Assessing A Healthcare Program Assignment Paper
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Write My Essay For Me• Review the Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Analysis Template provided in the Resources.
• Select an existing healthcare program or policy evaluation or choose one of interest to you.
• Review community, state, or federal policy evaluation and reflect on the criteria used to measure the effectiveness of the program or policy described Assessing A Healthcare Program Assignment Paper.
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| Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation |
The Affordable Care Act |
| Description | During President Obama’s regime, the affordable care act became law in 2010. The ACA was intended to expand health insurance coverage for all American citizens. The law provided subsidies for low-income individuals and households up to 400% to enable them to enrol for insurance (McIntyre & Song, 2019)Assessing A Healthcare Program Assignment Paper. In addition, the ACA saw the expansion of eligibility for Medicaid programs for individuals and families with income up to 138%. Since its implementation, the ACA has significantly impacted the healthcare system by promoting equity through affordable access to healthcare services for low-income and minority populations.
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| How was the success of the program or policy measured?
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The most tangible manner of evaluating the success of a policy or program is by utilizing its goals ad target. A policy/program that achieves and meets its goal and target is successful. With the ACA, its success was measured by establishing whether it met its intended goals. According to Manchikanti et al. (2017), the goal of the ACA was to increase the number of insured Americans and reduce healthcare costs. Therefore, the policy’s success was measured by identifying the insured population and comparing the total healthcare spending before and after its implementation.
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| How many people were reached by the program or policy selected? How much of an impact was realized with the program or policy selected?
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Before its implementation, approximately 50 million U.S citizens had no health insurance coverage. In addition, before its implementation, the United States had the highest healthcare spending compared to other developed countries. However, its implementation saw a record-breaking of approximately 30 million Americans enrol for healthcare coverage (Statista, 2022). The implementation of the ACA had a significant impact on access to healthcare services as many U.S citizens could afford quality care—consequently, this significantly enhanced quality of patient outcomes and reduced healthcare costs.
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| At what point in program implementation was the program or policy evaluation conducted?
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Policy evaluation applies principles and methods that help assess the impact and success of a policy. The policy evaluation process helps establish the implemented policy’s merit, worth and utility. The ACA evaluation process has been done occasionally and continuously since its implementation to ensure that the program is still effective and aligned with its intended goals. |
| What data was used to conduct the program or policy evaluation?
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The policy evaluation process utilized a range of methodologies to examine the policy intervention’s efficacy systematically. This may involve collecting surveillance, statistical and administrative data of those who the policy intends to impact. For the ACA, the data used to conduct the policy evaluation was the number of insured individuals before and after its enactment. Statista (2022) states approximately 50 million people lacked insurance coverage. However, its implementation saw the number of uninsured individuals reduces significantly, with an estimated 30 million citizens enrolled for health insurance coverage.
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| What specific information on unintended consequences were identified?
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The unintended consequences of a policy are unforeseen outcomes that differ from the policy’s intended goals. Unintended consequences may arise by assuming that a policy will be obeyed by those intended to impact. In their article, Kominski et al. (2017) identify barriers to access as unintended consequences of the ACA. Though the policy is intended to enhance access to services for low-income populations, it also created barriers to access by creating narrow networks where insurers give plans with fewer doctors and hospitals for competitive premiums. |
| What stakeholders were identified in the evaluation of the program or policy? Who would benefit most from the results and reporting of the program or policy evaluation? Be specific and provide examples.
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Several stakeholders were identified in the policy evaluation process. They included patients, private payers, the federal government and insurers. The payers and the federal government were likely to benefit more from the evaluation process results. This is because the results would inform the number of citizens enrolled for coverage, which informs the program’s success.
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| Did the program or policy meet the original intent and objectives? Why or why not?
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The ACA meets its intended original intent and objective. The primary goals of the ACA were to expand insurance coverage for American citizens, improve quality care through affordable healthcare access and reduce healthcare costs. A study by Ercia (2021) established the implementation of the ACA significantly reduced the number of uninsured individuals, with at least 30 million people enrolling for healthcare insurance coverage. In addition, the policy improved quality care as those with insurance coverage, including low-income populations, could easily access health care services. In addition, employers could no longer deny coverage to employees with pre-existing conditions which impacted health outcomes.
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| Would you recommend implementing this program or policy in your place of work? Why or why not?
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Yes, I would recommend implementing the ACA policy in my workplace. This is because the policy effectively promotes equity and affordable access to healthcare services for everyone, including low-income groups, individuals with pre-existing conditions and minority populations (Manchikanti et al. 2017). In addition, the policy effectively promotes quality patient care by encouraging the reduction of hospital readmissions.
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| Identify at least two ways that you, as a nurse advocate, could become involved in evaluating a program or policy after one year of implementation.
