIS, to make the assessment of the financial performance smoother and and more accurate.

There are several recommendations that can be made while keeping the data provided by the paper under discussion in mind. One of the recommendations is that international students should not rush into purchasing any health insurance policies without first conducting proper research during their stay in the U.S. These students should also look for affordable options, because paying for expensive polices regularly is not easy. Also, there should be proper guidelines to explain the whole procedure to the international students and to provide them with the options they have.

Apart from this, the students should also look into clinics and hospitals, which are covered under all health insurance policies. Clinics and hospitals are not easy to visit. They can be far away at times, which is inconvenient when a student requires the immediate attention of a doctor. All of the students should have a healthcare mobile application downloaded on their cell phones, as well. This will help them to quickly check which clinics and healthcare providers are covered under their healthcare insurance, and are closest in case of an emergency.

The recommendation of this paper for patients is to improve communication with their healthcare providers. Communication can make the patients and doctors better understand each other. Patients should feel comfortable explaining their pain to their doctors. Doctors should learn different languages and skills. Other forms of communication might include gestures and facial expressions. Healthcare providers and patients should also be trained in ways to communicate. Patients might even consider using social media to communicate with doctors in the healthcare system. In addition, healthcare providers should understand healthcare information for their patients as well.

In this recommendation, patients and healthcare providers should learn about different cultures. Healthcare providers are encouraged to learn a different language. Intercultural competence can be taught, but personality factors also affect the levels of intercultural competence that individuals can attain. Healthcare providers possess strong personal identities. However, they must also have knowledge of the beliefs and values of other cultures. Sensitivity towards other cultures must be displayed by healthcare providers, and they must communicate clearly in the language of the given cultural group. Overall, awareness of ethnic cultures is important for healthcare providers.

The recommendation drawn in this paper is that cost-sharing requirements and coverage should be designed to encourage patients to utilize cost-effective primary care in addition to preventive services that can delay or prevent the onset of costly chronic conditions. At the same time, patients should be encouraged to choose high quality care at a lower overall cost. Patients should also have access to information to help them make well-informed decisions.

The conclusions which can be drawn from the first paper is that health insurance is one of the most vital items an overseas student studying or working in the U.S. needs to purchase. However, at the same time, assessing which health insurance is appropriate is difficult for students. Since health insurance plans are quite expensive in the U.S., it becomes a burden for these students. Hence, in order to make a wise choice when buying a health insurance plan, the students must first conduct proper research.

Since these students are new in the country, they do not know much about the various processes related to health insurance policies, which creates the feeling of being lost within the system. The strategies proposed in the paper should be considered and studied by the students before they opt for any of the insurance policies. Also, these students should try to find the cheaper or more affordable health insurance policies, like the ACA (Affordable Care Act).

A conclusion which can be drawn from second paper is that effective communication plays a key role in healthcare, especially between doctors and patients. In addition, effective communication is central to the provision of healthcare to patients, therefore, strategies for its improvement should be adopted. In this paper, the researcher focused on several ways to improve effective communication, such as geography, education, and online models concerning the impact of doctor-patient communications. A successful relationship allows patients to be satisfied with the treatments provided by their doctors and hospitals, in general, as well as motivating them to share information with their doctors. Therefore, effective communication should be pursued to improve viability of the healthcare sector in provision of healthcare to patients. Patients can also communicate with doctors on the internet or in a forum, making communication easier between patients and doctors without a face-to-face interaction.

A conclusion when considering the paper under discussion, draws upon the importance of understanding culture between patients and doctors in quality healthcare or health insurance. Culture is critically important in healthcare. There are different racial and ethnic groups in healthcare. This paper explained some various causes of healthcare disparities, such as socioeconomic status, language barriers, and health literacy; as well as focusing on multicultural approaches in healthcare. Research has identified various ways in which these healthcare disparities can be reduced. These include providing minorities with better healthcare, along with higher quality healthcare insurance coverage. In addition to adequate assistance and language skills, introduction of the patient-centered communication approach and cultural competency trainings are useful in the reduction of healthcare disparities.

