Category: Health Care and Life Sciences : Health Care

Annual pharmacy drug cost has increased from $10,300,000 to $16,800,000 in the past five years. The hospital is experiencing an increase in drug cost even though actual drug usage has remained stable.
Along with the increase in drug cost, drug related errors have also increased. Patient safety has become an even more serious issue. As you know, patient safety is the number one item on the national health care agenda for the next several years.
At the hospital the number of dispensing errors has increased by two percent during the past twelve months. The registered nurses who are administering the drugs have discovered many of the dispensing errors; however, the ones not discovered resulted in patients getting the wrong drug, wrong dosage, and/or the wrong frequency. When the overall drug error rate was analyzed, it was found that dispensing errors in the pharmacy were the number one cause. The overall drug error rate had increased from three percent to five percent.
Fortunately most of the dispensing errors were discovered before the medications were administered to the patients. When the incorrect drugs were administered, it resulted in adverse effects in three cases. One patient received the right medication but the wrong dosage because the medication label was incorrect. This patient had to be admitted overnight to the Intensive Care Unit for intense cardiac and respiratory monitoring. The patient stayed in ICU for approximately twenty-four hours. Another patient received the wrong medication on the day of planned discharge and had to remain in the hospital for an additional day, though only for observation. In the third case, the patient had reported that he was allergic to a certain category of drugs, but nonetheless received a drug of that type. He had an adverse reaction–a rash–which delayed his discharge by one day.
On the basis of your understanding of the above case study, express your views on the following:
What measures should be adopted to reduce the overall drug error rate in the hospital?
What special benefits should be given to the patients who have suffered due to negligence by the hospital staff for wrong drug administration and other reasons?
In your opinion, should the hospital staff who were responsible for the dispensing errors be held personally liable for the errors? Why or why not?
Use the following resources as well as your Textbook for this assignment.
Ellsworth, M. A., M.D., Aakre, C. A., M.D., Dziadzko, Mikhail,M.D., PhD., Peters, S. G., M.D., Pickering, Brian W,M.B., B.Ch, & Herasevich, Vitaly,M.D., PhD. (2016). Early computerization of patient care at mayo clinic. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 91(7), E93-E101. doi:http://dx.doi.org.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.04
Lan, H., Thongprayoon, C., Ahmed, A., Herasevich, V., Sampathkumar, P., Gajic, O., & O’Horo, J. C. (2015). Automating quality metrics in the era of electronic medical records: Digital signatures for ventilator bundle compliance. BioMed Research International, 2015, 1-6. doi:10.1155/2015/396508
 Be sure to cite your sources using APA format.

E-Prescribing
E-prescribing is the transmission of prescription or prescription-related information using electronic media between a prescriber, dispenser, pharmacy benefit manager, or health plan, either directly or through an intermediary, including an e-prescribing network.
In an effort to understand the benefits and cautions about e-prescribing, conduct thorough research. For your assignment, create a 4- report in Microsoft Word document consisting of your research findings covering your responses to the following questions:
Evaluate three pros and three cons of e-prescribing.
Summarize the e-prescription standards as described by the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs.
Evaluate the projected cost and time savings as estimated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
Comment on the controversy surrounding the 2013 e-prescribing penalty.
Use the following resources, and 2 outside resources and your text book for this assignment.
Ratanawongsa, N., Lenny L. S. Chan, Fouts, M. M., & Murphy, E. J. (2017). The challenges of electronic health records and diabetes electronic prescribing: Implications for safety net care for diverse populations. Journal of Diabetes Research, 2017 doi:10.1155/2017/8983237
Juszczyk, D., Charlton, J., McDermott, L., Soames, J., Sultana, K., Ashworth, M., . . . Gulliford, M. C. (2016). Electronically delivered, multicomponent intervention to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing for respiratory infections in primary care: A cluster randomized trial using electronic health records-REDUCE trial study original protocol. BMJ Open, 6(8) doi:http://dx.doi.org.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010892
Cite any sources in APA format

Open Heart Surgery
For this assignment, read Case 19: The Case for Open Heart Surgery at Cabarrus Memorial Hospital
Why is the hospital considering this additional service?
Does the hospital and community really need this service? Why or why not?
What should be the most important characteristics of a hospital in which one would want to have an open heart surgery?
Is it financially viable for a hospital to offer this service? What costs and revenues would you predict to know the viability? Would any revenues cover the costs of offering this service?
 Cite any sources in APA format.

Continuing with the case: Community Blood Center of the Carolinas: Donations, Donations, Donations, (https://www.wiley.com/legacy/wileychi/ginter/supp/Case_3.pdf) Complete a full case analysis incorporating your work from your SWOT analysis this week. Use the following format to complete this assignment.
An introduction 
Definition of the problem. 
Identification of the stakeholders. 
Identification of alternative solutions. 
Evaluation of alternative solutions. 
Solution chosen and how to implement it with the stakeholders. 
Conclusion and reflection of this process.
cite your sources in your work and provide references for the citations in APA format.