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As a nurse advocate, I can become involved in policy evaluation by surveying and writing reports on the impacts of the policy. For example, I can give an annual report on the number of insured individuals within my workplace. Secondly, I can discuss the outcomes of the policy with other stakeholders, which may involve providing insight into the efficiency, effectiveness and concerns aligned with the policy.
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| General Notes/Comments | The implementation of the ACA has significantly revolutionized the healthcare system in the united states. The policy is associated with various benefits for U.S citizens, with the most impactful being the opportunity for coverage expansion for uninsured low-income populations. With the increased number of insured individuals, the U.S healthcare system has experienced an improvement in access to care and improved quality patient care.
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References
Ercia, A. (2021). The impact of the affordable care act on patient coverage and access to care: Perspectives from FQHC administrators in Arizona, California and Texas. BMC Health Services Research, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-06961-9
Kominski, G. F., Nonzee, N. J., & Sorensen, A. (2017). The Affordable Care Act impacts low-income populations’ access to insurance and health care. Annual Review of Public Health, 38(1), 489–505. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031816-044555
Manchikanti L, Helm Ii S, Benyamin RM, Hirsch JA. A Critical Analysis of Obamacare: Affordable Care or Insurance for Many and Coverage for Few? Pain Physician. 2017 Mar;20(3):111-138. PMID: 28339427.
McIntyre, A., & Song, Z. (2019). The U.S. Affordable Care Act: Reflections and directions at the close of a decade. PLOS Medicine, 16(2). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002752
Statista. (2022, July 8). Public-health-insured percentage by Medicaid expansion status U.S. 2010-2021. Statista. Retrieved May 3, 2023, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1276727/share-of-us-adults-with-public-health-insurance-by-medicaid-expansion-status/ Assessing A Healthcare Program Assignment Paper
WEEK 10 ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
ASSESSING A HEALTHCARE PROGRAM/POLICY EVALUATION
Program/policy evaluation is a valuable tool that can help strengthen the quality of programs/policies and improve outcomes for the populations they serve. Program/policy evaluation answers basic questions about program/policy effectiveness. It involves collecting and analyzing information about program/policy activities, characteristics, and outcomes. This information can be used to ultimately improve program services or policy initiatives.
Nurses can play a very important role assessing program/policy evaluation for the same reasons that they can be so important to program/policy design. Nurses bring expertise and patient advocacy that can add significant insight and impact. In this Assignment, you will practice applying this expertise and insight by selecting an existing healthcare program or policy evaluation and reflecting on the criteria used to measure the effectiveness of the program/policy Assessing A Healthcare Program Assignment Paper.
REQUIRED READING
- Milstead, J. A., & Short, N. M. (2019). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide(6th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
- Chapter 7, “Health Policy and Social Program Evaluation” (pp. 116–124 only)
- Glasgow, R. E., Lichtenstein, E., & Marcus, A. C. (2003). Why don’t we see more translation of health promotion research to practice? Rethinking the efficacy-to-effectiveness transition Links to an external site.. American Journal of Public Health, 93(8), 1261–1267.
- Shiramizu, B., Shambaugh, V., Petrovich, H., Seto, T. B., Ho, T., Mokuau, N., & Hedges, J. R. (2016). Leading by success: Impact of a clinical and translational research infrastructure program to address health inequities Links to an external site.. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 4(5), 983–991.
- Williams, J. K., & Anderson, C. M. (2018). Omics research ethics considerationsLinks to an external site.. Nursing Outlook, 66(4), 386–393.
- Document: Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Template (Word document)
To Prepare:
- Review the Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Analysis Template provided in the Resources.
- Select an existing healthcare program or policy evaluation or choose one of interest to you.
- Review community, state, or federal policy evaluation and reflect on the criteria used to measure the effectiveness of the program or policy described Assessing A Healthcare Program Assignment Paper.
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The Assignment: (3 pages)
Based on the program or policy evaluation you selected, complete the Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Analysis Template. Be sure to address the following:
- Describe the healthcare program or policy outcomes.
- How was the success of the program or policy measured?
- How many people were reached by the program or policy selected?
- How much of an impact was realized with the program or policy selected?
- At what point in program implementation was the program or policy evaluation conducted?
- What data was used to conduct the program or policy evaluation?
- What specific information on unintended consequences was identified?
- What stakeholders were identified in the evaluation of the program or policy? Who would benefit most from the results and reporting of the program or policy evaluation? Be specific and provide examples.
- Did the program or policy meet the original intent and objectives? Why or why not?
- Would you recommend implementing this program or policy in your place of work? Why or why not?
- Identify at least two ways that you, as a nurse advocate, could become involved in evaluating a program or policy after 1 year of implementation Assessing A Healthcare Program Assignment Paper
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