Category: Health Care and Life Sciences : Health Care

The American health care system is complex. A part of the population has access to health care through Medicare and Medicaid. Another part simply pays for care out of pocket. A substantial proportion of the population uses third-party payers to pay for care.
Payers have reacted to the rising costs of care by introducing various gatekeeper mechanisms. These have not been popular with consumers who see them as restrictive. The American population is aging and the need for care is likely to increase over the next decade.
While the earnings of health care professionals have been increasing, insurance premiums have also increased. Among hospitals, many are non-profit organizations offering substantial charity care. But for-profit and non-profit hospitals alike must show return on investment to remain viable. Providers must also factor reimbursement policies of payers into their decisions, sometimes even clinical decisions. These groups of stakeholders—patients, providers, payers, and the government—have different goals and different responses to the rising cost of care.
Based on your understanding, answer the following:
In your opinion, can HSAs be aligned to the expectations of all these groups?
Do you think HSAs can help improve health care cost, quality, and access? Why or why not?

Assignment Content
You are the chief nursing officer for a 500-bed regional medical center on the East Coast. Nurses are in very short supply in your region, and you are constantly struggling to meet staffing needs. Explain what you can do to work with the human resources specialists in your organization to overcome these challenges and effectively staff your hospital. Is your plan an effective one? How?Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.

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.