Multiple work to be completed | HIM420 | DeVry University

CourseProjectOverview.docx

Course Project Overview

A Quality or Risk Scenario Case Study (graded)

Objectives

The Course Project paper consists of a research paper focusing on quality or risk scenarios. It is recommended that you work with a local area healthcare facility for your paper-related research, in addition to your Internet and textbook research. Plan to interview a health information professional and, if possible, observe their job functions related to healthcare quality and compliance.

Milestones—Requirements

1. Identify three scenarios that put a hospital at risk for financial liability, and identify how that risk might be minimized.

· Describe one scenario related to patient safety.

· Describe one scenario related to the environmental safety.

· Describe one scenario related to staffing.

· Describe how an HIM practitioner might serve as a clinical quality assessment resource and as a team member.

2. Perform a literature search to identify sources of accreditation and regulatory requirements for quality and risk management. Review the Joint Commission standards and identify the standards that pertain to quality and risk management.

3. Use case studies from local or regional healthcare organizations or arrange interviews or site visits.

4. Use examples of the types of healthcare organizations that may be appropriate subjects for this type of project, including hospitals, hospital systems, integrated healthcare systems, multispecialty medical clinics, physician group-practice offices, ambulatory surgical centers, mental health service providers, public health clinics, and rehabilitation or long-term care facilities.

5. Choose situations that are complex enough to offer sufficient challenge and are realistic, in terms of information available at a level needed to complete the project in the required time frame.

6. Avoid accessing any confidential patient information in order to complete the project; there is no need to, and it is inappropriate to do so.

Requirements

· The title and description of the Course Project paper, including the table of contents and the outline, are to be submitted for approval in Week 3 (required).

· Submit the content outline that indicates how you plan to address the above criteria and names the primary sources of information you will use for your paper.

· Feedback on your topic selections and Course Project paper outline will be provided by the instructor.

· The completed Course Project paper is due by the end of Week 6 (graded).

· The paper must be 8 to 10 pages in length, double spaced (in 12 point font), and it must include a title page, table of contents, thesis statement, introduction, body of the report, summary, and works cited.

· Even though this is not a scientific writing assignment, references are required. At least seven (7) authoritative, outside references are required ( anonymous authors and web pages are not acceptable). These should be listed on the last page titled Works Cited.

· APA format and citations are required in the body of the paper for all statements that are not your original thoughts and for the Works Cited page.

· All DeVry University policies are in effect, including the plagiarism policy.

· Any questions about this paper may be discussed in the Course Q & A Forum.

· This paper is worth 140 total points and will be graded on quality of research topics, quality of overall paper, use of APA citations, grammar, and sentence structure.

· No late papers will be accepted.

APA Style Tutorial

APA Guidelines for Citing SourcesLinks to an external site.

This video will give you a quick introduction to APA guidelines for citing sources. Highlights include the purposes of citing, guidelines and examples of how to cite sources in text and at the end of a paper, and how to format a reference list for an entire paper.

Grading Rubrics

Category	Points	%	Description
Documentation and Formatting	15	10%	A quality paper will include a title page, thesis statement, table of contents, introduction, and summary, and will use APA guidelines for works cited.
Organization and Cohesiveness	45	32%	A quality paper will include an introduction based on a well-formed thesis statement. The logical order of the content will be derived from the thesis statement. The content will be properly subdivided into sections derived from the outline. In a quality paper, the conclusion will summarize the previously presented content and will complement the thesis statement from the introduction.
Editing	20	14%	A quality paper will be free of any spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Sentences and paragraphs will be clear, concise, and factually correct.
Content	60	44%	A quality paper will have significant scope and depth of research to support all statements. Relevant illustration or examples are encouraged. A quality paper will employ sound use of reasoning and logic to reinforce conclusions. All statements that are not the student's original thoughts must be cited using APA guidelines in the body of the paper.
Total	140	100%	A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.

Best Practices

The following are the best practices in preparing this paper.

· Cover Page: Include who you prepared the paper for, who prepared it, the course title, and the date.

· Table of Contents: List the main ideas in this section of your paper and the pages on which they are located.

· Introduction: Use a header on your paper to indicate that you are introducing it.

The purpose of an introduction or opening is to

1. introduce the subject and why it is important;

2. preview the main ideas and the order in which they will be covered; and

3. establish a tone for the document.

Include in the introduction a reason for the audience to read the paper. Also, include an overview of the material you are going to cover in your paper and its importance. This should include or introduce the questions you are asked to answer on each assignment.

· Body of Your Report: Use a header titled with the name of your project. Then break out the main ideas. State the main ideas, state the major points in each idea, and provide evidence. Break out each main idea you will use in the body of your paper. Show some type of division, such as separate sections that are labeled, separate groups of paragraphs, or headers. Include the information you found during your research and investigation.

· Summary and Conclusion: Summarizing is similar to paraphrasing; it presents the gist of the material in fewer words than the original. An effective summary identifies the main ideas and major support points from the body of your report. Minor details are left out.

Additional hints on preparing the best possible project follow.