In the final paper, the conclusion was about financial performance in healthcare. There are various models that can be used to evaluate financial performance in healthcare organizations. The first model is the physician group project (PGP). This model is used to provide high-quality healthcare to patients and to reduce costs to patients in healthcare programs. ACA is the “Obamacare” program, and the purpose of ACA is to provide better medical care for individual patients, provide better health for people, and to decrease the overall growth in Medicare costs. EMRs are also used to contribute to the cost efficiency of the project. In addition, the ACA model involves medical loss ratios and requires 80-85% of payments that have been collected from direct medical expenses. This model protects patients and lowers their payments. The IHS model helps to operate economics and financial performance. Finally, the model of the patient’s safety and financial performance targets safety and financial performance in hospitals.

Overall, this research is purpose about help international students to get health insurance to make their life easier., and improve healthcare in hospital. In addition, this study to help people who born in the U.S.A. the four papers talked about strategy to solve problem international students with health insurance

In each of the four papers, the researcher made a strategy to solve the problem of international students being unable to afford U.S. health insurance. Also, these students should learn how to communicate with their healthcare providers. To provide the best possible care for international students, healthcare providers should focus on educating themselves about other cultures to achieve multiculturalism. Following this, brief summaries of each of the four papers were given. In closing, four key recommendations about the most essential lessons learned from each of the individual research papers were provided.

I think for this paper to make international students life easy when they go to the U.S.A. also, the project helps healthcare provider how to communicate with patients from different culture. Health insurance make cheaper and provide for all treatment. How international students to find and make appointment with healthcare provider.

Moreover. Because treatment in the U.S.A is more expensive. International students should get health insurance. As result, a good insurance policy gives patients access to excellent medical facilities and provides protection against the enormous costs of health care in the U.S.

References

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Desjarlais-deKlerk, K. & Wallace, J. (2013). Instrumental and socioemotional communications in doctor-patient interactions in urban and rural clinics. Health Services Research. 13(261), 1-8.

Hausmann, L. R. M., Gao, S., Mor, M. K., Schaefer, J. H., Jr., & Fine, M. J. (2014). Patterns of sex and racial/ethnic differences in patient health care experiences in US veterans affairs hospitals. Medical Care, 52(4), 328-335.

Hefele, J. G., Acevedo, A., Nsiah‐Jefferson, L., Bishop, C., Abbas, Y., Damien, E., & Ramos, C. (2016). Choosing a nursing home: What do consumers want to know, and do preferences vary across race/ethnicity? Health Services Research, 51, 1167-1187.

Hasnain, M., Schwartz, A., Girotti, J., Bixby, A., & Rivera, L. (2013). Differences in patient-reported experiences of care by race and acculturation status. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 15(3), 517-524.

Mackert, M. E. Koh, H. Mabry-Flynn, A. Champlin, S. & Beal, A. (2017). Domestic and international college students health insurance information seeking and use. Journal of international students. 7(3), 542-561.

Oscar, R. (2013). Using mobile technology to improve health plan utilization and cut costs. Employment relation today. P. 21-26.

Pai, Y. and Chary, S. (2016). Measuring patient-perceived hospital services quality: a conceptual framework. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assuranc, 29,3, 300-323.

Paul, David P., I.,II. (2014). The PGP demonstrations: Were they sufficient to justify accountable care organizations? Hospital Topics, 92(1), 7.

Riedl, D. & Schüßler, G. (2017). The influences of doctor patient communication on health outcomes. Psychosom Med Psychother 63, 131–150.

Sommers, B. Buchmueller, T. Decker, S. Carey, S. & Kronick, R. (2013). The affordable care to significant gains in health insurance and access to care for young adult. Web first. 1, 165-174.

Weech-Maldonado, R., Elliott, M. N., Adams, J. L., Haviland, A. M., Klein, D. J., Hambarsoomian, K., & Gaillot, S. (2015). Do Racial/Ethnic disparities in quality and patient experience within medicare plans generalize across measures and Racial/Ethnic groups? Health Services Research, 50(6), 1829-1849.