Quality is a serious initiative in healthcare at the national level. Hospitals, providers, insurance companies, and government-sponsored agencies are now faced with meeting quality initiatives. Compliance with these initiatives means more revenue and better patient quality and provider care.

Select any area in your city, community, county, or region, and assume the patient in this week's case study is in this area. Using the South University Online Library or the Internet, research and answer the following:

City is Columbia, SC

Does your community have the required medical resources to handle the patient's problem?

How would the patient's care be handled in your community? Identify the nearest hospital to the area you have chosen that treats the problem. Trace the patient's course to this hospital.

List the healthcare professionals and facilities that would be encountered on the way.

Compare any two insurance plans and choose the one that would offer the most to the patient.

Discuss the essential quality-of-care issues involved in this case. What is the role of Telemedicine in your community and how do you access it? How does it affect the quality of care?