Abstract
This paper discusses litigation involving health care providers and how an increase in medical malpractice litigation has occurred over the past 10 years and that the principal cause of this increase was an inadequate legal structure for medical malpractice. It looks at how malpractice claims are a threat to the professional health care provider in all facets of the health care system and for a wide variety of procedures and activities. It proposes a research study to analyze these issues with a view toward recommending solutions that will lead to a reduction in the frequency of litigation while preserving the essential rights of all particles involved in such issues.

Outline
Introduction
Introductory Statement
Statement of the Problem
Research Questions
Background on the Problem
Significance of the Study
Overview of the Study
Review of Literature
Managed Care
Clinical Ethics
Medical Practice Guidelines
What Guidelines Are
Why Guidelines Are Developed
How Guidelines Are Developed
Legal Implications of Guidelines
Responsibilities of the Patient
Conclusions of the Literature Review
Methodology
Research Design
Research Questions and Hypotheses
Variables and Operational Definitions
Population and Sample
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Methodological Limitations
Method Summary
Results
Introduction
Descriptive Statistics
Results of Testing the Hypotheses
Hypothesis One
Hypothesis Two
Hypothesis Three
Hypothesis Four
Summary Conclusions and Implications
General Summary
Conclusions
Implications
Appendix
Survey Questionnaire
References

From the Paper
"Clinical guidelines and protocols were originally developed to evaluate quality of care and, more recently, to establish standards (Wells, Astrachan, Tischler, & Unutzer, 1995). In the context of managed care in the contemporary period, guidelines generally are used to allocate resources or to assure that the level of quality of care matches the cost. Guidelines may use implicit or explicit criteria, they may be based on clinical consensus and/or scientific literature, or, in some cases, they may be more arbitrary in origin. The degree of input by clinicians varies considerably across applications. Often the protocols or guidelines used in managed care are not available for review by employers or consumers, and data on the validity and reliability of the criteria cannot be obtained except for use in a research study. Increasingly, components of clinical practice guidelines are being used as the basis for managing episodes of care for specific disease conditions."

Tags:medical, malpractice, law, care

Abstract
This paper analyzes a plan to provide unified electronic information exchange among New York's health professionals. The paper focuses primarily on the underprivileged communities in New York City. The paper also takes a look at the problems relating to the use of the relevant technology.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Importance of the Project
Primary Care Information Project
Stakeholder Analysis
Identifying the Target Population
Testing and Design
Plan of Action
Recommendations

From the Paper
"The pilot study is an excellent way to measure the difficulties that may be encountered in the implementation of the plan for the remainder of the qualified providers. The pilot study provided a plan for training of the doctors that would help them become familiar with the technology and system. However, in the Plan of Action, the training phase was left out. Training will be a major contributing factor to the success of the plan and needs to be addressed in the plan of action. The training needs to be universal for all participants. They need to understand all of the issues and be made aware of where they can receive technical support and assistance when they need it. The action plan needs to provide a more comprehensive plan for training and standardized training materials. "

Tags:national, health, PCIP, transcription, drugs, examination

Abstract
This paper attempts to understand the difficulties faced by health care providers and administrators in today's medical climate and how they need handle the challenges in decision making, using proper moral and ethical guidelines. It examines how knowledge is the basis for effective decision making ,as well as the four principles that health care practitioners must consider when faced with a dilemma: autonomy, beneficence, non-malfeasance and justice.

Outline
Introduction
Morality and Ethics
Ethics Approaches and Theories
Means, Ends, Principles and Virtues
Section Two: Professional Roles
Surviving Professional Life Ethically
The Professional Patient Relationship
Special Challenges
Conclusion
Bibliography

From the Paper
"Knowing what you believe, how strongly you believe, and what your moral convictions are will serve you well when you face an ethical question. Self-examination is a process that should be practiced until it becomes automatic. Analyzing incidences or decisions you have made in the past will help later on when you may be the one to whom everyone else is looking for direction or advice. This is especially relevant to a health services manager because there will be many times when you will be expected to give a "right" answer to employees, patients, or their families in a very limited amount of time. By practicing self-examination and even engaging in professional role-playing, one will become a better decision maker."

