Health Care Economics

This Grants Collection for Health Care Economics was created under a Round Four ALG Textbook Transformation Grant. Affordable Learning Georgia Grants Collections are intended to provide faculty with the frameworks to quickly implement or revise the same materials as a Textbook Transformation Grants team, along with the aims and lessons learned from project teams during the implementation process. Documents are in .pdf format, with a separate .docx (Word) version available for download. Each collection contains the following materials: Linked Syllabus Initial Proposal Final Reporthttps://oer.galileo.usg.edu/health-collections/1002/thumbnail.jp

Health Care Finance

This Grants Collection for Health Care Finance was created under a Round Four ALG Textbook Transformation Grant. Affordable Learning Georgia Grants Collections are intended to provide faculty with the frameworks to quickly implement or revise the same materials as a Textbook Transformation Grants team, along with the aims and lessons learned from project teams during the implementation process. Documents are in .pdf format, with a separate .docx (Word) version available for download. Each collection contains the following materials: Linked Syllabus Initial Proposal Final Reporthttps://oer.galileo.usg.edu/health-collections/1003/thumbnail.jp

Ethical Issues in Health Care

This Grants Collection for Ethical Issues in Health Care was created under a Round Four ALG Textbook Transformation Grant. Affordable Learning Georgia Grants Collections are intended to provide faculty with the frameworks to quickly implement or revise the same materials as a Textbook Transformation Grants team, along with the aims and lessons learned from project teams during the implementation process. Documents are in .pdf format, with a separate .docx (Word) version available for download. Each collection contains the following materials: Linked Syllabus Initial Proposal Final Reporthttps://oer.galileo.usg.edu/health-collections/1001/thumbnail.jp

Calling For Diversity In Health Care Executive Suites And Evaluation Of Effects On Efficiency Using Data Envelopment Analysis

Adequate diversity in the leadership of health care organizations is a problem that potentially affects overall performance.  In this paper, we propose the application of data envelopment analysis (DEA) and strategic human information systems to determine how diversity affects the efficiency, stability, and long-term viability of health care organizations at the organization level.  Data envelopment analysis could also be applied within a given health care organization to examine how the organization’s diversity make-up in its various departments affects relative efficiencies across the departments.  After presenting a brief introduction of DEA, we provide examples of inputs and outputs used in a proposed DEA analysis. We also propose the use of strategic information systems in health care organizations in developing countries at both organization and departmental levels.  We suggest that both developed and developing countries would benefit from using these tools as they seek to control costs and improve health care systems

Development and testing of the Primary Care Homeless Organizational Assessment Tool (PC-HOAT) to evaluate primary care services for the homeless

The purpose of this dissertation is to develop and test an organizational assessment tool that can used to evaluate primary care services for the homeless. The research evaluates the importance, feasibility, reliability, and validity of organizational processes and structures of primary care services for the homeless. The final product is the validated Primary Care Homeless Organizational Assessment Tool (PC-HOAT). This tool provides stakeholders with information regarding the organizational structures and processes associated with greater quality of primary care for the homeless. This tool will help managers better understand their organization's strengths and weaknesses, guide discussions regarding operations, and provide information to inform future strategies. The researcher conducted a mixed-method study of key informants and organizations receiving federal health care for the homeless funding. The study used eight key informants to refine the initial PC-HOAT. The researcher distributed the final instrument through a web-based survey to determine reliability and validity of the PC-HOAT. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and regression analysis. The study yielded a 7-factor scale, 34-item tool focused on evaluation and delivery of primary care services, organizational structures relevant to effective delivery of care, and patient and family centeredness. In particular, the scale describing access and quality of care provided a positive statistical association with the proportion of patients with controlled hypertension. The study yielded results that provide a better understanding of the vital organizational characteristics that contribute most appropriately to the design of health care for the homeless organization. Keywords: homeless, primary care, organizational assessment, reliability, validity, factor analysi

Calling For Diversity In Health Care Executive Suites And Evaluation Of Effects On Efficiency Using Data Envelopment Analysis

Adequate diversity in the leadership of health care organizations is a problem that potentially affects overall performance.  In this paper, we propose the application of data envelopment analysis (DEA) and strategic human information systems to determine how diversity affects the efficiency, stability, and long-term viability of health care organizations at the organization level.  Data envelopment analysis could also be applied within a given health care organization to examine how the organization’s diversity make-up in its various departments affects relative efficiencies across the departments.  After presenting a brief introduction of DEA, we provide examples of inputs and outputs used in a proposed DEA analysis. We also propose the use of strategic information systems in health care organizations in developing countries at both organization and departmental levels.  We suggest that both developed and developing countries would benefit from using these tools as they seek to control costs and improve health care systems

Exploring Quality of Primary Care for Patients Who Experience Homelessness and the Clinicians Who Serve Them: What Are Their Aspirations?

