- Write a 4-6-page report for a senior leader that communicates your evaluation of current organizational or interprofessional team performance, with respect to prescribed benchmarks set forth by government laws and policies at the local, state, and federal levels. In addition, advocate for ethical action to address benchmark underperformance and explain the potential for improving the overall quality of care and performance, as reflected on a performance dashboard.
Introduction
In the era of health care reform, many of the laws and policies set forth by government at the local, state, and federal levels have specific performance benchmarks related to care delivery outcomes that organizations must achieve. It is critical for organizational success that the interprofessional care team is able to understand reports and dashboards that display the metrics related to performance and compliance benchmarks.Maintaining standards and promoting quality in modern health care are crucial, not only for the care of patients, but also for the continuing success and financial viability of health care organizations. In the era of health care reform, health care leaders must understand what quality care entails and how quality in health care connects to the standards set forth by relevant federal, state, and local laws and policies. An understanding of relevant benchmarks that result from these laws and policies, and how they relate to quality care and regulatory standards, is also vitally important.Health care is a dynamic, complex, and heavily regulated industry. For this reason, you will be expected to constantly scan the external environment for emerging laws, new regulations, and changing industry standards. You may discover that as new policies are enacted into law, ambiguity in interpretation of various facets of the law may occur. Sometimes, new laws conflict with preexisting laws and regulations, or unexpected implementation issues arise, which may warrant further clarification from lawmakers. Adding partisan politics and social media to the mix can further complicate understanding of the process and buy-in from stakeholders.Note: Your evaluation of dashboard metrics for this assessment is the foundation on which all subsequent assessments are based. Therefore, you must complete this assessment first.Write a report for a senior leader that communicates your evaluation of current organizational or interprofessional team performance with respect to prescribed benchmarks set forth by government laws and policies at the local, state, and federal levels. In addition, advocate for ethical action to address benchmark underperformance and explain the potential for improving the overall quality of care and performance, as reflected on a performance dashboard.Review the performance dashboard metrics, as well as relevant local, state, and federal laws and policies. Consider the metrics that are falling short of the prescribed benchmarks. Structure your report so that it will be easy for a colleague or supervisor to locate the information they need, and be sure to cite the relevant health care policies or laws when evaluating metric performance against established benchmarks.Note: Remember that you can submit all, or a portion of, your draft report to Smarthinking for feedback, before you submit the final version for this assessment. If you plan on using this free service, be mindful of the turnaround time of 24–48 hours for receiving feedback.
Preparation
Choose one of the following three options for a performance dashboard to use as the basis for your evaluation:
Option 1: Dashboard Metrics Evaluation Simulation
Use the data presented in the Dashboard and Health Care Benchmark Evaluation multimedia activity as the basis for your evaluation.Note: The writing that you do as part of the simulation could serve as a starting point to build upon for this assessment.
Option 2: Actual Dashboard
Use an actual dashboard from a professional practice setting for your evaluation. If you decide to use actual dashboard metrics, be sure to add a brief description of the organization and setting that includes:
- The size of the facility that the dashboard is reporting on.
- The specific type of care delivery.
- The population diversity and ethnicity demographics.
- The socioeconomic level of the population served by the organization.
Note: Ensure your data are Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant. Do not use any easily identifiable organization or patient information.
Option 3: Hypothetical Dashboard
If you have a sophisticated understanding of dashboards relevant to your own practice, you may also construct a hypothetical dashboard for your evaluation. Your hypothetical dashboard must present at least four different metrics, at least two of which must be underperforming the prescribed benchmark set forth by a federal, state, or local laws or policies. In addition, be sure to add a brief description of the organization and setting that includes:
- The size of the facility that the dashboard is reporting on.
- The specific type of care delivery.
- The population diversity and ethnicity demographics.
- The socioeconomic level of the population served by the organization.
Note: Ensure your data are HIPAA compliant. Do not use any easily identifiable organization or patient information.
Instructions
Note: Your evaluation of dashboard metrics for this assessment is the foundation on which all subsequent assessments are based. Therefore, you must complete this assessment first.Write a report for a senior leader that communicates your evaluation of current organizational or interprofessional team performance with respect to prescribed benchmarks set forth by government laws and policies at the local, state, and federal levels. In addition, advocate for ethical action to address benchmark underperformance and explain the potential for improving the overall quality of care and performance, as reflected on a performance dashboard.Review the performance dashboard metrics, as well as relevant local, state, and federal laws and policies. Consider the metrics that are falling short of the prescribed benchmarks. Structure your report so that it will be easy for a colleague or supervisor to locate the information they need, and be sure to cite the relevant health care policies or laws when evaluating metric performance against established benchmarks.