Tags:administration, hospital, human, service, knowledge, decision

Abstract
This paper analyzes what the relationship between employee productivity and employee perceptions of job satisfaction or dissatisfaction is, among behavioral care workers in private mental health provider organizations. It shows that the findings of this study are that behavioral care workers in private mental health care provider organizations generally are satisfied with their jobs and that job satisfaction was positively related to the productivity of behavioral care workers.

From the Paper
"Behavioral care workers in mental health care provider organizations frequently are required to care for patients who are acutely psychotic, aggressive, highly destructive, suicidal, or at risk of escape. Traditionally, "management strategies" for such patients have included the use of physical restraints, seclusion rooms, or constant one-to-one observation. These strategies have been criticized on grounds of ethics, economics, and efficacy (Montgomery & Johnson, 1996). The continued use of seclusion and restraint in psychiatric facilities "in the face of low confidence in such coercive interventions by health care professionals may be a sign both of the persistence of traditional practices which have not been closely examined, as well as by the use of these traditional practices to shield the staff of such facilities against fear of mental illness, violence and loss of control" (Goren & Curtis, 1996, p. 7). Under such conditions, the stress placed on behavioral care workers becomes intense. Even when the needs of patients are less demanding than those described above, pressures and stress on behavioral care givers can reach damaging levels when accompanied by unsatisfactory organizational or working conditions (Wells, Astrachan, Tischler, & Unutzer, 1995)."

Tags:employment, burnout, patients

Abstract
This paper compares and contrasts the approaches and the marketing strategies of two health care provider organizations in relation to competitive positioning in a market and product differentiation to support the competitive positioning.

From the Paper
"This paper compares and contrasts the approaches and the marketing strategies of two health care provider organizations in relation to competitive positioning in a market and product differentiation to support the competitive positioning. The two health care provider organizations participate in the same type of health care service delivery which in this case is a combination of hospital care and outpatient clinical care. The two organizations are Kaiser Permanente and Group Health Cooperative of ..."

Tags:na

Abstract
This paper discusses how the baby boomer generation is preparing for retirement and how, as a result, in that retirement there will be a significant shortage in American physicians. This paper further discusses international medical graduates, as well as minority physicians and the complications that arise for these populations.

From the Paper
"In the decades of the 1960s and 1970s the United States believed that there was an abundance of physicians. According to USA Today, and author, Dennis Cauchon, this was a true assertion (2005, p. 1A). However, what the United States apparently failed to realize was that many of the doctors who practiced medicine during that period were part of the "baby boomer" generation, and that one day they would all retire. Current research indicates that by the year 2016 thousands of physicians will begin to retire in the United States, and that medical school training statistics indicate there will not be enough doctors trained to cover the shortage that will occur (Cauchon, 2005, p. 1A). Yet, many states contend that there is a current physician shortage in the United States, that affects hospitals, rural areas, and specialty areas (Cauchon, 2005, p. 1A). "

Tags:health, care, providers

Abstract
The paper discusses how the shortage of healthcare and poorer standards of quality have tested the ability of society to provide the medical support that the population needs. The paper relates that the present standard of care has raised concerns among health care providers and patients regarding the implementation of new methods of improving the standard of care. This paper provides an overview of the healthcare industry's standard of care and suggests concepts that hospital management and health care providers could utilize to improve the quality of healthcare overall.

Outline:
Introduction
Standard of Care
Conclusion

From the Paper
"In the medical profession, the business process perspective refers to internal processes. Metrics based on this perspective allow the managers to know how well their business is running, and whether its products and services conform to patient's requirements. These metrics have to be carefully designed by those who know these processes most intimately, usually includes the identification of mission-oriented processes, and support processes. Mission-oriented processes are the special functions of government offices, whereas the support processes are more repetitive, and easier to benchmark and measure using generic metrics. The patient perspective can be improved by enhancing the quality of care, and perhaps by offering additional services needed by the physicians that are not currently addressed or not stressed enough. The final perspective, financing healthcare, involves timely and accurate funding where the implementation of a corporate database would ideally centralize the majority of the processing of the data in addition to automating the processing of financial data. A hospital or health care provider could successfully implement this perspective by including additional metrics, such as other types of financial related data, such as risk-assessment and cost-benefit data."

