...In the case study, we referred to the systems being developed and used as decision support systems. However, we also identified various artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. How can a decision support system incorporate and use AI technologies such as pattern recognition? - Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and techniques can aid in the diagnosis of disease states and assessment of treatment outcomes, so AI can be used by a decision support system as pattern recognition to analyze healthcare data and generate a representation of knowledge and make a decision support. One of this AI technologies tools is the Artificial Neural Networks which work much like the human brain and have the ability to learn from training data and store knowledge in the network. It maps relationship between inputs and the corresponding expected outputs. Neural networks have found the majority of their application in time series prediction, signal processing, and financial forecasting and especially in health care as pattern recognition. 2. At the Mayo Clinic, patients are given opt-in and opt-out rights concerning whether or not their information is used in the system that determines the most appropriate therapies given the specific patient profile. So far, 95 percent of the patients have opted to have their information included in the system. (This is the notion of opting in.) Why do you believe that 5 percent of the patients have opted out? Would you opt in or opt out in this case? Please...
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...With an aging workforce and the ever rising cost of health care, companies are looking for ways to help in lowering the cost of their overhead. In the past many companies relied on cutting benefits and shifting the cost related to items such as health care over to the employees. Companies have identified the need for a wellness program as an asset that can help in the alleviating some of the liabilities related to the unhealthy employee. This paper will provide an analysis of the need financial decisions (text) and areas of a wellness program that will provide the grates impact. While it is hard to motivate an unhealthy life style at any age, A company can lower the cost associated with unhealthy employees, because the cost of a wellness program can have a greater return, with lower lost time will increase productivity, and healthcare cost will lower due to the companies more healthy workforce. First, a company can lower the cost associated with unhealthy employees though the implementation of a company wellness program. A wellness program is intended to improve and promote health and fitness that is usually offered through the work place or insurance plans. The program allows employer or plan to offer employees premium discounts, cash rewards, gym memberships, and other incentives. Some examples of...
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...Jennings Term Comparison Paper In the world of Health Care, the economics are included as a part of plenty of choices we have to make. A group, a business, an organization and of course individuals chooses the way to use resources. Health Care and Economics are connected, only because economics plays a role in professional health care activities daily. Resources allocations are the only way that its recognized. An organization like health care has to have a method on how they will use there resources to their advantage. The economics of health care are able to combine the terms cost, quality, and resources. Resources are any source of aid or support. So a physical thing or special type of component has a boundary are availability considered resources. People use resources to help them live in their daily lives. Resources could be special support groups that can help people such as natural resources and human resources. There are times when the resources that we need are factors of production. Meaning the resources are something we need to bring forth or forward in order for it to work. Looking into the health care organizations, it bring forward something and it brings the natural resources to the table that is being used because the resources are being limited. Some organizations resources are needed. So the research and findings are the one that’s appropriate to use. Health care resources are used to help take care of people like me and you that’s why the resources have...
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...inflow of funds to continue existing. However, billing complexity in the health care industry is unlike all other industries. The biggest difference of healthcare from other businesses is the source of payment for services rendered: the majority of which is from a third party with pre-determined rates and strict prerequisites. Foundational to these prerequisites is the accuracy of medical coding. An interview with a coder provided fresh understanding of the coding profession. And a look into the private and government payers and insurers’ roles brings better understanding of their impact on reimbursement. MEDICAL CODING Medical Coding is the process of using standard codes in identifying medical services and procedure. This is used for billing and reimbursement from payers for services rendered. Medical code is foundational and standardized with industry-wide language. The use of the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) is mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), (Medial Billing and Coding). THE INTERVIEW I interviewed an outpatient coder of Pennsylvania Hospital. Her job includes coding for hospital out-patients and Physicians’ in-patients and out-patients. She explained medical coding is quite complex and a coder needs proper schooling and training. She is a graduate of Health Information Management, a bachelor degree holder, (Health Information Technology is an Associate’s degree) which provided the foundation...
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...cancer care has increasingly been the target of scrutiny because of the large price tag attached to many of the agents that have become available during the past few years, especially the biologics.” (Nelson, Roxanne, 2008). If the cost of cancer care keeps rising, the doctors are going to have to include costs when it comes to the decision-making process. The doctors are going to have to think about the actual benefits associated with the expensive treatment. The development of new cancer drugs can be an expensive and lengthy process for cancer patients. Cancer Costs More Than Doubled Since ‘90 Cancer research has cost the US government $100 billion since 1971, and the price of care, accounting for inflation, has more than doubled to $90 billion since 1990. “The price of the drugs, and the care tied to their use, can be lowered by shifting to a system which the costs of drugs, tests, and other care are combined in a single-provider payment,” researchers said. Patients concerns about out-of-pocket payments made patients decide how to treat their cancer. Patients that have health insurance have used most or all of their savings to treat their cancer. “We’ve made progress in cancer research, but people are still dying at too high a rate,” (Gibson, 2010). Projected Costs of Cancer...