1. Apply a three-step process to writing: plan, write, and complete.

2. Prepare an outline of your research paper before you go forward.

3. Complete a first draft and then go back to edit, evaluate, and make any changes required.

4. Use visual communication to further clarify and support the written part of your report: graphs, diagrams, photographs, flowcharts, maps, drawings, animation, video clips, pictograms, tables, and Gantt charts.

5. Include a Works Cited that uses APA format.

Your Course Project is due by Sunday, end of Week 6.

Don't forget to submit your assignment.

YouDecideActivity.docx

You Decide Activity

After reviewing the scenario shown below, review the assignment details. Submit your assignment in the Assignment Submission area for this activity. extern Links to an your assignment in the Assignment Submission area for this activity.

Due in Week 2:

A two-page summary describing key points, including the initial problem, TQM activities, findings, and recommendations. The two-page summary will be double-spaced and in 12-point font. Be sure to include a cover page introducing your assignment.

Due in Week 5:

The final You Decide assignment paper will be due this week.

Scenario, Key Players, Your Role

Scenario Summary:

In a large healthcare integrated delivery system (IDS), management uses a centralized “Call Center” for their 3 million patients on the Eastern Seaboard. From this Call Center, patients often call in and request to speak to the advice nurse (although they have their own telephone number listed), talk with the pharmacy, and ask to speak to the billing office or request an appointment. The Call Center is open 24 hours each day, 7 days a week and 365 days of the year. It has 30 employees, six of which are scheduled to work on each shift.

Over the last 6 months there have been multiple complaints from patients citing, that they were put on hold, the phone was not answered quickly enough, and they often had to call back. Although it can’t be directly attributed to this service, there has been an increase in emergency room visits and one sentinel event that physicians felt could have been avoided had the patient’s phone call been triaged appropriately prior to the emergency room visit. These issues have been brought to the attention of the regional CEO and the board of directors. Because the IDS are planning on a patient recruitment campaign within the next 6 months, the board of directors has authorized investigation of the problem(s). The CEO has authorized the money and time for this investigation.

The CEO recruited a supervisor for this 8 week project and the supervisor has been allocated a 4-member multi-disciplinary team to drill down to the cause and effect of this poor publicity. A written report is to be provided to the board of directors within 8 weeks. The team has been authorized to use the concepts and tools of Total Quality Management (TQM).

Key Players in this scenario (review their statements)

Peter Sullivan -Current Supervisor of the Call Center

“I belief we’ve got insufficient staff and too many patient calls. I can’t see how this TQM process is going to make any difference. Furthermore, I don’t understand what it does for this issue. I have worked here 6 years and still have the same number of staff. I think the problem is insufficient staff. Just give me additional people.”

Sally Niven – college grad student currently nursing intern at the IDS (daughter of board member)

“I worked in this Call Center for a week as part of my internship, and I noticed breaks were not organized, and some individuals were spending too much time on the phone with patients. I think we need a voice mail system so staff can deal with the message not the person – it is more efficient. Patients just need to get to the point. “

Suzie Que - Marketing specialist and new to the IDS

Currently working on the Patient Recruitment Campaign and recently graduated with an MBA.

“As I see it, I am not ready to discuss solutions to the problem I believe we should take a TQM approach and plot the current status and all the processes. I’m familiar with the Six Sigma concept, so from my perspective the ability to collect, analyze, and use data is a vital component of a successful performance improvement process. Healthcare organizations that don’t devote enough attention to data collection may only experience marginal success in their process improvement.”

Willie Brown – retired X-Ray technician and volunteer at the IDS

“I am all for learning something new, although I have never heard of Six Sigma. In my day I just dealt with one patient every 15 or 20 minutes depending on the procedure. Let me know what I need to do on this project, and I am on board. I hope it isn’t too complicated?”

Your Role

For the You Decide Activity you are asked to take on the role of the supervisor. As supervisor you will be working with the 4-member team and leading them through the TQM process. You will be responsible for coordinating all tasks assigned to the team members and presenting all data necessary in the written report to the Board of Directors.

In your (report) paper please address the following:

1. How will you bring everyone on board with the TQM process? Explain in detail.

2. What responsibilities/role will each team member be assigned? Explain in detail.

3. How will you instruct/advise each member of the team on how to proceed with their specific responsibilities? Explain in detail.

4. How will you explain the process to be followed? Explain in detail.

5. Which tools will you recommend be used and why? Explain in detail.

6. Will you be following the Performance Improvement Model? Why or why not?

7. Explain an ethical dilemma which could cause a problem for the team?

8. Summarize your findings and make a recommendation

Your You Decide Activity should include – at a minimum:

· A detailed analysis/description of items 1 through 8

· Cite research in the body of the report to validate the team’s findings

· Report presentation is important

Use APA referencing for all outside sources

· Appropriate APA formatting

· All text that is not Your “Original Thought” must have a citation

· Reference page

· Correct spelling and grammar

This Report should include:

· approximately 8 to 10 pages

· a table of contents and introduction

· 12-point font and double spaced

· a cover title page; include your name, Instructor and course title

· a summary and recommendation

· included at least 6 references

Deliverables:

· Submit an Executive Summary (required) in Week 2. The Instructor will provide feedback.

· Submit the final paper (report) in Week 5.