BUSI 646:
DB: 600 , 2 sources , 1 bible
Diversity of the healthcare workforce, healthcare globalization, use of technology,
focus on teamwork in patient care, integrated delivery systems (IDS), pay for
performance model, and use of social media as a communication tool are all current
trends in healthcare that will affect healthcare human resource management (HRM).
Discuss in detail (based on current research) the impact of 1 of the above noted
trends on the healthcare industry and the current initiatives or strategies formulated
to confront the trend of your choosing.
Everywhere we look our society has adopted different kinds of technology to achieve
every day tasks that were once completed in much more time consuming ways. The
best part of technology is that it is ever changing to adapt to the new needs that our
society has and is able to take us in new directions than we would have ever been
able to go before. The health care system, like technology, is also constantly
changing. New diseases, treatments, medications and procedures are emerging
rapidly as a necessity to care for our needy population. The use of technology in the
health care delivery system is relatively new and does come with its perks as well as
its downfalls. It was without a doubt that our health care system desperately needed
a change and the introduction of technology into this system was the change that
was called for. Technology has made procedures that were once lengthy hospital
stays turn into outpatient procedures done within a matter of hours. Electronic
health records are also a new technology that makes it easier for patients to take
control of their care and allowing multiple health care providers to collaborate on
one patient with ease. The use of such technology, however, was not quickly nor
easily adopted by many health care professionals. There were many incentive
programs set in place by the federal government with the intention of aiding in this
adoption countrywide. The article, The Meaningful Use Regulation for Electronic
Health Records, states;
“Through HITECH, the federal government will commit unprecedented resources
to supporting the adoption and use of EHRs. It will make available incentive
payments totaling up to $27 billion over 10 years, or as much as $44,000 (through
Medicare) and $63,750 (through Medicaid) per clinician. This funding will
provide important support to achieve liftoff for the creation of a nationwide
system of EHRs.”
Although this adoption is important, the program HITECH also hopes that this adoption
will enable physicians to provide better quality care with better results and high patient
satisfaction.
The role of health care human resource management is important in the aspect of the use
of technology. According to, The importance of human resources management in health
care: a global context, “Effective human resources management strategies are greatly
needed to achieve better outcomes from and access to health care around the world”
(Kabene et al., 2006). Health care human resource management can use technology to
recruit and train other human resource professionals as well as a tool to recruit other
health care professionals. This cannot only make the hiring and searching process
easier but can also scan through qualified individuals for specific skills and training.
Technology is also used in many health care settings as simulations for training
purposes. This can be helpful to properly learn how to handle situations before they are
faced in real life scenarios. The use of technology in our health care delivery system can
make a major impact if used correctly and ethically. This system will not only aid our
providers, nurses and other health care professionals but can also be imperative to
human resource management.
According to Proverbs 18:15 the Bible states, “An intelligent heart acquires
knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” Although technology can be
daunting to people who have done things a certain way, it is important to adapt and
adopt the challenges and changes that have the potential to impact our health care
system for the better. We learn from our past how to change our future for the better
and that is what this technology can do. These new systems will not only improve
our patients outcomes but can also help the hospital to function behind the scenes at
its optimum level. (625)
Blumenthal, D., & Tavenner, M. (2010). The “meaningful use” regulation for
electronic health records. New England Journal of Medicine, 363(6), 501-
504.
Kabene, S. M., Orchard, C., Howard, J. M., Soriano, M. A., & Leduc, R. (2006). The
importance of human resources management in health care: a global
context. Human resources for health, 4(1), 1.
New International Version. The Holy Bible.
