Prepare a health care problem analysis proposal in outline format (3-10 pages) on a current, relevant health care problem. Include the rationale for selecting the problem, a description of the how the problem is assessed and measured for quality improvement purposes, a proposed industry measure of performance, action steps for completing the project, and a description of the applicable leadership competencies.
Effective health care leaders simultaneously maintain internal organizational and external industry environmental awareness. Leaders are challenged to focus on vision, mission, strategic direction, goals, and objectives while remaining mindful of emerging trends that may affect an organization’s viability. Monitoring the external environment for issues that may represent major challenges to an organization requires ongoing diligence. Health care administrators must identify and prioritize issues affecting their organizations. Furthermore, leaders must select methods and tools with which to analyze data for identification of potential solutions. Leaders in the health care business that excel at what they do keep an eye on both the internal workings of their organizations and the external Leaders must maintain their attention on the organization’s long-term viability, as well as its vision, mission, strategic direction, goals, and objectives. Constant vigilance is required in order to detect potential threats in the external environment. Administrators in the healthcare industry must assess the challenges facing their facilities and determine which ones are most pressing. Further, executives need to decide on the best means of data analysis and the instruments with which to do so.
In this first assessment in your capstone course, you will have an opportunity to select a health care problem that is relevant to your career interests and one that adds value to a current or future health care organization. By the end of the course, you will be drawing from current scholarly and/or authoritative sources to provide evidence-based recommendations to solve the problem.
Demonstration of Proficiency
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:
• Competency 1: Evaluate problems in health care organizations, and apply tools to improve quality and outcomes.
o Describe, using an authoritative source, how the selected health care problem is assessed and measured for quality improvement purposes.
o Describe how five American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) leadership competencies apply to the selected capstone project topic.
• Competency 2: Analyze foundational elements of the U.S. health care system.
o Identify a relevant problem along with the rationale for selecting the problem.
• Competency 4: Analyze records and reports based on established benchmarks and organizational goals and performance.
o Propose an industry measure of performance, such as a benchmark, which pertains to the type of organization selected for problem analysis.
• Competency 5: Create comprehensive and useable data-driven actions plans, based on industry benchmarks.
o Provide a bulleted list of the preliminary action plan steps to review the problem and propose solutions.
• Competency 6: Communicate effectively with diverse audiences, in an appropriate form and style, consistent with applicable organizational, professional, and scholarly standards.
o Create a clear, well organized, professional, and generally error-free outline that describes a relevant health care problem.
Preparation
To successfully complete this first assessment in your capstone course, you will need to conduct independent research on current, relevant problems facing the U.S. health care system. The problem you select needs to meet all of the following criteria:
1. The selected health care problem is likely to affect your current or desired future workplace, such as a hospital, home health care agency, hospice, ambulatory clinic, et cetera.
2. Authoritative and scholarly health care literature addresses the problem of interest.
3. Data is available for the selected problem.
4. The current state can be articulated by describing major factors and the way in which these factors are measured. For example, the selected problem can be analyzed by examining such data as average length of stay (in days) and cost (dollars).
You may begin your research on current, relevant problems facing the health care industry by studying your suggested resources for this assessment. In addition, you may want to consult the Health Care Administration Undergraduate Library Research Guide to help you begin your search for scholarly and authoritative sources on significant, contemporary problems in the health care industry.
Please ensure that the problem is relevant and of sufficient interest to your career goals since all future course work is built upon the stated problem.
Instructions
For this assessment, you will construct a capstone health care problem analysis proposal on your selected topic. You may wish to envision your current or future workplace as the potential site for presentation of the proposal. After your proposal is constructed, you will receive feedback from your faculty member. Later in the course, in a separate assessment, you will receive feedback from a practicing professional about the proposed approach to analyze data relating to the problem.
