Health Policy” Please respond to the following:
�Imagine you were the president of a small island that has a relatively healthy population
and a strong financial economy with a median age of 32 years old. Develop a health care
policy to meet the needs of your citizens. Provide the rationale behind your policy.
�Imagine you were the prime minister of a small island that has a healthy population, a
weak financial economy, and a senior population that exceeds 35%. Develop a health care
policy that meets the needs of your citizens. Provide the rationale behind your policy.
�As you consider the discussion question, consider the following: Three major shifts in
federal policy have been initiated recently that will directly affect the medical care of the
elderly: (1) A significant reduction in federal expenditures for domestic social programs;
(2) decentralization of program authority and responsibility to states, particularly through
block grants; (3) deregulation and greater emphasis on market forces and competition to
address the problem of continuing increase in the costs of medical care.
�Quality in Health Care” Please respond to the following:
�Discuss how you define quality health care. Then, consider the health initiatives of a
company you know well and demonstrate how the practices of the company support or
mis-align with your definition.
�Select three quality-improvement strategies you think can improve the practices of a
health care organization you know well and discuss how they can be used.
Health Policy
Health is an essential need to the people and therefore should be every obligation for the
government to endeavor to support the sector. Any economy that wants to thrive must have a
healthy population that can work and achieve their objectives. Health policy should long to
provide the best health care with the available resources and in accordance with the economic
situation without compromising on quality.
As a president of a small island with relatively health population and a strong financial
economy with a median age of 32 years old, the health care policy that I would develop will be
aligned to strengthen the quality of care. In the policy, well-equipped hospital facilities will be
set in different states that aim to provide preventive healthcare to avoid future health
complications. The budget for this will not be high because, most of the people are not sickly.
The rationale for this kind of policy factors in the market forces and competition as other
facilities will be able to render better healthcare at reduced costs without exploiting the people
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(Sade, 2007). Furthermore, various facilities will be set up in the states bringing health care
services closure to the people especially the aged hence heightening the quality of care.
On the other hand, as a prime minister of a small island, that has a healthy population, a
weak economy and senior population exceeding 35%, the health policy that I would develop will
be geared at reducing the cost of the healthcare in future. Because the population is healthy but
the economy is weak, and fewer population is aged, the policy will aim at coming up with
appropriate ways to reduce the cost of accessing to health care. The economy is not performing
well therefore, it will not be possible for the government to invest more in health at this
particular moment but instead plan for a better future. In the plan, the priority will therefore
focus on the old or the elderly people that are a small percentage as the majority of the
population is healthy. Therefore, this will help the government to ensure that the entire
population is healthy, as the most vulnerable will be given attention at this particular moment.
This healthy policy will also be effective and will help to render better healthcare even as the
federal expenditures from domestic social programs are reduced, responsibilities are
decentralized and the greater emphasis on market forces and competition to address the
increasing cost of medical care is experienced.
Quality healthcare refers to initiatives and strategies that have been put in place to ensure
that patients receive better healthcare. It is achieved by alleviating all the obstacles and hindrance
that deter provision of better medical care (Hardee, L et al 2012). For the healthcare to be of
quality, resources should be enough, the personnel should be experienced and competent to
render the best services. An example of a health care facility that endeavors to render quality
health care is Mayo clinic. This is one of the facility that embrace quality care. It has enough
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resources and equipments that enhance service delivery. The personnel are competent and
therefore are able to render better quality services.
Medical care entails various changes to processes, schedules and care team structures
and adapting to appropriate strategies is essential (Safety Net Medical Home Initiative, 2014).
The three quality strategies to improve practice of healthcare organization include,
measurement , health information technology and competency staffs. (Custer, 2014).
Measurement allows staffs, leaders to get feedback of their actions outcomes enhancing
healthcare. Health information technology allows provision of quality healthcare effectively and
competence staffs ensure that the facility renders better quality services.
In conclusion, it is important for the various governments to have workable health
policies that will enhance the quality and accessibility of healthcare. Health care is a priority and
should never be compromised.
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References
Custer, W. (2014). Quality of Care Metrics and Health Insurance. Journal of Financial Service
Professionals, 68(1):30-32. 3
Sade, R. (2007). Medical Care as a Right: A Refutation. New England Journal of Medicine, 285
(23): 1288–1292.
Hardee, L et al. (2012). The Policy Dimensions of Scaling Up Health Initiatives. Washington,
DC: Futures Group, Health Policy Project
Safety Net Medical Home Initiative. (2014). Quality improvement strategy.