Cross Training Staff
The practice of cross training staff (learning another type of job) is an old and often successful practice at hospitals.
Using the South University Online Library or the Internet, research cross training techniques. Based on your research and training, respond to the following:
What steps would you take in deciding whether or not to cross train lab technicians as x-ray technicians?
What are the negative and positive financial considerations in making this decision?
What steps will you take to deal with a weekend staffing crisis whereby your small hospital has no x-ray technicians in-house, yet the demand for their services is very high including 30 percent of the need emanating from critical care units?
Make sure that you include an introduction and conclusion to your post.
Be sure to cite your sources using APA format.

Summary of your focus area, with general facts or stats. Both healthcare and CQI concepts should be
clear within the description.
 Specific information should be given − you should clearly state the purpose of your paper − what have
you chosen to explore and why?
 Your literature review (references) should support your approach..
 Findings/conclusion section should detail what you found during your exploration of the topic. This is
your opportunity to be creative and provide your own impressions of the issue.
 Your final report must be submitted into Turnitin (directions will be posted). You can revise until the
due date.
 Length of paper: 2,500 words (minimum)
Format of the report (20%)
 Consistency, style, appearance, absence of typos & grammatical errors
 Organization of the paper: appropriate paper divisions (cover page, table of contents, headings and
subheadings); conclusions.
Use the FSU Writing Center to help early in the project (especially if your writing skills are not strong)!
Your instructor can also help shape your approach, if you are uncertain −just ask!
Referencing (35%)
 APA style is required throughout paper
 You will be graded on consistency of referencing within the body of your paper as well as referencing
at the end of your paper.
 8 solid references (minimum)
 No book chapters (reference the discrete fact correctly); no blogs, no wiki, etc)
Presentation (10)
 You will present a summary of your paper to the class in the class discussion board assignment.
 Provide a detailed overview of your paper (one page minimum).
 Describe the topic that you explored, your conclusions and thoughts
 Respond to three other student papers.
*Turnitin Score: You must use your own words (do not plagiarize or direct copy materials). Your report must
be turned into Turnitin. This could impact your content score as well as your final score for the project. Points
will be deducted if your report is not in your own words. You can revise your paper (based on Turnitin’s
similarity report) multiple times (begin early!!)

OVERVIEW
In the Malpractice Apology Research Paper, you will apply the sources from your Annotated
Bibliography (and others you may find subsequent to submitting the Annotated Bibliography) to
describe the current state of malpractice in healthcare, and how healthcare professionals respond
to and defend against allegations of malpractice, including the role of recognition of error and
apology in resolving malpractice claims. In this assignment, you will draw on all of the material
we’ve studied this term, including the ethics of healthcare practice, how professionals respond to
mistakes, and critical communication between patients and professionals.
INSTRUCTIONS
Address specifically the issues raised by acknowledgement and apology in malpractice lawsuits:
 Injured patients often sue because they want an explanation of what happened, and an
apology for the injuries.
 Statements by the healthcare professional that could be perceived as admissions can
create legal liability in formal litigation.
 Some state laws, and some methods of alternative dispute resolution, may enable critical
communication and apology without incurring legal liability.
Your paper must examine these issues and explain what options you would recommend for your
facility, supported by your research and analysis. The final paper must include at least 4
scholarly sources other than the course materials and the Bible, cited in current APA format
intext and in a reference list. You must also integrate biblical worldview analysis of the topic
into the paper.
The Research Paper must contain at least 1,200 words and follow full current APA format for an
undergraduate student. The title page and reference list do not count towards the length
requirement.

Assume you have been asked by your company to research and propose an employer-sponsored health insurance plan for the company of 49 full-time employees. Ways to find the information include requesting a quote from different sites. Even some health facilities offer group health insurance. Create a research memo to detail your findings and a proposal for how to proceed. Be sure to include:
Whether you are suggesting an HMO, PPO, or other managed care program.
Any limitations or requirements of the plan you chose.
The reasons for the choice you made.
Details that include premiums, deductibles, and copays.
How your company will keep costs down for employees.
Options for vulnerable populations in your company that do not utilize the employer-sponsored health plan.
Your submission should be 4 pages in length (not including title or reference pages) and must conform to APA guidelines.

Open Heart Surgery
For this assignment, read Case 19: The Case for Open Heart Surgery at Cabarrus Memorial Hospital
Why is the hospital considering this additional service?
Does the hospital and community really need this service? Why or why not?
What should be the most important characteristics of a hospital in which one would want to have an open heart surgery?
Is it financially viable for a hospital to offer this service? What costs and revenues would you predict to know the viability? Would any revenues cover the costs of offering this service?
In addition to the above, state any three instances that could go wrong if this service is offered.
 Cite any sources in APA format.