Background For Assignment:

Failings and shortcomings of the current health care system in the United States are nothing new, and deficiencies in quality of care have prompted several important reports and studies that address the need for quality improvement. These reports reveal specific inefficiencies in care and the appropriate calls to action to address improvement in those areas. As a result, the U.S. health care delivery system is evolving into one that requires providers of care to manage health outcomes for groups of people rather than just individuals. This approach requires not only identifying, engaging, and addressing the needs of a growing number of users, but also the ongoing complex health needs of those users. (Joshi, et al., 2014).

This week, you will look at the reports and studies that cause us to redirect our thoughts and opinions about health care quality and safety. The Institute of Medicine reports To Err Is Human and Crossing the Quality Chasm are two of these reports that bring a new understanding to how health care has been provided and how it can be improved. The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems provides data from the patient experience of care that also sheds light on expectations that have and have not been met. Healthy People 2020 data provides measurements and goals for health care into the future, along with reasons for achieving those goals.

Using this information and more, in this week you will evaluate the quality improvement needs in a community and analyze strategies to meet those needs. In addition, you will recommend strategies to address any quality issues.

Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Evaluate the need for quality improvement on a community scale
- Analyze strategies to meet quality needs of communities
- Recommend strategies to address quality issues

Assignment Topic: Improving Population Health-Letter to the Editor

There are mechanisms in place that are used to improve population health, including (1) health statuses and outcomes, (2) determinant factors, and (3) interventions that address determinant factors and improve outcomes (Joshi et al., 2014 p. 549). How health care is provided and how it can be improved is the focus of this assignment, which lends itself to a perfect opportunity for you to put your analysis skills into practice. The Learning Resources section this week provides you with data from the patient experience of care that also sheds light on expectations that have and have not been met. The Healthy People 2020 data provides measurements and goals for health care into the future, along with reasons for achieving those goals.

For this Assignment, you will read a scenario, analyze an existing problem using the data/resources provided, and make recommendations to address the issues.

To prepare:
Review all Learning Resources for the week that relate to improving population health

The Assignment:

Read the following scenario:
The community of Springfield (population approximately 100,000) is made up of hardworking, mostly older, factory laborers who contributed to both the city and county growth from the late 1950s through early 2005. Since the plant closed, many of the former workers have little to look forward to. There are few jobs available and they are now aging; most are 60 years of age or older.
The Memorial Hospital has been in existence since the mid-1950s and has several primary care physicians and nurse practitioners, a couple of general surgeons, and one cardiologist, but no cardiac surgeons.

Many nurses are recruited from the nearby community college, and the hospital serves as the facility for clinical rounds in their education.
The community is pretty sedentary, with the exception of an occasional game of horseshoes. Cigarette smoking is prominent.

Serious concerns surround the continued existence of the hospital because many residents seek and obtain health care services elsewhere.
Compare the population of this city to other problem areas using the Healthy People sources. The town's population is approximately 100,000, making the comparison fairly straightforward.

Using the information provided in the scenario and the: HCAHPS

From this week's Learning Resources, write a 2-page Letter to the Editor of the local paper that includes:
- An evaluation of the issues that would be the focus on need for quality improvement
- An analysis of existing problems/issues based on data/resources provided
- 2 or 3 recommended strategies to address each quality improvement issue