Managing Healthcare Policy- Annual Updates and Strategic Implementation

Managing Healthcare Policy- Annual Updates and Strategic Implementation

Health-related policies are defined as written statements that are formal or informal. These statements are created with the intention of protecting or promoting people’s health. Workplace health policies that are supportive play a significant role in the increased adoption of healthy behaviors. Examples of health policies include those that restrict or control the use of tobacco as well as alcohol, those that direct the company to serve healthy meals to employees, and those that allow employees to take part in physical activities. Additionally, other policies are not primarily health-related but have an impact on employees’ health. For instance, policies that dictate leave, vacation, working hours, and holidays tend to promote an employee’s mental health, albeit indirectly. It is important to utilize a policy alongside an intervention with clear health benefits when creating health-related programs. These tend to deliver better results than using each of the two individually. The interventions should not only address single but multiple health issues for greater efficacy (CDC, 2015).

Policy analysis is an important process that ensures the continuous efficiency of current health-related policies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended the analysis process as one of the strategies for establishing the policy’s suitability for a certain situation or problem. The process should involve experts on the issue, stakeholders, and policy administrators to analyze the policies efficiently. Experts include healthcare providers, community partners, and other experts on the subject. These individuals provide a clear and comprehensive analysis and interpretation of the aspects contained in the policy. The stakeholders are those whose lives, health, wellness, and jobs are impacted by the specific policy. They may include community members, patients, their families, decision-makers at varying levels, or partners. These individuals give their perspectives on the policy from different viewpoints. They also inform the process administrators about the actual effects of the policy and propose change recommendations for improvement. Finally, the groups that administer resources for the implementation of the policy are important to the process as well. These individuals help the entire group to understand the fiscal impact that the policy has on an organization. Other aspects that are highlighted include the legal elements. Failure to conduct this process renders policies ineffective due to a lack of constant improvement. Policy analysis provides an opportunity to eliminate or reduce the impact of certain problems, health or otherwise, that led to the creation of these policies initially (CDC, 2021).

Sometimes, policies are created to benefit the population but end up causing harm to a sizable portion. For instance, the Affordable Care Act was created to increase access to care among qualifying citizens. Undoubtedly, a respectable number have been able to access care, which was one of the main intentions of the policy upon implementation. However, the lack of enabling partnerships and additional policies in healthcare facilities has led to unwanted outcomes. Individuals with complex health needs and significant financial difficulties cannot access care. This has led to increased medical care debts as out-of-pocket costs are beyond reach for uninsured individuals. They either receive care when it is too late or do not access critical care at all. This has led to consistent questions about the policy’s ability to improve access to care for all citizens and improve coverage, even for those in low-income positions. In addition, the increasing cost of care is another valid concern that is associated with the Affordable Care Act. The cost increases consistently, creating opportunities for fraud by malicious healthcare providers (Deon, 2020).

To improve health policies in the USA, it is important to conduct a thorough analysis. Using the Affordable Care Act as an example, its impact should be thoroughly reviewed in the presence of all stakeholders. This thorough analysis should highlight its advantages and disadvantages. Involving stakeholders from various quarters is important in revealing the issues that may be known to only a few. It also provides policymakers with the real situation in health facilities that are using the ACA. Its cost is also significant because all policies are associated with financial resources. The involved parties should assess whether the policy reduces or increases costs for all individuals or groups in the changing. These include the government, which is the main payer, the healthcare facilities, and the patients. The nation’s current health expenditure should guide this analysis. Most importantly, it is necessary to assess the intended goals of the policy and establish whether they are fulfilled (CDC, 2021). Paying attention to these goals should inform decision-makers on whether improvement or compete change is necessary.

When conducting such an analysis, both qualitative and quantitative data are important. The quantitative data can be collected from health care providers and facilities as well as government agencies. The qualitative data is readily available among patients and health care providers as well. Using recent data from the stakeholders is important in establishing the effectiveness of a policy and taking the appropriate remedial action.

References

CDC. (2015). Health-related Policies. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/model/implementation/policies.html

CDC. (2021). Policy Analysis. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/policy/polaris/policyprocess/policyanalysis/index.html

Deon, L. (2020). When a health policy causes harm. The Hill.

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Policy gets updated annually in most healthcare organizations. This is due to several reasons. Policy is a course or principle of action adopted or proposed by a government, party, business, or individual. These courses are anything but permanent. A great deal of a healthcare administrator’s attention is devoted to the updating, implementation, and development of new departmental and organizational policies based on local, state, federal, and global standards.

Managing Healthcare Policy- Annual Updates and Strategic Implementation

Your task for this Individual Project (IP) is to write a paper covering why policies are added, changed, or updated.

Explore the following articles on healthcare policy in detail for perspective for your paper:

Health-Related Policies
What’s Ahead for Health Policy
When a Health Policy Causes Harm
Based on the information provided in the course and your own independent research, write a paper that addresses the following:

What can happen if policy is not analyzed and updated on a regular basis?
Provide an example of how a policy implemented to improve something may cause harm to individuals.
What do you see as critical changes that will need to be made in terms of health policy in the United States?
What resources can you use to develop new policies?