Discussion

Post a cohesive response to the following:

Describe how health care reform initiatives and mandates have impacted your organization. What changes in operations have been made in response to these initiatives? How well-organized were these changes? How have they offered measureable improvements in both clinical practice and performance? Explain how these improvements were a result of the reform initiative.

Healthy People 2020 can be viewed as a strategic approach for improving the health of the US population over a ten-year timeline, applicable nationally, regionally, and in states, counties, cities and towns. ... The Healthy People strategy was designed to define and promote a common sense of purpose and goals, with specific targets.

-JonathanFielding, Shiriki Kumanyika, & Ronald Manderscheid

The effects of the continuous effort of various health care reform initiatives to improve a population's health are difficult to track, measure, sustain, and analyze, but evaluating the impact of changing guidelines and requirements is part of effective operational management. How are improvements aligned with an appropriate return on investment, and how can this be measured?

To prepare for this Discussion:

Read the three articles provided, and reflect on how these initiatives have impacted health care organizations.

Article: A Perspective on the Development of the Healthy People 2020 Framework for Improving U.S. Population Health by Jonathan E. Fielding, Shiriki Kumanyika and Ronald W. Manderscheid.