WEEK ONE TOPIC/FOCUS: Overview of Health Care: A Population Perspective and Benchmark Learning Objectives Upon completion of Week One, students will be able to: 1) Define and describe the implications for practice developments in U.S. health care. Learning Activities 1) The facilitator and the participants introduce themselves. 2) The facilitator explains the academic outcomes, the grading criteria, major course assignments, etc. 3) Read Chapters 1 and 2. Assignments: (20 points) Due Week 1 Respond in writing to the following questions: 1) Hospitals and other health care institutions, whether voluntary or for-profit, need to be financially solvent to survive growing market pressures. In what ways is this bottom line focus changing the nature of the United States health care system? 2) The typical relationship of patient to physician used to be one of deference to a more knowledgeable authority. Why is it now critically important for patients to take a more proactive role in their medical care? 3) The practice of medicine has undergone dramatic change. Physicians are now accountable for costs and patient care outcomes by organizations that pay for care and their performance track records are exposed to increasing public scrutiny. In your opinion, given these evolving developments, will the attractiveness of medicine as a career decline, stay the same or increase? Consider the rational points for your opinion. 4) Almost every medical or technological advance seems to be accompanied by new and vexing ethical dilemmas. Yet, the United States has no structure in place to resolve such issues. Should the federal or state governments take responsibility for ethical decision-making and for protecting the public? If neither, what might be options for providing ethical guidelines and oversight?

WEEK ONE

TOPIC/FOCUS: Overview of Health Care: A Population Perspective and Benchmark

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of Week One, students will be able to:

1) Define and describe the implications for practice developments in U.S. health care.

Learning Activities


1) The facilitator and the participants introduce themselves.

2) The facilitator explains the academic outcomes, the grading criteria, major course assignments, etc.

3) Read Chapters 1 and 2.

Assignments: (20 points) Due Week 1
Respond in writing to the following questions:

1) Hospitals and other health care institutions, whether voluntary or for-profit, need to be financially solvent to survive growing market pressures. In what ways is this bottom line focus changing the nature of the United States health care system?

2) The typical relationship of patient to physician used to be one of deference to a more knowledgeable authority. Why is it now critically important for patients to take a more proactive role in their medical care?

3) The practice of medicine has undergone dramatic change. Physicians are now accountable for costs and patient care outcomes by organizations that pay for care and their performance track records are exposed to increasing public scrutiny. In your opinion, given these evolving developments, will the attractiveness of medicine as a career decline, stay the same or increase? Consider the rational points for your opinion.

4) Almost every medical or technological advance seems to be accompanied by new and vexing ethical dilemmas. Yet, the United States has no structure in place to resolve such issues. Should the federal or state governments take responsibility for ethical decision-making and for protecting the public? If neither, what might be options for providing ethical guidelines and oversight?