In responses to your peers, identify if you believe they recommended the best new technologies for the problems, or suggest an alternative technology.

Post #1

Amanda King 

Technology is amazing, and provides many opportunities in all areas of life.  Technology improves healthcare quality for patients in regards to communication and care.  Electronic Health Records (EHR) are one example of technology that benefits healthcare organizations and their staff.  EHR’s provide efficiency in that no one is “chasing” or hunting charts, reduces paperwork, information is readily available, less time spent deciphering handwriting, and it links appointments, coding, and claims.  Many health organizations systems are now connected, which allows EHR’s to provide enhanced information sharing for “easy or even automatic delivery of information from laboratories or other providers, saving staff time that would otherwise be spent manually entering information into patient records” (How can electronic health records improve the efficiency of my staff?, 2019).  Telemedicine is another advanced technology that allows patients to meet virtually with doctors through telecommunication.  There are now home health monitoring systems that reduces the need for patients to go to the doctor’s office.  For example, “Pacemakers for patients with heart disease can automatically send data to remote health centers” (5 Ways Technology is Improving Health, n.d.).  There are many new ideas and technology that benefit the patients, doctors and staff by increasing communication and thus increasing quality of care.  

Telehealth is a great advancement in technology, especially for those who cannot or do not need to get out of their house and around crowds during this time.  Unfortunately, telehealth is difficult for low-income families or those in rural areas who have poor internet service or access, as well as for those with disabilities.  Therefore, telehealth has room for improvement in this areas.  

There are many evidence-based practices that increase communication and quality of care for individuals.  The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is an example of evidence-based practices that have benefited patients.  “The Task Force works to improve the health of all Americans by making evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services such as screenings, counseling services, and preventive medications” (About the USPSTF, 2020).  Another evidence-based practice is The Center for Health Leadership & Practice.  They provide programs to include the National Overdose Prevention Network, and the National Leadership Academy for the Public’s Health.  “Our programs provide capacity building, coaching, and proven strategies to address issues in your community and create lasting change” (Building healthier, more equitable communities, 2020).  

5 Ways Technology is Improving Health. (n.d.). Retrieved from University of Illinois Chicago: https://healthinformatics.uic.edu/blog/5-ways-technology-is-improving-health/

About the USPSTF. (2020). Retrieved from U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: https://uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/about-uspstf

Building healthier, more equitable communities. (2020). Retrieved from Center for Health Leadership & Practice: https://healthleadership.org/

How can electronic health records improve the efficiency of my staff? (2019, July 9). Retrieved from HealthIT.gov: https://www.healthit.gov/faq/how-can-electronic-health-records-improve-efficiency-my-staff

Jercich, K. (2020, November 23). Telehealth may worsen digital divide for people with disabilities. Retrieved from HealthcareITnews: https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/telehealth-may-worsen-digital-divide-people-disabilities

Post #2

Ryan Reale 

           I have only been in healthcare since 2011-2012 and I can already see the drastic increase in technology in the healthcare sector.  From completely getting rid of paper charts, to the new medical devices inside the hospitals all the way to different policies and procedures due to technology it has a direct influence on healthcare quality.  I would say that overall technology greatly improves healthcare quality, but certainly not without certain flaws.  I would say that in regard to communication it goes either way.  With patients to physicians or caretakers sometimes it takes away from the personal interactions because all visits with medical professionals now involves an iPad or some type of computer and the entire time they are talking the healthcare professional is entering information into the electronic device.  However, this also allows for telehealth which can let the physician spend “more time” with the patient.  For example one article states, “for providers, e-health is a way to improve efficiency, communication, and reduction in administrative costs.” (Sneha & Straub, 2017).  This goes hand in hand with caring as technology has made it easier in some ways to care for the patients.  Right now especially at least in Boston we are not allowing any visitors into the hospital.  So for patients, we are giving them all iPads if they do not have their own to facetime their family.  Also, with Zoom and other platforms caregivers can have chart rounds and different meetings with providers from home or other medical facilities which can help in tremendous ways.  I believe that overall patients are more and more comfortable with technology and although there are some pitfalls, overall any patient would rather be at a hospital with the most up to date technology than not.

