Hca 459 Entire Course

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HCA 459 Week 1 DQ 1 Organizational Survival Strategies

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Organizational Survival Strategies. This discussion has two options. Please choose either Option A or Option B to respond to. Be sure to indicate within your post which option you chose.

Option A: Hospitals frequently seek ways to ensure survival. Sometimes an adversarial climate cannot be avoided when the action that is being considered is controversial. For example, a hospital may seek to expand its market reach by opening an inpatient drug treatment facility in a small suburban township. The county where the township sits has seen a steady rise in heroin addiction, as well as an increase in hepatitis cases. As a manager, identify the three possible categories of clients within this new clientele network. Give at least one example of a client for each category and explain the reason for your decision.

Option B: In this increasingly difficult economic environment, many organizations have been forced to take drastic operational and systematic measures to stay afloat and maintain thei

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HCA 459 Week 1 DQ 2 The Challenge of Change

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The Challenge of Change. Change is usually positive, but it can also be difficult to embrace at times. Employees can be resistant to change, while managers may feel that it is necessary for organizational stability. Discuss the challenge of change as it relates to health care organizations. What is the overall impact of change on the organization, its employees, and its constituents, and what role does the manager play as an agent of change? In addition to responding to these questions, review the examples of successful change in your textbook and choose two examples to discuss in greater detail. What did you learn from these examples? In each case, how did the individuals overcome the barriers to change, and what were the resulting benefits?

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HCA 459 Week 1 The Health Care Scene Contemporary Trends

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The Health Care Scene: Contemporary Trends. As health care leaders, it is important to understand that health care is quite a dynamic field. Its constant changes are a result of continuing trends in regulation, policy, patient and provider advocacy efforts, as well as increasingly sophisticated technology and industry benchmarking guidelines. Review the possible topics for your Senior Project located in the Senior Project prompt in Week Five, and decide what topic your training program will address. If you choose not to select a topic from the approved topic list, you must have your original topic approved by your instructor prior to submitting this assignment.

For this assignment, assess the contemporary trends in health care and be sure to include all of the following:

1. Changes in client characteristics

2. Regulation of the health care industry

3. Reimbursement patterns and mandates

4. Restructuring of health care organizations

5. Impact of technology

6. Ongoing social and e

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HCA 459 Week 2 DQ 1 Policy and Planning Constraints

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Policy and Planning Constraints. Locate an example of a policy or guideline from an external source to a healthcare organization. Explain how this policy or guideline may be a constraint to a healthcare organization’s planning, or how it may shape the healthcare organization’s philosophy. For example, given that the American Academy of Pediatrics offers guidelines on child vaccinations, these guidelines might impact the ability of the healthcare organization to deliver services to newborns and infants. Using a similar example, as well as the characteristics of effective plans as your framework, discuss how proper planning can help organizations in their future decision making.

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HCA 459 Week 2 DQ 2 The Control Process

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The Control Process. The control process involves three phases that are cyclic: establishing standards, measuring performance, and correcting deviations. Examine the manner in which health care leaders progress through each phase of the control process to manage organizations. What is the management function of controlling as related to performance improvement? What tools are used to measure and monitor performance? Please describe at least two functions and two tools in your response.

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HCA 459 Week 2 Senior Project Summary

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Senior Project Summary. Write a short summary paper on the selected topic from Week One, which outlines your Senior Project. In your paper include the topic, your thesis statement, your research methodology, your decision-making process for choosing your resources, and at least three resources you will be using. The Senior Project Summary should be two- to three- pages (excluding title and reference pages) in APA format as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Your summary must contain the following:

I. Title Page

a. Anticipated title (this may change for the completed project)

b. Your name

c. Course name and number

d. Instructor’s name

e. Date submitted

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HCA 459 Week 3 DQ 1 Strategic Planning and Budgeting

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Strategic Planning and Budgeting. Imagine you are considering the possibility of operating a small business or practice related to health care, either as a provider of some sort of care or as a service intended to support various provider organizations in their care-delivery activities.

1. Describe the kind of entity you plan to establish by stating the service or services you propose to deliver and the kinds of clients or customers you would be serving.

2. Write a few sentences offering compelling reasons for your proposed venture, explaining why you believe it is needed and by whom it is needed. Also discuss any competition you foresee.

3. Develop an estimate of how much money you will require to establish your business, and state how you would finance your venture. Also discuss your plans for maintaining your budget.

4. Create a mission or vision statement for your organization

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HCA 459 Week 3 DQ 2 Committees and Teams

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Committees and Teams. Select either Option A or Option B to respond to and indicate within your post which option you chose.