Tags:health, care, policy, patients

Abstract
This paper discusses health care for the quarter of the population of the United States which is in or has a job related to the armed services. A network of health care providers offer complete health benefits to these men and women and is worth over $45 billion. Specifically, this paper discusses the major components and partners of the U.S. Military Health System, which are health affairs, Army medicine, Navy medicine, Air Force medicine, U.S. Coast Guard medicine, the Tri-Care system, the Uniformed Services University health sciences, the public health service, the Veterans' Administration and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).

From the Paper
"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is dedicated to improving the health, safety and well-being of America. Their policy states that office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation's focus is on welfare, poverty, service delivery issues, data for research, policies affecting children, youth and families, and economic matters affecting the Department. The major areas that are covered are child welfare, consumer choice, data and information policy, data sources and statistics, early childhood and school readiness, employment and a host of other human relations related areas. The department deals not only with child welfare, but with substance (alcohol and drug) abuse, as well as violence and poverty. With this broad a spectrum, the department focuses on groups in the nation that demand its services most, such as the American Indian, Alaska Natives and Native Americans; the children of the nation, disabled, elderly, families, homeless, immigrants, low-income individuals and families, racial and ethnic minorities, rural populations, un- and under-insureds, veterans, workers and unemployed and youth. Currently, studies are being funded by this department in obesity found among American Indians/Alaska Natives, as well as gaps and strategies for improving these groups. Uninsureds and Under-insureds are being charted in the U.S. Health System Chart Book and employer-provided health insurance data is being collected in other funded studies."

Tags:armed services, providers benefits components partners medicine

Abstract
In this article, the writer considers how health care providers can balance the need for comprehensive medical data with the requirement for patient privacy mandated by HIPAA. The writer identifies threats to data security.

From the Paper
"As information technology has become more complex and comprehensive it is possible for providers to have greater access to a broad spectrum of information regarding their patients. Increasingly providers have information not only related to their direct interaction with patients but information from other providers that might be available through an HMO for example. While this can lead to better care by decreasing the likelihood of one provider not knowing what care strategy another provider is pursuing it also raises ..."

Tags:healthcare, information systems, patient privacy, medical data, HIPAA

Abstract
This paper explains that, in the U.K., private health care providers are consistently seeking to expand their business and influence in the face of a declining National Healthcare System; and thus, in order for private health care providers to successfully market their services to the public, they must first prove that what they have to offer is worthwhile and ethical. The author states that the primary goal of this dissertation is to develop a theory-building process that will result in a strategic marketing plan for acute health care in the UK that will (1) build on best practices based on current medical ethics standards, (2) support the private health care industry's goals, and (3) provide guidance for private healthcare industry participants in the strategic marketing development process. The paper relates that the data will be collected via questionnaire utilizing Likert-type scales distributed to health care providers, marketing agents, and consumers.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Research Rational
Goals/Objectives of Study
Literature Review
Methodology
Approach/Research Design
Methods for Data Collection
Methods for Data Analysis
Discussion
Purpose/Relevance of Study

From the Paper
"The private healthcare sector within the UK accounts for 25.3% of the UK healthcare market as of 2000. The private industry is divided among the following sectors: primary care services, acute care, psychiatric care, long term care and private medical insurance. Within the private healthcare sector, acute care accounts for a very small portion of services offered, and therefore will likely require the most aggressive marketing stratagems. Long term care accounts for the largest sector. The National Health Care Service in the UK has been suffering from a variety of problems affecting the infrastructure, including staff shortages. This leaves opportunity for growth in the private industry. This paper will focus on the acute care sector, which is currently expanding gradually in part as a result of the development of specialist facilities."

Tags:theory-building, questionnaire, likert, aggressive, planning