California State University, Chico

 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND COMMUNITY SERVICES

 

 

 

 

HCSV 431

Fall 2007

 

THE HEALTHCARE DELIVERY SYSTEM

Butte 229

 

Wednesday, 2:00 to 4:50

 

 

 

 

 

Richard A. Narad, D.P.A., J.D.

Phone:  (530) 898-5309

 

Butte 627

FAX: (530) 898-5107

 

mailto:RNARAD@CSUCHICO.EDU

 

 

Office Hours:  Tuesday 2:00 to 5:00, Wednesday 10:00 to 12:00, or by appointment

 

 

 

1.      Scope of Course:  This course will provide an overview of the healthcare delivery system in the United States as it responds to the range and extent of healthcare needs.  We will discuss: 1) the major components of the system and the roles and responsibilities of system participants, 2) the differences among health financing mechanisms and issues relating to healthcare cost containment, including market failures in healthcare, and 3) current issues in the healthcare delivery system.

 

2.      Learning objectives:  This course helps to meet the following objectives of the B.S., Health Science, Option in Health Services Administration:

 

The graduate in Health Services Administration will have knowledge, skills, and beliefs related to the health care delivery system and will identify participants in the system and describe their roles, responsibilities, and trends and issues related to them.

·        Identify various system participants.

·        Analyze a career within a specific type of health services organization or health subsystem.

·        Describe some aspect of the healthcare delivery system.

·        Compare some aspect of the U.S. healthcare delivery system to that in another country..

 

The graduate in Health Services Administration will have competent communication skills, including written and spoken communication, use of electronic media, and formal presentations/business reports

·        Develop a variety of communication skills

·        Search websites

 

 

The complete objectives of the B.S. Health Science with an option in Health Services Administration are available at http://www.csuchico.edu/hcsv/hsa_obj.html

 

3.      Reading Materials:

 

Texts:

·   Anthony R. Kovner and James R. Knickman (eds.) Health Care Delivery in the United States, 8th ed. (New York: Springer Publishing Co., 2005).

Health administration core library:

·   Vergil Slee, Debora Slee, & HJ Schmidt (eds.) Slee's Health Care Terms, 4th Edition (St. Paul, MN: Tringa Press, 2001).

·   Diana Hacker A Pocket Style Manual, 4th ed. (Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin’s Press, 2004)

 

Articles on WebCt:

·   Richard NARAD "EMS System Design" Emergency Clinics of North America (1990)

 

Other (free subscription required)

·   Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report

·   California Healthline

 

4.      Course Format:  Classes will combine lectures, discussions, guest speakers, and student presentations.

 

5.      Grading:

 

 

Exams

 

 

·   Midterm.......................................................................................................

200

 

·   Final.............................................................................................................

200

 

Projects

 

 

·   Healthcare personnel paper and presentation............................................

200

 

·   Healthcare organization paper…………………….......................................

200

 

·   Comparative systems paper and presentation...................................... ….

200

 

Subtractions

 

·   Attendance:  50 points lost for every session missed.  One excused absence will be allowed.

 

·   Reading quizzes:  Up to five reading quizzes will be given during the semester.  Failure to pass the quiz will result in 25 points being deducted from your total grade, but no additional points will be added.

 

Other

 

·   Everyone will do three papers, but only two presentations.  Everyone will present their healthcare personnel paper and their comparative paper.  Presentations are worth 25% of the total points for the assignment.

 

·   The subject description and identification of sources for the comparative systems paper will be graded as acceptable or unacceptable.  Any unacceptable material must be redone or the final paper will not be accepted. 

 

·   Late written assignments will be eligible for one-half credit, if received within one week of the due date.  No assignments will be accepted after one-week and no late presentations will be allowed.

 

Grades:

 

 

A            930 - 1000

C+       770 - 799

 

A-           900 - 929

C         730 - 769

 

B+          870 - 899

C-        700 - 729

 

B            830 - 869

D+       660 - 699

 

B-           800 - 829

D         600 - 659

 

6.      Projects and Activities:

 

  • Healthcare personnel paper: Paper and presentation on a category of healthcare personnel.

 

  • Healthcare organization paper: Paper on a type of healthcare organization.

 

  • Comparative systems paper: Paper and presentation comparing an aspect of the United States’ healthcare delivery system with that of another countries.

 

  • Readings: Students are expected to have read the assigned readings by the date indicated on the course schedule.

 

  • Class participation: Attendance is expected.  Participation means more than being present in class.  Students are expected to actively participate in class activities and discussions.

 

  • Standard:  This syllabus includes descriptions of each of the written assignments.  General standards are described below.  Students should ensure that papers and presentations include all of the required items and meet these standards.

 

  • If you have difficulty writing, the Writing Center (898-5042, Taylor Hall 203) on campus provides free tutoring and help with specific papers. USE THEIR SERVICES.

 

 

7.      Confidentiality:  During this course, the instructor, guest speakers, or students may share information regarding specific organizations or individuals.  Such information should be treated as confidential and not discussed outside of the classroom.  If you are in doubt regarding the confidentiality of any information, consult the instructor.

 

8.      Academic honesty: Students must ensure that appropriate credit is given for all materials.  Ideas taken from other persons must be properly cited.  Any direct quote must be enclosed in quotation marks and must be cited.

          All papers will be checked for plagiarism at "turnitin.com".  Any student who engages in academic dishonestly (e.g., plagiarism, cheating, etc.) will receive a failing grade in this course and Student Judicial Affairs will be notified.

 

9.      Assignments should be of the same quality that is expected of an employee in a professional position in the healthcare field.  That means that grammar and spelling will be considered in grading assignments.  It means that due dates and project specifications are taken seriously.  It means that attendance is expected.