            I believe that with communication although the pandemic has forced our hand into communicating via Zoom meetings and facetime whether it is co-worker to co-worker or provider to patient I believe that this is the future of healthcare and it needs to be improved going forward.  I think that for the most part, many appointments can be and should be telehealth only.  Especially with the aging baby boomer population, many elder people do not want to go to the doctor or maybe they have a fear of going to the doctor.  According to Sneha and Straub, “E-health can also be used to conduct online consultations with patients and medical specialists [20]. Web based tools can be very beneficial in early detection and prevention of diseases” (2017).  The aging population needs a lot of screening and their health is going to start deteriorating as they age.  In order to be able to keep up with the demand we need physicians and providers to be sure that they offer tele-health services.  A European survey reports that only 10% of general practitioners use the online consultation system and less than 16% of general practitioners consult with other medical specialists online (Sneha & Straub, 2017).  This is not sufficient going forward in the future healthcare landscape.  One article stated that,

Physicians and other health professionals are now seeing 50 to 175 times the number of patients via telehealth than they did before the pandemic. The report notes that 46% of patients are now using telehealth to replace canceled in-person visits, up from the just 11% of patients who used telehealth in 2019.

The shift will continue post-pandemic, meaning that “new ways of working for a broad set of providers, step-change improvements in information exchange and broadening access and integration of technology” will be required, says the report. (Henry, 2020).

With data such as this it is vital to recognize that technology and tele-health is the future.  There are children that are having tele-therapy, patients that are checking in with physicians via telehealth, this can save a lot of time and save a ton of money for physicians practices and potentially bring in more.  This can also save emergency room wait times as well if you can tele-health before showing up to an emergency room which will save very important time and space for actual emergencies.  I believe telehealth is the future, as much as I may not necessarily like it, it works and it can save a lot of lives and provide care to people who would normally not seek care.

References

Henry, T. (2020, June 18). After COVID-19, $250 billion in care could shift to telehealth.https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/digital/after-covid-19-250-billion-care-could-shift-telehealth

Sneha, S. & Straub, D. (2017). E-Health: Value Proposition and Technologies Enabling Collaborative Healthcare. https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/41260/paper0111.pdf

 

ACCOUNTING COST SYSTEMS AND COST BEHAVIOR

Assignment Overview

Preparation of an Income Statement for The Serious Reader Company

The first case of this course provides an opportunity to prepare a segmented variable costing (contribution margin, behavioral) income statement and analyze the information. This is a very small company and the information may seem simplistic at first glance. Don’t forget that numbers and hands-on practice best illustrate many basic accounting concepts.

The Serious Reader Company is a small online retailer operating out of a garage apartment. The owner buys books at garage sales, thrift shops, library sales, and whenever an opportunity arises. The company classifies all books into five categories based on cost of acquisition and estimated sales price. See below for details about books purchased and sold during the last year (20XX).

Price CategoriesABCDEUnits Sold4,0001,000500400400Unites Purchased6,0001,2001,0001,0001,000Resale Price$4.00$12.00$20.00$45.00$60.00Cost$0.50$4.00$10.00$20.00$20.00

In addition to purchasing inventory (used books), the company incurs some operating expenses.

Variable Operating ExpensesShipping per book$1.50Common fixed expensesInternet-related costs$10,000Travel, etc.$4,000Advertising$1,000Other overhead$5,000

Case Assignment

Required:

Computations (use Excel)

• Prepare a segmented variable costing (behavioral) income statement for the company in good format.
• Prepare a second variable costing statement assuming 90% of all the books in each category purchased were actually sold.
• Prepare a third variable costing statement assuming that the price is increased by 50% for all five categories (use original sales information).
• The owner enjoys the used-book business. Any suggestions as how to turn this into a full-time business venture so the owner can quit his other job? Prepare another income statement to support your idea.