Requirements
The report requirements outlined below correspond to the scoring guide criteria, so be sure to address each main point. Read the performance-level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed. In addition, be sure to note the requirements for document format and length and for supporting evidence.
- Evaluate dashboard metrics associated with benchmarks set forth by local, state, or federal health care laws or policies.
- Which metrics are not meeting the benchmark for the organization?
- What are the local, state, or federal health care policies or laws that establish these benchmarks?
- What conclusions can you draw from your evaluation?
- Are there any unknowns, missing information, unanswered questions, or areas of uncertainty where additional information could improve your evaluation?
- Analyze one challenge that meeting prescribed benchmarks can pose for a heath care organization or interprofessional team.
- Consider the following examples:
- Strategic direction.
- Organizational mission.
- Resources.
- Staffing.
- Financial: Operational and capital funding.
- Logistical considerations: Physical space.
- Support services (any ancillary department that gives support to a specific care unit in the organization, such as pharmacy, cleaning services, dietary, et cetera).
- Cultural diversity in the organization and community.
- Procedures and processes.
- Address the following:
- Why do the challenges you identified contribute, potentially, to benchmark underperformance?
- What assumptions underlie your conclusions?
- Consider the following examples:
- Evaluate a benchmark underperformance in a heath care organization or interprofessional team that has the potential for greatly improving overall quality or performance.
- Focus on the benchmark you chose to target for improvement. Which metric is underperforming its benchmark by the greatest degree?
- State the benchmark underperformance that is the most widespread throughout the organization or interprofessional team.
- State the benchmark that affects the greatest number of patients. Which benchmark affects the greatest number of staff?
- Include how this underperformance affect the community that the organization serves.
- Include the greatest opportunity to improve the overall quality of care or performance of the organization or interpersonal team and, ultimately, to improve patient outcomes, as you think about the issue and the current poor benchmark outcomes.
- Advocate for ethical action, directed toward an appropriate group of stakeholders, to address a benchmark underperformance.
- Who would be an appropriate group of stakeholders to act on improving your identified benchmark metric?
- Why should the stakeholder group take action?
- What are some ethical actions the stakeholder group could take that support improved benchmark performance?
- Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.
- Proofread your report, before you submit it, to minimize errors that could distract readers and make it more difficult for them to focus on the substance of your evaluation and analysis.
- Support main points, assertions, arguments, conclusions, or recommendations with relevant and credible evidence.
- Be sure to apply correct APA formatting to source citations and references.
Example Assessment: You may use the following to give you an idea of what a Proficient or higher rating on the scoring guide would look like:
Report Format and Length
Format your report using APA style.
- Use the APA Style Paper Template [DOCX]. An APA Style Paper Tutorial [DOCX] is also provided to help you in writing and formatting your report. Be sure to include:
- A title page and references page. An abstract is not required.
- A running head on all pages.
- Appropriate section headings.
- Be sure your report is 4–6 pages in length, not including the title page and references page.
Supporting Evidence
Cite 4–6 credible sources from peer-reviewed journals or professional industry publications to support your analysis of challenges, evaluation of potential for improvement, and your advocacy for ethical action.Note: Faculty may use the Writing Feedback Tool when grading this assessment. The Writing Feedback Tool is designed to provide you with guidance and resources to develop your writing based on five core skills. You will find writing feedback in the Scoring Guide for the assessment, once your work has been evaluated.Portfolio Prompt: You may choose to save your report to your ePortfolio.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:
- Competency 1: Analyze relevant health care laws, policies, and regulations; their application; and their effects on organizations, interprofessional teams, and professional practice.
- Analyze challenges that meeting prescribed benchmarks can pose for a heath care organization or interprofessional team.
- Competency 2: Lead the development and implementation of ethical and culturally sensitive policies that improve health outcomes for individuals, organizations, and populations.
- Advocate for ethical action, directed toward an appropriate group of stakeholders, to address a benchmark underperformance.
- Competency 3: Evaluate relevant indicators of performance, such as benchmarks, research, and best practices, to inform health care laws and policies for patients, organizations, and populations.
- Evaluate dashboard metrics associated with benchmarks set forth by local, state, or federal health care laws or policies.
- Evaluate a benchmark underperformance in a heath care organization or interprofessional team that has the potential for greatly improving overall quality or performance.
- Competency 5: Produce clear, coherent, and professional written work, in accordance with Capella’s writing standards.
- Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.