To develop and evaluate an effective model of patient-centered, high-quality, homeless-focused primary care, our team explored key domains of primary care that may be important to patients. We anchored our conceptual framework in two reports from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) that defined components of primary care and quality of care. Using questions developed from this framework, we conducted semistructured interviews with 36 homeless-experienced individuals with past-year primary care engagement and 24 health care professionals (clinicians and researchers) who serve homeless-experienced patients in the primary care setting. Template analysis revealed factors important to this population. These included stigma, respect, and perspectives on patient control of medical decision-making in regard to both pain and addiction. For patients experiencing homelessness, the results suggest that quality primary care may have different meanings for patients and professionals, and that services should be tailored to meet homeless-specific needs

Experience of primary care among homeless individuals with mental health conditions.

The delivery of primary care to homeless individuals with mental health conditions presents unique challenges. To inform healthcare improvement, we studied predictors of favorable primary care experience among homeless persons with mental health conditions treated at sites that varied in degree of homeless-specific service tailoring. This was a multi-site, survey-based comparison of primary care experiences at three mainstream primary care clinics of the Veterans Administration (VA), one homeless-tailored VA clinic, and one tailored non-VA healthcare program. Persons who accessed primary care service two or more times from July 2008 through June 2010 (N = 366) were randomly sampled. Predictor variables included patient and organization characteristics suggested by the patient perception model developed by Sofaer and Firminger (2005), with an emphasis on mental health. The primary care experience was assessed with the Primary Care Quality-Homeless (PCQ-H) questionnaire, a validated survey instrument. Multiple regression identified predictors of positive experiences (i.e. higher PCQ-H total score). Significant predictors of a positive experience included a site offering tailored service design, perceived choice among providers, and currently domiciled status. There was an interaction effect between site and severe psychiatric symptoms. For persons with severe psychiatric symptoms, a homeless-tailored service design was significantly associated with a more favorable primary care experience. For persons without severe psychiatric symptoms, this difference was not significant. This study supports the importance of tailored healthcare delivery designed for homeless persons' needs, with such services potentially holding special relevance for persons with mental health conditions. To improve patient experience among the homeless, organizations may want to deliver services that are tailored to homelessness and offer a choice of providers

Experience of primary care among homeless individuals with mental health conditions.

The delivery of primary care to homeless individuals with mental health conditions presents unique challenges. To inform healthcare improvement, we studied predictors of favorable primary care experience among homeless persons with mental health conditions treated at sites that varied in degree of homeless-specific service tailoring. This was a multi-site, survey-based comparison of primary care experiences at three mainstream primary care clinics of the Veterans Administration (VA), one homeless-tailored VA clinic, and one tailored non-VA healthcare program. Persons who accessed primary care service two or more times from July 2008 through June 2010 (N = 366) were randomly sampled. Predictor variables included patient and organization characteristics suggested by the patient perception model developed by Sofaer and Firminger (2005), with an emphasis on mental health. The primary care experience was assessed with the Primary Care Quality-Homeless (PCQ-H) questionnaire, a validated survey instrument. Multiple regression identified predictors of positive experiences (i.e. higher PCQ-H total score). Significant predictors of a positive experience included a site offering tailored service design, perceived choice among providers, and currently domiciled status. There was an interaction effect between site and severe psychiatric symptoms. For persons with severe psychiatric symptoms, a homeless-tailored service design was significantly associated with a more favorable primary care experience. For persons without severe psychiatric symptoms, this difference was not significant. This study supports the importance of tailored healthcare delivery designed for homeless persons' needs, with such services potentially holding special relevance for persons with mental health conditions. To improve patient experience among the homeless, organizations may want to deliver services that are tailored to homelessness and offer a choice of providers