Topic 3 DQ 1

You have an idea to improve patient care that you would like upper management to support and fund. What type of communication tool would you use to present your idea and why?

  

Topic 3 DQ 2

What differentiates someone that is intrinsically motivated from someone that is extrinsically motivated? Give an example of how you would go about motivating an individual who is intrinsically motivated and one who is extrinsically motivated. What are the characteristics of a performance-driven team?

 

Reimbursement for Services

There are a number of different options for determining how to charge for services provided at a health care organization. In the case-based service approach, one set fee covers an entire procedure. For example, if you needed knee replacement surgery, the fee would include preliminary visits, the surgery, and follow-up visits. However, in a fee-for-service approach, every different step would incur a separate cost. The reimbursement approach taken has significant ramifications for how care is provided.

To prepare:

• Review the information in this week’s Learning Resources focusing on reimbursement for services. How are these approaches the same or different in your own setting?
• Identify an example of a fee-for-service approach and a case-based service approach.
• Reflect on the benefits and limitations of each approach.
• Review the article, “Which Health care Payment System is Best?” and examine the additional reimbursement strategies described. Consider the viability of these alternative strategies within your own organization (or one with which you are familiar).
• Examine how the nurse-to-patient ratio is affected by the payment approach used and consider how this can impact quality of service.

By Day 3

Post an example that illustrates the difference between a fee-for-service payment and a case-based service payment. Explain the benefits and limitations of each approach. Assess the viability of utilizing, within your own organization (or one with which you are familiar), the two alternative reimbursement strategies described in “Which Health care Payment System is Best?” Analyze how the nurse-to-patient ratio is affected by the payment approach selected and how these impact quality of service.

 

Required Readings

Baker, J. J., Baker, R. W., & Dworkin, N. R.  (2018). Health care finance: Basic  tools for nonfinancial managers (5th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and  Bartlett Learning.
Chapter 7, “Cost Classifications” (pp. 55-61)
In this chapter, you focus on the difference between direct and indirect costs and why it is crucial for financial managers to understand the difference.
Chapter 8, “Cost Behavior and Break-Even Analysis” (pp. 65-78)
This chapter continues the discussion on costs. It describes the differences between fixed, variable, and semivariable costs. It demonstrates how to compute the cost-volume-profit (CVP) ratio and the profit-volume (PV) ratio.

Zelman, W., McCue, M., & Glick, N. (2009). Financial management of health care organizations: An introduction to fundamental tools, concepts, and applications (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Chapter 3, “Principles and Practices of Health Care Accounting” (pp. 87–120)
Review: This chapter explores the accounting practices and principles of health care. The authors detail the rules for recording transactions and the process of recording and developing financial statements.
Chapter 4, “Financial Statement Analysis” (pp. 121–186)
Review: This chapter goes into detail about the three types of analysis used in financial statements of health care organizations: horizontal analysis, vertical (common-size) analysis, and ratio analysis. This chapter also explains the categories of ratios and how to apply them.

Chapter 9, “Using Cost Information to Make Special Decisions” (pp. 372–422)
This chapter specifies methods of computing price, fixed cost, and variable cost per unit and details the process of understanding and creating break-even charts. The chapter also discusses the decision making process involved in making special decisions such as make versus buy, add versus drop a program, and expansion versus reduction of a program.

Chapter 13, “Provider Payment Systems” (pp. 528–568)
This chapter explains the background, concept, and traits of the major types of payment systems in use today. The chapter also details the methods of financial risk reduction used by those that must cover the costs of health care.

  

Week Six – Correlations Exercises

Correlations are used to describe the strength and direction of a relationship between two variables. A correlation between two variables is known as a bivariate correlation. In this module the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation will be used when running a correlation matrix. The Pearson correlation coefficient ranges from a value of -1.0 to 1.0. A correlation coefficient is never above 1.0 or below -1.0. A perfect positive correlation is 1.0 and a perfect negative correlation is -1.0. The size of the coefficient determines the strength of the relationship and the sign (i.e., + or -) determines the direction of the relationship. The closer the value is to zero the weaker the relationship and the closer the value is to 1.0 or -1.0 the stronger the relationship. A correlation coefficient of zero indicates no relationship between the variables.

A scatterplot is used to depict the relationship between two variables. The general shape of the collection of points indicates whether the correlation is positive or negative. A positive relationship will have the data points group into a cluster from the lower left hand corner to the upper right hand corner of the graph. A negative relationship will be depicted by points clustering in the lower right hand corner to the upper left hand corner of the graph. When the two variables are not related the points on the scatterplot will be scattered in a random fashion. 

Using Polit2SetB dataset, create a correlation matrix using the following variables: Number of visits to the doctor in the past 12 months (docvisit), body mass index (bmi), Physical Health component subscale (sf12phys) and Mental Health component subscale (sf12ment). Run means and descriptives for each variable as well as the correlation matrix. 

Follow these steps using SPSS:

1.Click Analyze, then correlate, then bivariate. 

2.Select each variable and move them into the box labeled “Variables.” 

3.Be sure the Pearson and two-tailed box is checked.