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...Telemedicine Introduction According to the American Telemedicine Association, telemedicine has become a world leading innovative strategy for providing quality health care to patients via the exchange of medical services using communication technology (Siegal, 2012). This exchange of medical information has brought the accessibility to health care to many patient in which otherwise would not have the required resources to access many health care services. In many scenarios, telemedicine has bridged the gap between the need of specialized medical technology at one specific location and an individual’s medical diagnosis at another. Hospitals and other health care providers, which service rural areas of the country, now have an avenue of approach when dealing with accessibility of patients, especially the aging population in these areas. Telemedicine has provided the way of accessing technology and reaching out to a new strategy of practical medicine. In this research we will discuss many of the value added approaches of telemedicine and how it has affected the change in healthcare. There are three main areas of focus that will be considered. As stated, we will discuss and assess the technology currently being used to provide telemedicine services. This technology is broad and can cover vast amounts of information, but the focus will be to explain the main contributors of telemedicine technology and the adoption of this technology by providers. The first part of emphasis...
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...Assignment 1: Case Study: Geico: Their Total Rewards Approach Michelle D. Griner Strayer University Abstract This paper is about total rewards and how it affects the employer – employee relationship. If the rewards program does not fit the organizational goal or the goal of the employee, then there is a problem. There is evidence that shows the best way to attract, engage and retain employees is to focus not just on pay and benefits but also on rewards. Such as, education and development, health and well-being, financial security, and other amenities and perks; for example, business casual environment, easily accessible work out facilities, and banking. Other perks could be discounts on merchandize, tuition reimbursement and free to low-cost parking. Many rewards and benefit programs are development in fragmented ways, without regard of fitting the parts with the organization’s goals. Organizations have the ability to develop and execute a total rewards solution. By analyzing the design and delivery of each strategy component, companies can take the steps needed to maximize the effectiveness. Keywords: total rewards, Associate Assisted Program (AAP) Assignment 1: Case Study: GEICO: Total Rewards Approach GEICO has five different types of programs that help benefit their employees’ well being. Such as, Your Health and Well-being which includes plans such as medical, dental and vision; an associate assistance program (AAP); long-term disability (LTD) and physical...
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....Microeconomics Assignement 1 1. a. Define opportunity cost, and explain its importance in economics. (3 marks) Opportunity cost refers to what you must give up (trade off) to obtain some item. It represents the forgone opportunities. It is very important to all of us; it helps and guides our decisions in life. For every decision made, no matter the circumstances; work, school, business, life in general, we incurred a cost, the opportunity cost, what we must give up to obtain the chosen good. The opportunity cost of an item is the weight of another item from those that society have to trade off or give up in order to obtain it, that is the way that society allocates its scarce resources. ALSO, OPPORTUNITY COST IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE THEORY OF COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE AND TRADE. -1 MARK. b. The province of British Columbia hosted the 2010 Olympic Games and invested millions of dollars in improvements to facilities for these events. How would one determine the opportunity cost of the 2010 Olympic Games? (4 marks) The opportunity cost for BC to host the games could be determine by evaluating and comparing what the province could do with the funds (tax payers money) and time that it will invest in the games against, the benefits that could bring to the to the province if BC against the benefits that that money and time will create if invested differently. In one hand the province could add all the benefits that the games will bring to the province; benefits such as increase...
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...alternatives.” ~William A. Foster Introduction In our life, health of people is the most important because it means everything since on it depends the well being of persons, families, companies, countries. All medical services should be accessible and offered at a very high level of quality which to allow and ensure future proper health status and people in good condition as active work force. If we are not able to do so we take the risk that the whole society and economy pay the price by having weak, not healthy work force, able to deliver only poor and medium results. This is the reason for which we should do our best to manage as good as possible for higher quality and continuous improvement. This paper presents Romanian payment and compensation system in comparison with some other countries’ systems and ways to improving quality of health services. Quality of Romanian and other countries health systems Medical care in Romania is generally not up to Western standards, and basic medical supplies are limited, especially outside major cities. Some medical providers that meet Western quality standards are available in Bucharest and other cities but can be difficult to locate. Sanitary conditions in hospitals are variable. Nursing care and assistance from orderlies is often lacking in hospitals. In Romania, the patient is paying medical services by the monthly contribution to the health insurance fund (from which the state pays the public physicians)...
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...Research Paper: Healthcare Services and The Affordable Care Act (ACA). Table of Contents: Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………...3 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….3 Background of the Affordable Care Act …………………………………………………4 The Affordable Care Act………………………………………………………………….. 5 Methodology………………………………………………………………………………...8 Collection of Data…………………………………………………………………………..9 Primary………………………………………………………………………………10 Secondary…………………………………………………………………………..11 The Environmental Working Group………………………………………………………12 Primary Survey…………………………………………………………………….13 Questions and Answers…………………………………………………………...14 Findings from the collection of information and data…………………………………..15 Conclusion and recommendations……………………………………………………….17 Appendix A: SWOT Analysis……………………………………………………………..19 Appendix B: EWG’s Business Strategy …………………………………………………26 Appendix C: EWG’s Business Analyses………………………………………………...32 Appendix D: References…………………………………………………………………..37 Abstract Healthcare has been a topic of debate since a long period of time. The recent changes in the government legislation have specified some employer-based requirements for the healthcare provision to employees. Many organizations have also been impacted by the legislative amendments. The following section will cover the introductory knowledge of the Affordable Care Act along with its objectives. Furthermore, we will discuss the impact of this act has on the American society...