The requirement for this assessment is to produce a proposal that has clear section headings and contains a flow of logic. You may opt to use an outline format. Please avoid lengthy narrative paragraphs, as the proposal is intended to be presented in an imaginary workplace. Busy executives will not have time to read paragraphs word for word. Instead, expect that your audience will read the document by scanning. Your goal is to provide succinct yet substantive information with sufficient depth to cover your selected problem. Remember to include a cover page, table of contents, section headings, and reference list. The length of the proposal is based upon the breadth and depth of your selected topic.
The following general steps in construction of your proposal contain additional specific information requirements.
• Step 1: Identify a relevant problem along with the associated rationale for the selection of the problem. Be sure to substantiate content with an authoritative source.
o State the problem in a single sentence, tell why it is a problem, and add a citation from a current, authoritative source. For example: Condition X if not addressed may result in Consequence Y (source, year).
• Step 2: Describe, using an authoritative source, how the selected health care problem is assessed and measured for quality improvement purposes. Include relevant factors and associated units of measurement.
o Select six current authoritative sources that apply to your selected problem. You may consider your problem from an industry, organization, or specific professional level. Be sure to include any industry standards, legal, and ethical considerations that relate to your problem.
o Summarize each of the six sources in a succinct sentence or two. Explain how each source directly relates to the problem. Be sure to add an APA formatted citation for each.
• Step 3: Propose an industry measure of performance, such as a benchmark, which pertains to the type of organization selected for problem analysis.
o State the major factors or performance indicators that directly relate to your problem.
o Assign a unit of measurement to each factor (days, dollars, percentage, et cetera.)
o Identify the authoritative source(s) used to determine the major factors you selected that relate to the problem.
o Identify which industry assessment tool or framework you will use to analyze the problem.
• Step 4: Provide a bulleted list of the preliminary action plan steps to complete the capstone health care problem analysis project. Examples include: conduct library search, formulate problem statement, identify factors and units of measure, and so on.
• Step 5: Describe one competency from each of the five American College of Healthcare Executives’ (ACHE) domains that relate to your capstone health care problem analysis proposal.
o Review the ACHE competency model:
o Healthcare Leadership Alliance and the American College of Healthcare Executives. (2018). ACHE healthcare executive competencies assessment tool. Retrieved from https://www.ache.org/pdf/nonsecure/careers/competencies_booklet.pdf
o Provide a short statement about how you practice one competency within each of the five ACHE domains. Consider including a table such as the following within your outline. Note: You have been provided with one example of how you might complete this for one competency within one domain. You will need to complete the entire table—one competency within each of the five domains.
ACHE Domain ACHE Competency Selected How This Competency Relates to the Capstone Health Care Problem Analysis Proposal
Communication and Relationship Management
Leadership
Professionalism
Knowledge of the Healthcare Environment Healthcare Systems and Organizations I chose health care systems and organizations because the capstone project will require me to develop skills in identifying substantive problems that the health care industry needs to address. It will also require me to develop skills in working to resolve a substantive problem within a health care organization.
Business Skills and Knowledge
Reminder: You will condense and use the material from your outline in your final PowerPoint presentation in the fourth course assessment.
Additional Requirements
• Length: 3 to 10 double-spaced pages. Outline length will vary based on your selected topic.
• Font: Use Times New Roman, 12 point font.
• APA: Provide a minimum of six APA-formatted citations and references to current, scholarly and/or authoritative sources.
• Problem selection criteria: Be sure your selected problem meets all four criteria listed under Preparation.
• Writing: Create a clear, well-organized, professional, and generally error-free outline that describes a relevant health care problem.
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Present a health care problem analysis proposal to a practicing health care professional, obtain feedback, and gain approval for the data review project. Negotiate changes to the project scope, focus, or execution based upon the professional’s feedback. Submit the revised and approved proposal with an addendum summarizing the feedback received.
The ability to articulate the potential impact of a project in a concise manner to project stakeholders can impact the successful implementation of any change initiative. The successful outcome of a project depends upon your ability to communicate effectively and to prepare for meetings with important stakeholders.