Pynes, J.E., & Lombardi, D.N. (2011). Human resources management for health
care organizations: A strategic approach. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Replies: 450, 2 sources
Beth,
It is without a doubt that the health care delivery system in the United States is
constantly growing and changing. This ever changing structure of the health care
system is needed so that as new diseases and treatments arise, the staff of health
care professionals can adapt to new strategies. The prevalence of chronic disease in
the United States has sky rocketed causing the health care expenditures to rise at a
rapid rate causing a massive debt in our health care system. In order to improve
patient care, outcomes and satisfaction different technological systems were
introduced and then integrated into our health care delivery system. These
technologies, such as, electronic medical records have streamlined health care as we
know it, allowing all types of health care professionals to collaborate on one patients
care as well as other things. It is imperative that health care human resource
management professionals also facilitate change in order to improve upon the health
care system. According to the article, Strategies for implementing knowledge
management: role of human resources management, “The successful
implementation of new technologies is dependent on many factors including the
efficient management of human resources” (Soliman & Spooner, 2000). The
implementation of social media is one way that human resource management is
attempting to revolutionize the health care communication system. Social media has
made a major impact on our society and is utilized by the majority of our population
and thus it only makes sense that this outlet be utilized. The article, Introduction to
the special issue-social media and business transformation: A framework for
research, “Social media are fundamentally changing the way we communicate,
collaborate, consume, and create. They represent one of the most transformative
impacts of information technology on business, both within and outside firm
boundaries” ( Aral, Dellarocas & Godes, 2013). However, with the use of all
technologies, especially social media, comes the concerns of privacy and security. In
the health care field these aspects are extremely important because of patients
personal medical records and insurance information. This would be hard to regulate
and that is what caused an uproar of concern and a hesitancy to adopt this new
change. If used correctly and regulated social media can help human resource
management by aiding in recruitment using resume and hiring websites to search
for qualified individuals. I think that the Bible verse you chose for this week was
appropriate. We are constantly provided with new technologies and a vast amount
of information. Along with this information needs to be a careful consideration of
how it is used and the truthfulness behind it. It is important, however, that no matter
the obstacles that we continue to move forward and take advantage of things such as
social media to provide help where needed. (460)
Tamisha,
I was drawn to your discussion board post this week because I chose to write mine
on technology in health care. I spend a lot of my time writing about and learning
about new technologies in health care and so it was the first topic I picked for
myself. Your topic about diversity is something that is known but often not discussed
and so I wanted to read your thoughts on the subject. The health care delivery
system in the United States is vast and constantly changing to adapt to our
populations needs. There are new treatment methods and procedures being
developed on an every changing basis to ensure that patient care, patient outcomes
and patient satisfaction are always improving. The health care delivery system is just
that, a system, with a plethora of different parts that work together for the best
results. There are a number of different health care professionals that work in the
health care system, some directly involved in patient care and other involved in
behind the scenes aspects such as insurance and human resources. The document
entitled, Health Care Employment Projections states,
“While total U.S. employment dropped by over 2% between 2000 and 2010, health
care employment grew by more than 25% during the same period” (Health IT,
2012). The human resource management department is composed of many
individual professionals that are directly involved in facilitating change in
leadership, recruitment and other service delivery. This department is essential to
the health care system as recognized by the following statement from the article,
Strategies for implementing knowledge management: role of human resources
management; “Furthermore, recent research indicates that intellectual assets and
resources can be utilized much more efficiently and effectively if organizations apply
knowledge management techniques for leveraging their human resources and
enhancing their personnel management” (Soliman & Spooner, 2000). Having a
diversity of individuals in human resource management is key to its proper
functioning. Each individual has a unique set of qualities and skills to offer to the
health care delivery system. There are many different managers for certain
departments that all have specific tasks that they complete on a daily basis and a set
of responsibilities that other departments may not have. The health care system is a
high demand system that must function optimally in order to provide its population
with the utmost quality care that it can. A single individual would not be able to
operate human resource management alone and thus a diverse group of individuals
make up the professionals who allow it to operate to its best ability. The Bible verse
in Ecclesiastes that you integrated into the prompt for this week was perfect. Two
are certainly better than one and in a health care system it is imperative. Having
multiple different professionals collaborate on a regular basis can help to make sure
that all areas of a department are covered and will allow for multiple ideas to work
together for the best outcome. (494)
References
"Health Care Employment Projections." Health IT. March 2012. Accessed October 29,
2016. https://www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/
chws_bls_report_2012.pdf.
