course material

1. Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview)
Assignment 1: Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview)According to the AACN (2006),
“Political activism and commitment to policy development are central elements of
professional nursing practice” (p. 13). Throughout this course, you will hone the skills and
competencies required for this type of involvement in policy.Research is an essential step in
the process of acquiring the skills and competencies, and interviews are one form of
research that can serve as a valuable source of information. As such, this Assignment (which
you will start this week, and submit by the end of Week 9) provides an opportunity for you
to identify a health reform issue of interest and discuss the issue with a state or national
politician (or their aide).To prepare:Identify a state or national politician (state
representative or legislator, senator, congressman, governor, etc.), or aide, whom you
would like to interview regarding current issues in health care reform. (I live in the state
of Maryland. The 2 states senators are Chris Van Hollen since 2017 and Ben Cardin
since 2007; the Governor name is Larry Hogan. You can also google any of
the information about the state of Maryland in the US)As soon as possible, contact the
individual’s office to request a meeting. Keep in mind that it may be difficult to get on
their calendar, so plan accordingly. You may conduct the interview in person or by
phone.In advance of the interview, ask yourself:What health care policy issue is
important to me personally?What issue do I want to bring to this person’s
attention?With this in mind, develop your list of questions for the interview around
your selected health policy issue. In addition, you may wish to include questions
related to health care reform:What are your constituents most concerned about
regarding health care reform?What are the trade-offs associated with recent health care
reform policy?To complete:Write a 3- to 4-page paper with at least 5 scholarly references
providing a summary and analysis of the interview and the health care reform issues you
discussed. Include an introduction and a conclusion.Your written assignments must follow
APA guidelines. Be sure to support your work with specific citations from appropriate
Learning Resources and additional scholarly sources as appropriate (at least 5 references).
Refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association to ensure that
your in-text citations and reference list are correct. This assignment is due by Thursday
04/26/18 by 10 pm.Required ReadingsBodenheimer, T., & Grumbach, K. (2016).
Understanding health policy: A clinical approach (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Medical.Chapter 5, “How Health Care is Organized – I: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary
Care”Chapter 6, “How Health Care is Organized – II: Health Delivery Systems”McClellan, M.

2. (2010). Accountable care organizations in the era of health care reform. American Health &
Drug Benefits, 3(4), 242–244.The PPACA of 2010 encourages the formation of accountable
care organizations (ACOs) to improve the quality and efficiency of health care delivery. An
ACO is a group of health care providers who coordinate care for their Medicare patients and
share the financial incentives of health care improvement gains.Moore, K. D., & Coddington,
D. C. (2010). Accountable care: The journey begins. Health Care Financial Management,
64(8), 57–63.This article provides information on the importance of health care provider
organizations taking steps to become accountable care organizations (ACOs) and provides
examples of systems that have historically functioned in this capacity. The authors also
provide steps for developing and transitioning to an ACO structure.Institute of Medicine.
(2010). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Retrieved from
http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/Reports/2010/The-Future-of-Nursing-Leading-
Change-Advancing-Health.aspxThis report discusses how nurses can and should play a
fundamental role in meeting the challenges of increased demand for health care brought
about by the implementation of the 2010 Affordable Care Act. In addition, it stresses the
need for nurses to be partners with other health professionals and assume leadership roles
in redesigning health care in the United States.Institute of Medicine. (2010). Report brief:
The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Retrieved from
http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2010/The-
Future-of-Nursing/Future%20of%20Nursing%202010%20Recommendations.pdfThis
report brief highlights the four key recommendations from the Robert Wood Johnson and
Institute of Medicine the Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health report. The
recommendations focus on nursing practice, education and training, partnerships with
other healthcare professionals, and workforce planning and policymaking.HealthCare.gov.
(n.d.). Understanding the Affordable Care Act. Retrieved from
http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/rights/index.htmlThis website introduces the Affordable
Care Act and presents the timeline for implementation of the various provisions of the
Act.HealthCare.gov. (n.d.). Understanding the Affordable Care Act: About the law. Retrieved
from http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/rights/law/index.htmlRead the full Affordable Care
Act law at this website. An overview of the law is also provided along with an outline of how
the Affordable Care Act helps reduce health insurance costs.Required MediaLaureate
Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). Healthcare policy and advocacy: Reforming
health care delivery: Accountable care organizations. Baltimore: Author. Note: The
approximate length of this media piece is 7 minutes.In this media presentation, Dr. Kathleen
White explains the structure of accountable care organizations (ACO) and discusses the
benefits and challenges of becoming an ACO.Optional ResourcesAPRN Joint Dialogue Group
Report. (2008). Consensus model for APRN regulation: Licensure, accreditation,
certification & education. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-
resources/APRNReport.pdfFisher, E. S., & Shortell, S. M. (2010). Accountable care
organizations: Accountable for what, to whom, and how. JAMA: Journal of the American
Medical Association, 304(15), 1715–1716.Fisher, E. S., Staiger, D. O., Bynum, J. W., &
Gottlieb, D. J. (2007). Creating accountable care organizations: The extended hospital
medical staff. JHealth Affairs, 26, w44-w57. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.26.1.w44–57McClellan, M.,

3. McKethan, A. N., Lewis, J. L., Roski, J., & Fisher, E. S. (2010). A national strategy to put
accountable care into practice. Health Affairs, 29(5), 982–990.Kaiser Health News. (2011).
Accountable care organization proposed regulations: Resources. Kaiser Family Foundation.
Retrieved from http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2011/March/31/ACO-
Documents-In-The-News.aspx