Memo (use Word)

Interpret the results from the computations and explain how the information is useful. Write a 4- or 5-paragraph memo to the owner of the business. Start with an introduction and end with a recommendation. Each of the four or five paragraphs should have a heading.

Short essay to comment on the questions below (use Word). Start with an introduction and end with a summary or conclusion. Use headings. Maximum length of two pages.

• Why do many organizations make the effort to prepare a different type of income statement for internal purposes?
• Variable costing is not just about preparing income statements. Provide at least three scenarios in which understanding how costs behave is useful.

Assignment Expectations

Each submission should include two files: (1) An Excel file; and (2) A Word document. The Word document shows the memo first and short essay last. Assume a knowledgeable business audience and use required format and length. Individuals in business are busy and want information presented in an organized and concise manner.

Choose one of the following public policies from the list below to create a 6 paragraph paper. (i.e. Introductory paragraph and 1 paragraph per number which adequately addresses the prompt, then a conclusion paragraph). Public Policies:

• Voter Rights Act
• Help America Vote Act
• White primary
• Voter ID laws
• Early Voting
• Registration
• Absentee voting/mail-in voting
• Curbside voting
• Twenty-Sixth Amendment

Second: Address each of the 6 prompts found below. Use a full and complete paragraph to address each prompt: 

• 1. Introductory paragraph
  • Set up what the paper is about
  • Make sure to discuss voter turnout.
  • Offer some statistical analysis on voter turnout to demonstrate this is a relevant topic
• 2. Describe the policy chosen above. Give background such as when and why was it created (historical context)?
• 3. How might this policy negatively affect voter turnout currently and/or in the past? If you can not find any negatives to your chosen policy then compare and discuss to another policy that has negatives
• 4. How might this policy positively affect voter turnout currently and/or in the past?
• 5. Did this policy have an impact on the record turnout for the 2020 election? If not, what do you attribute the spike in voter turnout to? Do you think this particular policy hurt or help voter turnout?
• 6. Conclusion Paragraph
  • Summarize what was stated in the previous paragraphs
  • Which side of the argument do you ultimately fall on? 

  

1. Throughout history, there have been several workplace tragedies that helped to shape the field of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) as we know it today. For this assignment, you will choose one significant workplace tragedy.

To complete the assignment, you will need to address the following items:

• Summarize the tragedy selected and      how this event helped to improve workplace safety and health today.
• Compare and contrast the safety and      health regulatory environment existing at the time of the tragedy with      that of the current day.
• Identify existing OSH regulatory      and/or consensus standards that have likely helped to prevent a recurrence      of the tragic event.

Your paper should be at least two pages in length, not including the title and reference pages. A minimum of two sources must be used, one which may include the textbook. Your paper must be in APA style format.

2. Consider the seven competencies by the ASSP and eight elements of the TSM. Recall an experience that led to an incident when one of these were not followed. Did you agree with the competency not being followed? Why, or why not?

Your journal entry must be at least 200 words. No references or citations are necessary

3. Reflect on your current work environment. Discuss a work-related accident that occurred and your thoughts on whether or not the accident was preventable.

Your journal entry must be at least 200 words. No references or citations are necessary.

HSM 542 Healthcare Rights and Responsibilities

 

Week 5

 

Week 5 DQ 1 Death With Dignity Act (Graded)

Discuss the legal and moral implications of physician-assisted suicide.What are the key provisions of Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act? Under Oregon’s Death. What has been the experience with this process in Oregon since passage of the act in 1997?

 

 

Week 5 DQ 2 Schiavo Case (Graded)

Read the account of the 2003 Terri Schiavo case in your supplemental textbook. If you were the CEO of the organization that cared for Terri Schiavo, what issues would you consider most critical for your ethics committee to consider in that case? 

 

Week 5 Assignment:

 HSM 542 Week 5 YOU DECIDE Assignment (Case of Lydia)