New International Version. The Holy Bible.
Pynes, J.E., & Lombardi, D.N. (2011). Human resources management for health
care organizations: A strategic approach. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Soliman, F., & Spooner, K. (2000). Strategies for implementing knowledge
management: role of human resources management. Journal of knowledge
management, 4(4), 337-345.
References
Aral, S., Dellarocas, C., & Godes, D. (2013). Introduction to the special issue-social
media and business transformation: A framework for research.Information
Systems Research, 24(1), 3-13.
New International Version. The Holy Bible.
Pynes, J.E., & Lombardi, D.N. (2011). Human resources management for health
care organizations: A strategic approach. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Soliman, F., & Spooner, K. (2000). Strategies for implementing knowledge
management: role of human resources management. Journal of knowledge
management, 4(4), 337-345.
Hlth 503
DB: 400, 2 sources
Chapter 2 of your text discusses prevention strategies. Propose and
discuss practical primary, secondary, and tertiary strategies for
prevention for one of the following:
1. Cell phone use while driving
2. Teenage pregnancy
3. Avian influenza
4. Sickle cell anemia
5. Food-borne diarrheal disease
Be sure to use appropriate epidemiologic data to frame your proposals
and consider the economic, ethical, and political impact of your ideas.
Teenage pregnancy is and has been a major issue and topic of discussion in the
United Sates for many years. “The United States ranks first among developed nations in rates
of both teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases” ( Stranger- Hall & Hall, 2011).
This issue effects many of our youth and needs to be addressed. As a pastors wife,
my husband and I have seen the impact that teenage pregnancy can have on not only
the teens life but the life of their family and their new child. According to, US teenage
pregnancies, births and abortions, 2010: National and state trends by age, race and
ethnicity, “In 2010, roughly 625,000 women younger than 20 became pregnant.
Some 614,000 pregnancies were among teenagers (women aged 15–19), and
another 11,000 were among those aged 14 and younger” ( Kost & Henshaw, 2014).
The same article then goes onto to say that, “The pregnancy rate among teenagers
was 57.4 pregnancies per 1,000 women; this means that about 6% of teens became
pregnant in 2010” ( Kost & Henshaw, 2014).Any parent would agree that statistics
such as these are too high and health promotion specialists of all kinds should be
looking into ways in which it can be prevented at all levels. At the first prevention
level, primary prevention, the purpose is to prevent the teenage pregnancy from
happening in the first place. I believe the most important strategy here to be
education. Educating teens on pregnancy and how to prevent it are the only ways in
which we can ensure that they are aware of the risks and how to avoid them.
Secondary prevention, however, is set in place to decrease the impact that a
pregnancy will have on the mother and her growing baby. As Christians this step is
crucial in ensuring that the mother and baby not only stay healthy but also are
directed towards to correct support groups that will help them on their journey.
Becoming pregnant as a teenager has a major affect on a young woman’s emotional
state and can lead to the choice of abortion or just a different path of personal
destruction. Tertiary prevention, in the case of teen pregnancy, happens once the
baby is already born. Often times we help young teenagers when they are pregnant
and forget about their needs after the birth of the child. It is important to offer
support throughout this time whether the mother chose to care for her child herself
or chose to give her baby up for adoption to another caring family. Helping in a time
such as this can include career planning programs or even child care. (442)
Replies: 200, 1 source
Crystal,
I was drawn to your discussion board post this week because I believe that cell
phone use while driving is a major issue in our society and it needs to be addressed
in a major way. Driving while being distracted in any way is extremely dangerous
and can not only cause harm to the distracted individual but also their passengers or
even other pedestrians or drivers. According to the article, Adolescent cellphone use
while driving: an overview of the literature and promising future directions for
prevention, it states, “Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in
adolescents, and drivers aged 16–19 are the most likely to die in distracted driving
crashes”( Delgado, Wanner & McDonald, 2016). This is a detrimental statistic and
should be the focus of many prevention strategies and initiatives of health
promotion professionals. I also believe that education, as a primary prevention
strategy for many of these issues is key to success. We can not expect anyone to
make positive changes in their lives without having been properly educated on the
dangers first. As for secondary prevention, having the technology to detect or deter a
driver from the use of cell phones while driving would be an important step. Things
such as hands free calling should be looked into as to whether it is helpful or more
distracting to a driver in the end, however. Tertiary prevention in the case of cell
phone use while driving can only include healing process and learning from their
mistakes. Having these individuals provide the education to those in primary
prevention may also be a helpful strategy. (269)
References
Delgado, M. K., Wanner, K. J., & McDonald, C. (2016). Adolescent cellphone use while
driving: an overview of the literature and promising future directions for
prevention. Media and communication, 4(3), 79.