- Support main points, assertions, arguments, conclusions, or recommendations with relevant and credible evidence.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction
As a medical professor, it is critical to evaluate the current organizational or interprofessional team performance with respect to prescribed benchmarks set forth by government laws and policies at the local, state, and federal levels. This report will provide an evaluation of the dashboard metrics and advocate for ethical action to address benchmark underperformance while explaining the potential for improving the overall quality of care and performance, as reflected on a performance dashboard.
Evaluation of Dashboard Metrics
Several metrics in the dashboard have failed to meet the prescribed benchmark for the organization. For instance, the readmission rates are above the benchmark, meaning that patients are being re-admitted within 30 days of their discharge. The medication error rate is also higher than the benchmark, indicating that there are errors in medication management. Further, the number of falls per 1,000 patients is higher than the benchmark, indicating that the organization has a challenge with preventing falls. Finally, the patient satisfaction rate is below the benchmark, indicating that patients are not satisfied with the care they receive.
The local, state, or federal health care policies or laws that establish these benchmarks are aimed at ensuring quality in health care. The readmission rate is set by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to reduce the number of avoidable re-admissions and lower the cost of health care. The medication error rate is also set by the ACA to reduce medical malpractice and improve patient outcomes. Finally, the other metrics have been established to ensure that patients receive safe and quality care, as well as improve the overall quality of care.
From the evaluation, it is clear that the organization has a challenge with providing quality care to patients. There are unknowns, missing information, unanswered questions, or areas of uncertainty where additional information could improve the evaluation. For instance, it is unclear what exactly is causing the high readmission rates, the medication errors, and the falls. Therefore, additional information is required to ascertain the cause of these challenges and design appropriate interventions to overcome them.
Challenges Contributing to Benchmark Underperformance
Meeting prescribed benchmarks can pose a challenge for health care organizations or interprofessional teams. One of the challenges is resources, which encompass operational and capital funding, staffing, physical space, and support services, among others. If the organization lacks the necessary resources, it will be challenging to meet prescribed benchmarks. Another challenge is cultural diversity in the organization and community. If the organization does not understand the cultural diversity and ethnicity demographics of the population served by the organization, it may be challenging to provide quality care.
The challenges identified contribute to benchmark underperformance in several ways. For instance, if the organization lacks adequate staffing, it may not be possible to provide quality care to patients. Likewise, if the organization lacks the necessary financial resources, it may be challenging to purchase modern equipment and technologies that improve patient outcomes. In addition, cultural diversity in the organization and community can lead to misunderstandings and miscommunication, creating a challenge in improving patient outcomes.
Benchmark Underperformance with the Greatest Potential for Improvement
Patient satisfaction rate is a benchmark underperformance that has the potential for greatly improving overall quality or performance. This benchmark affects the greatest number of patients and staff and has a significant impact on the community that the organization serves. Improving patient satisfaction requires addressing multiple issues, including communication, cultural sensitivity, wait times, and the quality of care provided.
To improve the overall quality of care, the organization needs to listen to patient complaints, embrace feedback, and make necessary adjustments. This approach to care delivery would entail adopting patient-centered care, where the patient is involved in the decision-making process and has ownership of their care plan. This approach would improve patient satisfaction and outcomes while reducing the readmission rate, medication errors, and other adverse events.
Advocating for Ethical Action
The appropriate group of stakeholders to act on improving the identified benchmark metric is the interprofessional team. The stakeholders need to monitor, evaluate, and continually improve the overall quality of care provided to patients. In addition, the stakeholders need to establish a culture of accountability and transparency and continuously communicate with patients to improve the overall quality of care.
The stakeholder group should take action because improving the patient satisfaction rate has a significant impact on the overall quality of care and performance of the organization. Patients who are satisfied with the care provided are less likely to be re-admitted, receive accurate medication, and experience falls while in the facility.
Some ethical actions the stakeholder group could take that support improved benchmark performance include embracing patient-centered care, communicating with patients, providing adequate staffing, adopting technology to improve the quality of care, and embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the organization.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the evaluation of dashboard metrics has revealed that the organization has a challenge with providing quality care to patients. The organization needs additional information to ascertain the cause of these challenges and design appropriate interventions to overcome them. Benchmark underperformance can pose a challenge for health care organizations or interprofessional teams, including resources and cultural diversity in the organization and community. Improving the patient satisfaction rate has a significant impact on the overall quality of care and performance of the organization. Embracing patient-centered care, communicating with patients, providing adequate staffing, adopting technology to improve the quality of care, and embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion are ethical actions that the stakeholder group can take to address benchmark underperformance and improve overall quality of care and performance.