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...Diabetes Mellitus Christa Hackett SOC 313 Sabrina Geoffrion June 17, 2013 Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic, incurable condition of carbohydrate metabolism that involves an imbalance of the supply and demand for insulin; it is the most common of all endocrine conditions (Laffel & Wood, 2007; Olefsky, 2001). Diabetes is a common health condition that affects millions throughout the universe. Diabetes affects millions of people in different and diverse ethnic groups. In the United States diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death. Diabetes is a growing problem in the US and it is becoming an epidemic. There are 3 types of diabetes mellitus, Type-1, Type-2, and Gestational Diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is insulin dependent and accounts for at least 10% of diagnosed cases. In Type 1 diabetes the immune system makes it hard for the body to produce insulin. With no insulin the body cannot transform sugar from food into nutrients for cells. When excess sugar collects in the blood stream, it may eventually cause premature death and heavy damage to organs. Type-1 diabetes can affect adults and children suddenly and require supplemental insulin, a carefully planned diet and exercise regimen. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in young adults, teenagers, and children. Type 1 diabetes happens when the body’s immune system strike and destroys cells in the pancreas, the organ which is located behind the lower part of the stomach. These beta cells commonly produce insulin, the hormone...
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...therapeutic equipment together with changing practice pattern of doctors has revolutionized the way health care is being delivered today. Without doubt, medical technology is indispensable for people's health and better quality of life in some areas; and contributes billions of dollars to the economy. Some would go so far to say that the practice of medicine these days is inherently dependent upon health technology. This is probably based on the observations that clinicians use a wide variety of technologies in diagnosing, treating and assessing the care of their patients. Today's medical technology is more advanced, more effective, and in many cases, more costly than ever before. Furthermore there is an ever increasing demand for high technology diagnostic and therapeutic health care facilities and their availability may come into conflict with medical necessity, social justice and cost effectiveness. There is increasing pressure on health care resources that is driving more explicit and public decisions regarding the best use of these resources. The complexity of modern technology and its high marginal cost suggest to us that testimonial reviews of new technologies are no longer sufficient.1 Current trends in health care decision making favour a transition from a rationale based primarily on resources and opinion to a rationale derived from research. In developing a new health care technology it is important to recognize its potential impact. The important question would be whether...
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...ABSTRACT The benefit of a Health Information Exchange (HIE) is facilitation of access to and retrieval of patient healthcare through safe, timely, efficient, effective, equitable, and patient centered methods. Sustainable HIE in the United States requires bringing several key ingredients together in order to create a service that will remain an invaluable part of health care culture and delivery. According to research, achieving sustainable HIE in the U.S. is creating a reality in which: (1) it is feasible for any health care provider, consumer or payer to electronically share individually identifiable data supporting efficiency and quality of care in a standards-based format through non-proprietary mechanisms using an approach that adheres to all federal security and privacy laws, regulations, and policies, including those of state governments; and (2) the costs and benefits of HIE are arranged so after establishment, HIE will be funded through mechanisms that reflect the collective advantages of HIE, such as third party reimbursements, instead of through extraordinary sources (NORC, 2009). The most notable challenges to achieving sustainable HIE include lack of financial incentives for using HIE, circumstances where those benefiting from HIE are not always those bearing the costs, and the lack of a consensus on a solid blueprint for building a successful and sustainable HIE. Currently, however, state governments are key players in health information exchange through; their...
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...How do new technologies impact on workforce organisation? Rapid review of international evidence Report developed by The Evidence Centre for Skills for Health Contents Key Themes ............................................................................................................................................ 3 Scope .................................................................................................................................................................... 3 How are teams being organised?.......................................................................................................... 7 Substituting grades and roles ............................................................................................................................... 7 Reducing staff or team size .................................................................................................................................. 8 Empowering patients............................................................................................................................................. 9 Changing the place of care ................................................................................................................................. 10 Working across organisations ............................................................................................................................. 10 Working across regional areas .........................
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...Two Systems One Vision “Health care U.S vs. Canada” There are two different ways in which to approach the concept of universal health care one system can be described by aspects of Canada and another system can be described from modeling the current U.S system. The current President and his administration will deal with the daunting task of creating a universal health care plan and making health care affordable for the average American. In their quest to create a universal health care plan they may look towards our friends north of the border. Canada has implemented a Universal health care plan that has been running for several years, abet its health care system is not perfect; it is important for the United states listen to its neighbors and research the possible downfalls. This research paper will discuss the possibility of using the Canadian Health care system as model to improve universal health care in the United States. Many ask how Canada Manage to offer such a comprehensive health care system does. The answer to this question isimply put is money. Health care in Canada is funded by publically funded health care system. The Canada Health care act created five provisions that each provinces and territories would have to meet in order to retain federal monies. These provisions included: • Public Administration: All administration of provincial health insurance must be carried out by a public authority on a non-profit basis. They also must be accountable to the...
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