4.Click on the options tab (upper right corner) and check “means and standard deviations.” The exclude cases pairwise should also be checked. Click continue.

5.Click OK

To run descriptives for docvisit, bmi, sf12phys and sf12ment do the following in SPSS: 

1.Click Analyze then click Descriptives Statistics, then Descriptives.

2.Click the first continuous variable you wish to obtain descriptives for (docvisit) and then click on the arrow button and move it into the Variables box. Then click bmi and then click on the arrow button and move it into the Variables box. Then click sf12phys and then click on the arrow button and move it into the Variables box. Then click sf12ment and then click on the arrow button and move it into the Variables box.

3.Click the Options button in the upper right corner. Click mean and standard deviation.

4.Click continue and then click OK. 

Assignment: Answer the following questions about the correlation matrix.

1.What is the strongest correlation in the matrix? (Provide correlation value and names of variables)

2.What is the weakest correlation in the matrix? (Provide correlation value and names of variables)

3.How many original correlations are present on the matrix?

4.What does the entry of 1.00 indicate on the diagonal of the matrix?

5.Indicate the strength and direction of the relationship between body mass index and physical health component subscale? 

6.Which variable is most strongly correlated with body mass index? What is the correlational coefficient? What is the sample size for this relationship? 

7.What is the mean and standard deviation for bmi and doctor visits?

Part II

Using Polit2SetB dataset, create a scatterplot using the following variables: x-axis = body mass index (bmi) and the y-axis = weight-pounds (weight).

Follow these steps in SPSS:

1.Click Graphs, then click on Legacy Dialogs, then click “Scatter/Dot”. 

2.Click “Simple Scatter” and then click “Define.” 

3.Click on weight-pounds and move it to the Y-axis box and then click on body mass index and move it to the x-axis box. 

4.Click OK.

To run descriptives for bmi and weight do the following in SPSS:

5.Click Analyze then click Descriptives Statistics, then Descriptives.

6.Click the first continuous variable you wish to obtain descriptives for (body mass index) and then click on the arrow button and move it into the Variables box. Then click weight-pounds and then click on the arrow button and move it into the Variables box.

7.Click the Options button in the upper right corner. Click mean and standard deviation.

8.Click continue and then click OK. 

Assignment:

1.What is the mean and standard deviation for weight and bmi?

2.Describe the strength and direction of the relationship between weight and bmi?

3.Describe the scatterplot? What information does it provide to a researcher?

References 3 references required

  

Required Media

Walden University. (n.d.). Correlations. Retrieved August 1, 2011, from http://streaming.waldenu.edu/hdp/researchtutorials/educ8106_player/educ8106_correlations.html

Required Readings

Gray, J.R., Grove, S.K., & Sutherland, S. (2017). Burns and Grove’s the practice of nursing research: Appraisal, synthesis, and generation of evidence (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier.

Chapter 23, “Using Statistics to Examine Relationships”

Statistics and Data Analysis for Nursing Research

Chapter 4, “Bivariate Description: Crosstabulation, Risk Indexes, and Correlation” (pp. 59–61 and 68–78)

Chapter 9, “Correlation and Simple Regression” (pp. 197–209)

1.Discuss the differences between a leader and a manager.

2. Which is more important, working for an effective leader or an effective manager? Explain your answer.

3. Observe the nurse manager in a unit to which students have been assigned. What management style is displayed? How does the staff respond to this style

4. What qualities do you think are most important to be a good nurse manager?

1. Interview the nurse manager on your assignment unit. What interpersonal, decisional, and informational activities does he or she complete on a daily basis?

2. You are the nurse manager on your unit. One of the most experienced staffers has been out on sick leave, and another just had a baby. The rest of the staff are working very hard to pick up the slack to avoid using agency personnel. What tangible and intangible rewards might you use to thank the staff?

3. PART 1: Begin by writing a 50-word description of the ideal nurse manger, someone you would like to work for. Describe a real-life nurse manager whom you have encountered in one of your clinical rotations. What qualities of this person meet your ideal? In what ways does this individual not meet your ideal? (Reminder: nobody’s perfect.)

PART 2: Think about becoming an ideal manager yourself. What qualities of an ideal manager do you already possess? What qualities do you still need to develop? How will you accomplish this?

1. Find your own state’s requirements for informed consent. Do elective procedures and emergency situations use the same standard?

2. Obtain a copy of your state’s Nurse Practice Act. Does the act give adequate guidance for nurses to know if an action is within the scope of nursing practice?

1. Explain how the Nurse Practice Act in your state provides for consumer protection and for professional nursing progress.

2. What are your thoughts on multistate licensure? How does it strengthen and weaken professional nursing?

3. As a new nurse, how can you ensure confidentiality in clinical settings?

4. How can nurses safeguard the confidentiality of medical information when sending it by fax or e-mail?

5. Explain the role of the nurse in obtaining informed consent. Do you believe that this is within the scope of nursing practice? Explain your answer.

6. Should nurses carry malpractice insurance? Explain your answer.

7. Should all patients have advance directives? Explain your answer.

8. Should employers be permitted to require nurses to work overtime if there is a shortage of registered nursing staff on a unit? Support your answer with evidence from the literature.