Health Policy And Professional Leadership – Exploring Topic Areas

N431: Health Policy and Professional Leadership

Exploring Topic Areas

Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to introduce the student to various [proposed] health care bills and policies and to explore the processes involved in attaining passage of proposed bills or policies into law.

There are a number of health policy websites that allow you to explore what is currently happening in the health policy arena. Below are the websites recommended for this assignment.  Each of these has additional links and resources which will help you to gather information.  Remember to consider various levels of government action at the federal, state, county and city, and the many branches of government – administrative, legislative, and executive.

  • [No Wiki or Blog]
    • #1) Search any of these sites to find 3 health-related new policies, newly proposed bills, and/or issues which have been introduced or voted upon within the past 6 months.
    • All 3 should still be in the introduction or negotiation phases and NOT already PASSED.
    • You may need to dig around the site to find 3 areas of interest related to health to discuss in this paper.  Your choices should be topics that you are interested in as you will select ONE of these for use in the next 2 assignments.
  • Remember: You do not want a bill or law that has been passed or that is being revised/amended.  
  • #2) Your step is to address all of the questions below, for each of the 3 topics that you have selected.
  • You should be able to completely address each topic in 1 page.
    • Keep to the point. The combined analysis of the 3 proposed bills will make up a paper which is no longer than 4 pages excluding the cover page and reference page.  Deductions will be made for excessive length, or not meeting the minimum page requirement [4].

 

  • Directions for Exploring Topic Areas Word Document:
    • *See also Rubric which correlates with this list
  1. Identify the topic:
  2. Provide identification of 3 newly proposed items of interest:
  • list them and address them by their official number [if applicable]
  • and bill name: [Example: S:683 or H.R. 1538, S:754-Cybersecurity]
  1. Summary:
  2. a) Include a short summary describing the topic/the issue
  3. b) and the history of the issue to date [how it came to be in the first place]
  4. c) Riders MUST be addressed: Describe any attached issues or additional parts/’riders’ if this is a proposed bill being discussed.
  • [There are often ‘riders’ to a proposed bill. Something that is being added.  Include whatever it is and discuss the history of it, relevance of it to the main topic. * See ‘About Riders’ in Student Resource tab-D2L]
  1. Population: Discuss the population that will be affected by the proposed issue & how they are affected.
  2. HCP: Discuss the role of health care professionals in this issue? [this is may require additional consideration from your critical thinking-not necessarily a resource]
  3. Pro/Con X 3 bills: List and discuss 1 pro and 1 con [Minimum] related to EACH issue. 
  4. Expert testimony: Include discussion of 1 expert in the field who can, does, or is speaking out, or publishing information to address this new issue. This means that you are looking for 3 different people. – [Experts may be an author, a lobbyist, someone with professional experience (MD, Lawyer, Nurse, SW etc. **.).] Please Note: This person is NOT the sponsor of the bill or proposed issue being discussed.  Only 1% of the time is the political office holder an expert on the topic in health care.   
  5. Your Position: Lastly, comment briefly on your position on this topic.  If you approve or disapprove of the issue and your factual reasons why.
    1. [This should not comprise more than ¼ of the entire paper].
  6. APA et al: All the normal paper requirements-see list in rubric: APA format (including title page, reference page, introduction, headings and subheadings, conclusion) [APA is double spaced which means ~ 500 words per page]

Suggestions:

  • Use the rubric below to lay out your paper.
    • Using the items listed as headings and subheadings will keep you and the reader focused.  It will also help to avoid missing something.
  • There is a blank template and APA example with comments available in the Student Resources to help set up APA formatting.
  • Use the CSS to review your draft or contact your instructor [at least 2 weeks in advance of the due date] to review a draft.
  • Save all site names that you visit to a word document so that you have all of your references when you get ready to cite and reference.
  • Check every source for help in citing. Most articles will have the citation on it.  Websites will offer help on how to cite their page in the ‘about us’ tab.

Citation help for on-line sources:  Quite often when you visit a webpage there is no author to be found on the page.  However, someone OWNS that information.  It cannot be used without giving credit to the author and or owner.  So when visiting a webpage: If there is not an author listed with the information. You should then use the owner of the information that you must cite and reference is listed at the bottom of the page with the © Copyright symbol.

[Here is an Example at the page bottom: ©2015 the American Nurses Association, Inc. All Rights Reserved American Nurses Association 8515 Georgia Ave Suite 400 Silver Spring, MD 20910]

So the citations would be: (American Nurses Association, 2015)

The reference would be: American Nurses Association, (2015). Coalitions. Retrieved from http://www.rnaction.org/site/PageNavigator/nstat_ana_coalitions.html [This may also be shortened to http://www.rnaction.org]

When in doubt…check the D2L-Quick Links- APA site or Purdue OWL

 

Grading Rubric: Exploring Topic Areas

Points Possible Points Awarded and Comments
Introduction and Conclusion 4
1.Three proposed topics [each with bill name and number or identifier] 6
2. A brief summary of all 3 topics 12
3. Clearly addressed Riders   X 3 bills 6
4. Identified Population & effect 10
5. Addressed the role of healthcare professionals x 3 10  
6. Pros & Cons [1 each x 3 bills = 6 total] 10
7. Includes THREE expert opinions [1 per topic] 8  
8. Personal position on proposals x 3 2
9.-APA format et al.–cover page, citations, references listed on a ref page, body pg. limit=4 6
10.-Correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, headings/ subheadings citations, references 6
80