Option A: Identify what you believe are the top three challenges in setting up a hospital-based committee from a managerial perspective. In a 250- to 300- word post, discuss your rationale and address the following questions:

1. Why are committees advantageous for health care organizations?

2. What are some of the steps that you, as a manager, could take to overcome these challenges?

3. How would you address conflict and/or divisiveness within the committee or team?

Option B: Committees have been determined as a necessary component to health care organizations. As a manager, you have been tasked to set up a committee with one of the hospital departments. In doing so, consider the following questions:

1. How much influence should the committee have in the overall management structure?

2. How would you maintain authority without adopting an autocratic leader

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HCA 459 Week 3 Senior Project Progress Report

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Senior Project Progress Report. Complete a one- to two-page report on the progress you have made to date on your Senior Project. Your report and any citations used must be in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Your progress report should cover the following:

1. Topic: Identify the topic that you have selected for your project and provide a brief explanation for why you have chosen this topic to address.

2. Organization: Provide a brief overview of the health care organization that you have selected for your project including a summary of the challenges and/or opportunities the organization is currently facing. How will your training be aligned to help the organizational leaders manage this challenge/opportunity?

3. Methods: What methods will you use to gather information on your client organization and the problem it is facing? You are welcome to use as many research methods as possible to obtain information for and about your organization and its managers (e.g., w

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HCA 459 Week 4 DQ 1 Case Study Authority and Leadership

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Case Study: Authority and Leadership. Review the details of the case “Authority and Leadership: Rising From the Ranks” from your course text, and respond to the following questions:

1. Identify the potential advantages Julie might enjoy in becoming manager of a group of which she has long been a member, and contrast these with the possible disadvantages that might present themselves because she has long been a member of this group.

2. Describe how Julie will have to proceed in establishing herself as the legitimate possessor or supervisory authority on the unit, and describe the sources and forms of Julie’s authority.

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HCA 459 Week 4 DQ 2 Motivation and Conflict Resolution

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Motivation and Conflict Resolution. Select either Option A or Option B and indicate in your post which option you have selected.

In any organization, regardless of the industry, some level of conflict and/or office bickering is inevitable and may have a damaging impact on productivity and motivation or morale. However, it is the responsibility of the manager to ensure that conflict is avoided whenever possible and, when it does occur, that it is handled in an appropriate and respectful manner. With this in mind, listen to the podcast, Stop the Medical Office Bickering and respond to your selected option.

Option A: Case Study: A Matter of Motivation: The Delayed Promotion

Review the details of the case above from your course text, and respond to the following questions:

1. Thoroughly analyze the likely state of your ability to motivate yourself in your new position. In the process, comment to whatever extent you feel necessary on your level of confidence in the relative stability of

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HCA 459 Week 5 DQ 1 Communication Challenges

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Communication Challenges. Select either Option A or Option B and indicate in your post which option you have selected.

Option A: Compared to a non-healthcare organization, a manager must have a special skill set for communicating with health professionals and non professionals within a health care organization. What do you believe are those particular skill sets? What are the ethical, financial, and legal implications for communication within a health care organization? What are the some of the primary barriers to communication between a manager and his/her staff?

Option B: Case Study: Your Word Against His

Review the details of the case “Your Word Against His” in your course text. Describe in detail any options you could pursue to set the matter straight for all parties who received the wrong information, while incurring the minimum possible public disfavor by the vice president. In addition, describe what you think went wrong this in case. Where was the communication breakdown, an

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HCA 459 Week 5 DQ 2 The Health Professional as Manager

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The Health Professional as Manager. Select either Option A or Option B and indicate in your post which option you have selected.

Option A: Imagine your colleague and friend, Jane Smith, has recently been promoted to department manager for your facility. You have worked side-by-side with Jane for the past ten years and can speak to her excellent skills as a health professional. However, Jane has no prior management experience and many of your co-workers are fearful that she does not possess the necessary leadership skills to effectively lead the team. You feel conflicted because you agree with your colleagues but you also have faith that Jane will do her best. Considering Jane’s situation, describe the dual role of the health professional as manager. What challenges do managers face when they make the leap from health care professional to manager? What are some of the common complaints to indicate the presence of ill-fitting management?

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HCA 459 Week 5 Senior Project

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Focus of the Senior Project

To start, select one of the following approved topics for your Senior Project. You may also have a topic of your choice approved by the instructor in Week One. Many of the approved topics have specific subtopics outlined and, while these topics are not all-inclusive, they do provide insight into specific areas to consider.

Approved Topics:

1. Examine how participative leadership functions in today’s modern health care organization and compare it to other types of leadership styles. Evaluate how each type of leadership style may impact organizational culture, employee performance, and how it may help or hinder the legitimacy of authority.

2. As an administrator, address the challenges of employee recruitment and retention of health care professionals. Additional subtopics may include trends in the nursing workforce, shortage of primary care physicians, staff turnover, retention, and staffing patterns.