Victoria,
I enjoyed your topic for the discussion board prompt this week. I was immediately
drawn to your post due to the fact that, unlike teen pregnancy and cell phone use, it
is less prevalent and less talked about in regards to health promotion strategies and
prevention. Although this is the case, that does not mean it is not an important
discussion topic as it is a serious illness and should be properly prevented by the
implementation of prevention strategies. According to the article, World Health
Organization Global Estimates and Regional Comparisons of the Burden of
Foodborne Disease in 2010, it states “Illness and death from diseases caused by
contaminated food are a constant threat to public health and a significant
impediment to socio-economic development worldwide. Foodborne disease (FBD)
outbreaks are common and often cause considerable morbidity and mortality”
(Havelaar et al., 2015). Infection control is key to having sufficient population health.
Having proper food safety knowledge, I believe, is key in primary prevention of this
problem. For secondary prevention, knowing what to look for in symptoms to catch
this illness early is also important. Then in tertiary prevention teaching the patient
how to care for themselves at home and prevent this disease from happening again
is imperative. It is clear that education is the most important aspect of prevention
with food borne diarrheal disease. (224)
References
Havelaar, A. H., Kirk, M. D., Torgerson, P. R., Gibb, H. J., Hald, T., Lake, R. J., ... &
Speybroeck, N. (2015). World Health Organization Global estimates and
regional comparisons of the burden of foodborne disease in 2010. PLoS
Med, 12(12), e1001923.
References
Kost, K., & Henshaw, S. (2014). US teenage pregnancies, births and abortions, 2010:
National and state trends by age, race and ethnicity. New York: Guttmacher
Institute.
Stanger-Hall, K. F., & Hall, D. W. (2011). Abstinence-only education and teen
pregnancy rates: why we need comprehensive sex education in the US.PLoS
One, 6(10), e24658.
According to the Centers for disease control epidemiology “ is the method used to
find the causes of health outcomes and diseases in populations. “ I believe this to be
so important to our population as a whole because it will help to control the health
issues that are prevalent in our communities and lead to a healthier population.
HLTH 509
DB: 400
Replies: 200
Describe the 2 reasons Schroeder gives to explain why the US ranks poorly on
many health measures in spite of spending more money than other countries
on health care. What other single factor would you suggest that might also
contribute to this paradox?
In what ways is the problem of obesity in America like the now decreasing
problem of tobacco use? In what ways is it different?
The pie chart illustrating the 5 proportional categories contributing to
premature death in the US are based on total US population mortality. How
might these percentages change if the chart were to be redrawn to reflect
populations living in poverty in inner cities? People living in poverty in rural
areas? Suggest new percentages for each and explain why you think as you
do.
Social determinants of health are relatively new considerations as predictors
of premature death, yet a growing body of research indicates their
contribution is strong. Name a social determinant and describe a possible
role for the Church in ameliorating it.
There are two major health crises that place the United States so poorly in the
rankings of overall health, despite the amount of money spent on healthier living.
These two factors are: smoking and obesity. Tobacco has always been a huge
industry in the United States and was at one time considered the “cool” thing to do.
