Week 8: Data Driven Decision Making for Health Care Administration

Optimization 2

As you examined last week, optimization is a valuable tool that healthcare administration leaders may use to help enhance healthcare delivery. Executing effective healthcare administration practice is challenged by myriad factors that may not necessarily be solved or addressed with one analytic technique alone. Therefore, as a current or future healthcare administration leader, enhancing your understanding and application of analytic techniques will be useful for addressing those problems you may encounter in your health services organization.

1. This week, you extend your examination of optimization techniques and continue exploring the strengths and weaknesses in optimization findings. You also continue to apply optimization techniques to address healthcare administration problems.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

· Evaluate optimization problems

· Analyze strengths and weaknesses in optimization findings

· Apply optimization techniques for healthcare administration practice.

Learning Resources

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

Albright, S. C., & Winston, W. L. (2017). Business analytics: Data analysis and decision making (6th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

Chapter 14, “Optimization Models”

Bastian, N. D., McMurry, P., Fulton, L. V., Griffin, P. M., Cui, S., Hanson, T., & Srinivas, S. (2015). The AMEDD uses goal programming to optimize manpower planning decisions. Interfaces, 45(4), 305–324.

Discussion (2 pages)

Optimization in Staffing

Oscar is a healthcare administration leader who oversees the management of an ambulatory care clinic. Over the past 2 months, patient inflows have dramatically increased due to a recent shutdown of a neighboring care clinic. The patient inflows require that 90% of all nursing staff work overtime to ensure effective healthcare delivery. However, having 90% of the nursing workforce work overtime could be problematic in terms of patient quality and safety. Oscar would like to determine how he can best optimize his current staff holdings to ensure a balance between quality patient care and safety.

1. For this Discussion, review the resources for this week, and be sure to focus on the Bastian et al. (2015) article. Reflect on the optimization problem mentioned in the article.

By Day 3

2. Post a brief summary of the optimization problem presented in the Bastian et al. (2015) article in the resources for this week. Be sure to include an explanation of the objective function, as well as what the constraints actually mean. Then, explain what was done well in the article, and identify where you found shortcomings in the article. Be specific, and provide examples.

By Day 5

Continue the Discussion and respond to your colleagues in one or more of the following ways:

· Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence, or research.

· Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.

· Offer and support an alternative perspective, using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.

· Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.

· Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.

· Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Week 8 Discussion Rubric

Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 5

To participate in this Discussion: Week 8 Discussion

Assignment Part (3 pages)

More Advanced Optimization

Advanced optimization techniques are often necessary to solve real problems in health care. Techniques like goal programming and data envelopment analysis are often used to solve multiple objective problems, such as minimizing cost while maximizing access measures. Other advanced techniques are often required for problems that sometimes seem straightforward. Although you may not encounter the use of advanced optimization techniques on a day-to-day basis, understanding the methodology and application of these techniques is a valuable skill for the healthcare administration leader.

1. For this Assignment, review the resources for this week. Reflect on, and consider, the advanced optimization techniques highlighted. Think about how you might apply these advanced optimization techniques to healthcare delivery challenges in a health services organization.

For Chapter 14, problems 80 and 90, you will need to download the files P14_80.xlsx and P14_90.xlsx from the textbook companion website http://www.cengage.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&product_isbn_issn=9781305947542. Under “Book Resources”, click on “Student Downloads” to view the downloadable files. Click “Problem Files” and download the zipped file 1305947541_538885.zip. Open the zipped file, and select folder “Problem Files” and then select folder “Chapter 14” to access the files P14_80.xlsx and P14_90.xlsx.

The Assignment: (3pages)

Complete Problem 80 (pharmaceutical company) and Problem 90 (brain tumor) on pages 751 and 753 of your course texts.

Note: You will be using Excel and Solver for this Assignment.

The Problems

80. A pharmaceutical company produces the drug NasaMist from four chemicals. Today, the company must produce 1000 pounds of the drug. The three active ingredients in NasaMist are A, B, and C. By weight, at least 8% of NasaMist must consist of A, at least 4% of B, and at least 2% of C. The cost per pound of each chemical and amount of each active ingredient in one pound of each chemical are given in the fileP14_80.xlsx. It is necessary that at least 100 pounds of chemical 2 and at least 450 pounds of chemical 3 be used.

a. Determine the cheapest way of producing today’s batch of NasaMist.

b. Use Solver Table to see how much the percentage of requirement of A is really costing the company. Let the percentage required vary from 6% to 12%.

Problem 90

Based on Sonderman and Abrahamson (1985). In treating a brain tumor with radiation, physicians want the maximum amount of radiation possible to bombard the tissue containing the tumors. The constraint is, however, that there is a maximum amount of radiation that normal tissue can handle without suffering tissue damage. Physicians must therefore decide how to aim the radiation so as to maximize the radiation that hits the tumor tissue subject to the constraint of not damaging the normal tissue. As a sample example of this situation, suppose there are six types of radiation beams (beams differ in where they are aimed and their intensity) that can be aimed at a tumor. The region containing the tumor has been divided into six regions: three regions contain tumors and three contain normal tissue. The amount of radiation delivered to each region by each type of beam is shown in the file (14_90.xlsx. If each region of normal tissue can handle at most 60 units of radiation, which beams should be used to maximize the total amount of radiation received by the tumors?