 

10.    Written papers:  All papers turned in for this course must comply with the following:

 

  • You must turn in both a hardcopy (printed) version of your term paper (which I will grade and return to you) and an electronic version.  The electronic version must be PC compatible and formatted as a Text (*.txt), MS-Word (*.doc), or Rich-Text-Format (*.rtf) file.  It should be send via WebCT’s email as an attachment.  Papers will be checked for plagiarism at "turnitin.com".

 

  • Use 81/2" x 11" paper, with one-inch margins on all sides

 

  • Type all written materials, with all text, including quotes, double-spaced

 

  • Do not use covers or cover pages

 

  •  Use a readable font with 10 characters to the inch.  NOTE:  This is not 10 pitch.  (Courier works.  Times New Roman does not).  For other fonts, if you aren’t sure, take a ruler, measure one inch and count the number of characters. 

 

  • Do not exceed the maximum length for the assignment.

 

  • Papers must be free of typographical and spelling errors and must be grammatically correct.

 

  • Papers not meeting these standards may be returned for rewriting before they are graded.  Any rewrite will result in a reduction of one grade.

 

11.    Presentations:  The presentation that you make in this class must comply with the following:

 

  • Presentations should cover the same area as the paper, but should not be just a reading of the written paper.  DON’T READ YOUR PAPER!

 

  • Be prepared to respond to questions from the instructor and the class

 

  • Do not exceed the maximum time for the presentation.

 

  • Use PowerPoint.

 

  • Dress professionally.  This means the same way that you would dress for a job interview or a professional presentation.

 

12.    On-line resources:  This class requires the use of WebCT.  I will place class handouts on the site prior to each week's class.  Other materials (including old exams) and relevant linkages can be found there.

 

  

                     

Week

Topic(s)

Assignments

1

Introduction

Health system overview

Personnel paper signups

2

Resources

Development of the healthcare delivery system

K/K chapters 1, 2, Appendices B and C

 

3

Acute care hospitals

K/K chapter 7

4

Health personnel

Physicians

K/K chapter 12, 14 XXX

5

Nurses

K/K chapter

Healthcare personnel papers

Presentations

6

Allied health professions

Non-MD independent practitioners

K/K chapter 11

Presentations

Organization paper subject

7

Healthcare subsystems:

·  Long-term care

·  Mental health

K/K chapters 8, 9; Narad

 

8

Healthcare subsystems (cont):

·  Emergency medical services

Pharmaceuticals

 

9

MIDTERM

 

10

Utilization of health services

 

K/K chapter

Healthcare organization papers

11

Health economics

K/K chapter 3

Comparative systems paper subject

12

 

Payers and managed care organizations

 

13

Healthcare issues and reform

K/K chapters 5, 15, 16, 17

 

NO CLASSES DURING WEEK OF NOVEMBER 21st

14

Comparative health systems

·  Germany, Canada, Sweden

K/K chapter 6

Comparative systems papers

Presentations

15

Comparative health systems

Future of h/c delivery

K/K chapter 18

Presentations

16

FINAL EXAM (Time to be announced)

 

 

 

HEALTHCARE PERSONNEL PAPER

Assignment: Select a category of health care personnel.  Sign up from a list provided in class.

Content:  The paper should include:

1.    General description and role

2.    Services provided

3.    Work setting(s)

4.   Salaries

5.   Career ladder

6.   Training/education

7.    Licensure/certification

Papers will be a maximum of three pages (plus endnotes).  Presentations will be five minutes.  Your sources should include an interview with someone in this profession.

 

`HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATION PAPER

Assignment: Select a type of organization (e.g., skilled nursing facility, group practice, ambulance service) found in the healthcare delivery system.  Be as specific as possible—e.g., not just “a health facility.”   Ideally, you should pick an organization that you are considering for your career.

Subject/Outline:  A brief description of your subject is due earlier in the semester.  This should include

·         A 2-3 sentence statement of the type of organization that you will use for your comparison, and your reason for selecting it;

·         The citations for at least three references from professional sources which you will use for your paper.

Content:  The paper should include:

1.    General description and purpose

2.    Services provided

3.    Clients/patients/customers

4.    Ownership (e.g., public/private, for-profit/not-for-profit, mixed)

5.    Types of personnel and facilities used

6.    Relationships with other healthcare organizations

7.    Funding

8.    Trends and issues

Papers will be a maximum of three pages (plus endnotes). 
 

COMPARATIVE HEALTH SYSTEMS PAPER

Assignment:. Select an area of interest from anywhere in the healthcare delivery system.  Compare it between the U.S. and one other country’s health care system.  You may focus on a:

Subject/Outline:  A brief description of your subject is due earlier in the semester.  This should include

Content:  The paper should include:

For healthcare delivery subsystems:

1.    Overview of the other country’s healthcare system;

2.    General description and role of the subsystem, including relation with other parts of the health system (as appropriate), types of organizations and personnel found in this sector (as appropriate), funding sources, and trends and issues;

3.    Comparisons and contrast with the equivalent subsystem in the U.S;

4.    Pros/cons of each countries’ approach;

5.    Lessons for the U.S. and your recommendations.

For health policy issues:

1.    Overview of the other country’s healthcare system;

2.    Summary of the issue, including current status, trends and issues, and potential policy options;

3.    Comparisons and contrast with the equivalent issue in the U.S;

4.    Pros/cons of each countries’ approach;

5.    Lessons for the U.S and your recommendations.

Do not take the whole paper to describe the systems/issues.  Instead, at least one-third of the paper should be used to analyze, including your view of the pros/cons of each countries’ approach, lessons for the U.S., and your recommendations

Papers will be a maximum of three pages (plus endnotes).  Presentations will be five minutes.