Overview

The 2000 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report To Err is Human was a call to arms for the U.S. healthcare delivery system.

It emphasized the need to explore the processes, structure, and outcomes related to the quality of care provided to individuals in our society.

For your final project, you will research a gap in access to quality, equity, or efficiency of care (including existing initiatives in place to address the gap and economic and regulatory factors that are currently in place to address the gap).

Access to care includes access to health insurance coverage, access to services and providers, and timeliness of the care received. All three of these components impact quality of care.

Access can also include affordability. The quality of the care people receive in the healthcare system should not vary based upon their socioeconomic status.

For your final project, you will select a healthcare delivery process gap and the population affected from the list below. Then, you will develop a healthcare delivery systems research paper.

• Option One: A gap in quality related to care coordination for individuals with chronic illnesses

• Option Two: A gap in equity related to mental health access for veterans

• Option Three: A gap in efficiency related to rising cost of pharmaceuticals for the aging population

This assessment addresses the following course outcomes:

• Draw connections between current healthcare delivery systems and the context in which they were developed

• Describe the impact of economic and regulatory drivers on healthcare delivery systems

• Identify major gaps in access to healthcare for determining areas of opportunity for improved access to quality healthcare

• Explain initiatives targeted at maintaining or improving the health status of specific populations

Prompt

After choosing the topic for your course project from the options provided in the overview, you will work to develop your healthcare delivery systems research paper.

Within the final research project you will address your chosen gap in access, including existing initiatives in place to address the gap, and economic and regulatory factors that are currently in place to address the gap.

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Introduction

A. Describe a specific gap in the delivery of healthcare. Include the specific population affected by the gap.

B. Briefly describe the history of this gap in access to healthcare. Has this been an issue historically, or is it a modern issue?

C. Explain the impact that the socioeconomic background of the population has on their access to healthcare.

D. Describe how the healthcare delivered to the population is affected by the gap in access.

E. Predict any potential implications if this gap in access is not addressed.

II. Existing Initiatives

A. Explain an existing healthcare initiative that was put in place to address this gap in access.

B. Explain the specific goals of the existing initiative in place to address this gap in access.

C. Describe the circumstances around the development of the existing initiative. Consider when it was developed and what factors were
considered.

D. Describe the resources required to fund the existing initiative.

E. Explain why the existing initiative is not meeting its intended purpose and now requires improvement.

III. Regulation

A. Explain a current regulation regarding the existing initiative that has been identified and the context in which it was developed. Why is this regulation important?

B. Describe the regulatory level that the existing initiative is being addressed at. Consider the potential for multiple levels of regulation.

IV. Conclusion: Explain the effectiveness of the existing initiative and associated regulations in addressing this gap in the delivery of healthcare to the target population. Does the initiative align with initiative in place to support other gaps? Are there conflicting interests to be aware of?

Milestones

Milestone One: Topic Selection

In Module Three, you will submit a 2- to 3-page paper explaining why the topic you chose is a gap in healthcare and analyze the specific population impacted by the issue.

Milestone Two: Existing Initiatives

In Module Five, you will submit a 2- to 3-page paper in which you will identify and analyze an initiative that addresses the gap you chose as the topic for your final project.

Final Submission: Healthcare Delivery Systems Research Paper

In Module Seven, you will submit your final project. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final project.

Final Project

Guidelines for Submission: Your healthcare delivery systems research paper should be 5 to 8 pages. It should be double-spaced, include one-inch margins, use 12-point Times New Roman font, and adhere to the latest edition of APA formatting.