By Day 7

Submit your answers and embedded Excel analysis as a Microsoft Word management report.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK8Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.

Click the Week 8 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.

Click the Week 8 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.

Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK8Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.

If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.

Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Week 8 Assignment Rubric

Check Your Assignment Draft for Authenticity

To check your Assignment draft for authenticity:

Submit your Week 8 Assignment draft and review the originality report.

Submit Your Assignment by Day 7

To submit your Assignment: Week 8 Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to analyze the role of managed care organizations within health care and risk management programs.

Reflect on and evaluate the role that the managed care organization (MCO) plays in today’s health care environment by developing a 250‐500-word response that addresses the following:

1. What is a health care organization’s administrative role in executing risk management policies and ensuring compliance with managed care organization (MCO) standards?
2. What value do the regulatory statutes of a typical MCO provide to a health care organization? Consider how strategies pertaining to policies such as conflict resolution and risk management affect patients as well as employees and employers.
3. What MCO responsibilities relevant to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) focus on fraud, waste, and abuse laws?

In addition to your textbook, you are required to support your analysis with a minimum of two peer‐reviewed references.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

Part 1:

You must  use the information from the earlier the Literature Evaluation (See file 1)   and PICOT question paper (see file 2), and formulate a PICOT question.

1. formulate  a PICOT question addressing the following information. Your question must fullfil all requirements of PICOT question:

Issue: Infection Control and Prevention

Topics: Cleaning and disinfection; Standards precaution and Cross-contamination

(P) Population of Focus – Oral chemotherapy patients.

(I) Intervention – Develop an educational workflow to coordinate and manage monitoring of labs, imaging and follow up appointments.

(C) Comparison – Current workflow process which has no specific guidelines.

(O) Outcome – Nurse specialists will have a smooth workflow in process when educating oral chemotherapy patients, which will lead to a more coordinated tracking process for nurses, patients, pharmacists, and providers.

(T) Time – During the course of patients’ treatment.

PICOT Question

When nurse specialists educate oral chemotherapy patients (P), does a coordinated educational workflow process (I) lead to a more coordinated interdisciplinary communication system (O), when compared to the current process of sporadic and uncoordinated tracking (C), over the course of the patients’ treatment (T)?

Body Assignment

1. Introduction section

2. A comparison of research questions

3. A comparison of sample populations

4. A comparison of the limitations of the study

5. A conclusion section, incorporating recommendations for further researc

Part 2:

Case Study 1: Disorders of Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Balance

Amanda is an 18-year-old with anorexia nervosa. She was recently admitted to an eating disorders clinic with a BMI of 13.9, and although she was a voluntary patient, she was reluctant about the treatment. She was convinced that she was overweight because her clothes felt tight on her. She complained that even her hands and feet “were fat.” One of her nurses explained that a protein in her blood was low. The nurse further explained that, as difficult as it may be to believe, eating a normal healthy diet would make the “fat hands and feet” go away.

1. What protein do you suspect the nurse was referring to?

2. How would a deficiency in this protein contribute to edema?

3. What is the difference between the physiology of pitting and nonpitting edema?

4. Because of her weakened condition, Amanda was moved around the ward in a wheelchair when she was not on bed rest. How does this affect her edematous tissues?

Part 3:

Mr. Smith brings his 4-year-old son to your primary care office. He states the boy has been ill for three days. Mr. Smith indicates that he would like antibiotics so he can send his son back to pre-school the next day.

History – Child began with sneezing, mild cough, and low grade fever of 100 degrees three days ago. All immunizations UTD. Father reports that the child has had only two incidents of URI and no other illnesses.

Social – non-smoking household. Child attends preschool four mornings a week and is insured through his father’s employment. No other siblings in the household.

PE/ROS -T 99, R 20, P 100. Alert, cooperative, in good spirits, well-hydrated. Mildly erythemic throat, no exudate, tonsils +2. Both ears mild pink tympanic membrane with good movement. Lungs clear bilaterally. All other systems WNL.

For the assignment, do the following:

1. Diagnose the child and describe how you arrived at the diagnosis (i.e. how you ruled out other diagnoses).

2. Provide a specific treatment plan for this patient, pharmacologic and/or nonpharmacologic.

3. Provide a communication plan for how the family will be involved in the treatment plan.

4. Provide resources that Mr. Smith could access which would provide information concerning your treatment decisions.

5. Utilize national standards, your pharm and/or patho book and medical or advanced practice professional sources. Do not use patient-facing sources or general nursing texts to support your diagnosis and treatment.