It offers a quick buzz for the right prices and is legal in all 50 states. Despite the
warnings against it for health concerns and taxation to make it more costly, there are
still over four hundred thousand deaths per year due to smoking according to
Schroeder. Obesity is an even worse epidemic that is taking the nation by storm.
Starting from a young age people are eating too much unhealthy food and not doing
anything to help what is happening to their bodies. Obesity leads to several other
diseases and can often lead to death. Another major issue in terms of health in the
United States is the lack of motivation to engage in physical activity. In a culture that
has brought technology to the fingertips, there is almost no need to do anything for
oneself anymore. Cars transport people where they wish, food can be delivered to
the house, and entertainment can fit into the palm of a hand. People have no real
reason to even leave their homes if they do not wish to. Outside activities are almost
a thing of the past as many children and adults would rather stay inside and play
games on their phones or watch the newest episode of their favorite Netflix show.
Obesity and the use of tobacco have very similar attributes in the way that they have
come about in the 20th century, they are leading to premature death, they are found
most often in rural or poorer areas of the country, and people let it pass by as if it is
normal. There is already some push back on obesity and the need to be healthier but
the campaign needs to be as strong as the tobacco campaigns in order for it to truly
work. However, there is much hesitation as people are afraid to offend these people
who are living this extremely unhealthy lifestyle. In terms of the pie chart showing
the premature death rate in the United States, should this information show rural
poverty and intercity poverty, the percentages of Social circumstances, healthcare,
and behavioral patterns are likely to go up. This is because these areas are harder to
access quality healthcare and lack the ability to go to public parks and recreational
areas. They also have a harder time finding quality foods and are often pressured by
their social circumstance. This also plays into the social determinate of being able to
have or receive the resources that they need to overcome these things. Once a larger
campaign against obesity is launched more healthier options should pop up for
people to take advantage of. (494)
References
Schroeder, S. A., M.D. (2007). We can do better -- improving the health of the
american PeopleShattuck lecture: The New England Journal of
Medicine,357(12), 1221-8.doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/
10.1056/NEJMsa073350
Samira,
I enjoyed reading your discussion board post for this week. It is always interesting,
in posts that involve a series of questions, to see how individual classmates answer
the questions differently and to see their thoughts on the subject at hand. It is true
that many of the citizens in the United States population do not have access to nor
receive adequate health care when they need it. However, having access to health
care alone will not solve our populations health crisis. We must provide proper
education to the population in order for them to care for themselves at home to lead
healthier lifestyles and prevent unnecessary disease. There are many initiatives set
in place by the government to aid in accessible and affordable health care to all of
the citizens of our country but is it enough? It is without a doubt that obesity has
been a major epidemic problem among our population. Healthy People 2020 has set
nutrition, physical activity and obesity as a leading health indicator for the next ten
years. This means that it is a main goal and objective for health promotion
professionals and will be the topic of many health initiatives in the near future.
Combating this issue will not only improve the overall population health but can
help to decrease health care expenditures that are spent on preventable chronic
disease. (227)
Erica,
I think that your post about this discussion board prompt made some very valid
points. I can agree and see where you are coming from when you speak on the fact
that the American population does not seem concerned with their own health status.
This can be clearly seen in the obesity epidemic that has been plaguing our country
for so long. Poor nutritional choices and sedentary lifestyles of our population have
caused a domino effect of an increased amount of preventable chronic disease. This
has not only affected the health of our nation but has negatively impacted the state
of our health care debt. I agree that contributing factors to premature death in the
United States are related to our circumstances and behavioral patterns. No matter
the health care that exists in this country, and whether or not it is accessible to the
entire population, individuals still need to be responsible for their own care. The
doctors and health care professionals can only do so much inside of the health care
facility and it is our duty to take charge of our own care and care for ourselves at
home to prevent illness. The church has a very important place in teaching us how
to love ourselves as Christ has and this is directly linked to how we treat the health
of our bodies. (225)