This assessment is crucial to the success of your health care problem analysis proposal. It provides an opportunity to refine your project proposal and to incorporate feedback from a practicing health care professional. The feedback meeting represents an opportunity for either a one-time or ongoing contact with the practicing health care professional. The health care problem analysis project is designed to add value to a selected health care organization while addressing your professional development goals.
Demonstration of Proficiency
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
• Competency 1: Evaluate problems in health care organizations, and apply tools to improve quality and outcomes.
o Negotiate changes to project scope, execution, or focus, based on feedback solicited from the health care professional.
o Obtain approval for a proposed project.
• Competency 2: Analyze foundational elements of the U.S. health care system.
o Identify the appropriate health care professional in an organization from whom to seek approval for a proposed project.
o Present a project proposal to the selected practicing health care professional.
Preparation
To successfully complete this second course assessment, you will:
• Integrate faculty member feedback and update your health care problem analysis proposal.
• Conduct background research on the prospective health care organization.
o Identify an appropriate health care professional within the organization from whom to seek approval for the proposed project.
o Consider individuals with the requisite decision-making authority who are best able to provide guidance and recommendations.
o Within the organization, be sure to identify a first and second choice health care professional for feedback.
• Review the Practicing Health Care Professional Meeting and Project Approval Guide [DOCX] before contacting the selected health care professional.
o The information provided in this document will help you to prepare for the meeting, present the health care problem analysis proposal, and obtain approval for the project from the health care professional. The resource document provides guidance, recommendations, and examples that are crucial for successful completion of this assessment.
• Research best practices for professional communication and feedback as part of your interview preparation.
• Reflect upon your experience in human services and health care administration relevant to the proposed project. Based on the ACHE competencies, is the proposed project realistic?
• Prepare a list of questions to ask the selected health care professional. The Practicing Health Care Professional Meeting and Project Approval Guide offers guidance in preparing questions.
Instructions
During the meeting with the practicing health care professional on the health care problem analysis proposal, you are expected to complete all of the following:
• Present the proposal to the selected practicing health care professional and actively solicit feedback. Do take notes, as the feedback you receive will be placed in an addendum as part of the assessment.
• Negotiate changes to project scope, focus, or execution, based upon the health care professional’s feedback.
o Note: Plan to arrive at the meeting with proposed performance indicators related to the identified health care issue. However, remember that these may change for a variety of reasons based upon the health care professional’s feedback. For example, the indicators you identified may not be included in the organization’s data sets. Or the individual may advise that different indicators may be more helpful. It is your responsibility to verify, discover, or redefine the performance indicators before proceeding with the project. Using the same performance indicators as the organization will make the final data comparison much easier.
After the meeting, you are expected to complete all of the following:
• Revise the proposal based upon the health care professional’s feedback.
o Please ensure that any negotiated revisions to the proposal meet the course requirements. For example, human subjects research is outside the scope of this course.
• Obtain approval for the proposed data review project from the health care professional.
o Ensure the revised proposal is a collaborative effort between you and the health care professional that meets organizational requirements, such as confidentiality.
o Be sure to consider your role and responsibilities with the health care professional during fulfillment of the data review project.
• Submit the revised, signed copy of the proposal as the deliverable for this assessment.
o Include the client’s signature, title, and contact information.
o Include an addendum summarizing any relevant categorical feedback offered by the health care professional.
o Scan the entire revised proposal, including the signature page, and attach the file in the assessment area for Assessment 2.
Additional Requirements
• Length: The topic’s nature, breadth, and depth will determine the assessment’s length. The guideline is to remain succinct yet substantive and to provide enough detail to adequately address the topic.
• Font: Use Times New Roman, 12-point font.
• Format: Submit the revised, approved proposal and the addendum summarizing the feedback received to the assessment submission area in the courseroom for Assessment 2.

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