Assessment 2 Policy Proposal

Write a 46 page policy proposal and practice guidelines for improving quality and performance associated with the benchmark metric underperformance you advocated for improving in Assessment 1.

Collapse AllIntroduction

In advocating for institutional policy changes related to local, state, or federal healthcare laws or policies, health leaders must be able to develop and present clear and well-written policy and practice guideline proposals that will enable a team, a unit, or an organization as a whole to resolve relevant performance issues and bring about improvements in the quality and safety of healthcare. This assessment offers you an opportunity to take the lead in proposing such changes.

As a master’s-level healthcare practitioner, you have a valuable viewpoint and voice to bring to discussions about policy development, both inside and outside your care setting. Developing policy for internal purposes can be a valuable process toward quality and safety improvement and ensuring compliance with various healthcare regulatory pressures. This assessment offers you an opportunity to take the lead in proposing such changes as well.

Instructions

Propose an organizational policy and practice guidelines that you believe will lead to an improvement in quality and performance associated with the benchmark underperformance you advocated for improving in Assessment 1. Be precise, professional, and persuasive in demonstrating the merit of your proposed actions.

Requirements

The policy proposal requirements outlined below correspond to the scoring guide criteria, so be sure to address each main point. Read the performance-level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed. In addition, be sure to note the requirements for document format and length and for supporting evidence.

• Explain the need for creating a policy and practice guidelines to address a shortfall in meeting a benchmark metric prescribed by local, state, or federal healthcare policies or laws. Use your topic from Assessment 1 to complete this.
• What is the current benchmark for the organization and the numeric score for underperformance?
• How is the benchmark underperformance affecting the provision of quality care or the organization’s operations?
• What are the potential repercussions of not making any changes?
• What evidence supports your conclusions?
• Summarize your proposed organizational policy and practice guidelines.
• Identify applicable local, state, or federal healthcare policy or law that prescribes relevant performance benchmarks that your policy proposal addresses (using your Advocacy Issues topic from the AHA).
• Keep your audience in mind when creating this summary statement.
• Analyze the potential effects of environmental factors on your recommended practice guidelines.
• What regulatory considerations could affect your recommended guidelines?
• What resources could affect your recommended guidelines (staffing, financial, and logistical considerations, or support services)?
• Explain ethical, evidence-based practice guidelines to improve targeted benchmark performance and the impact the proposed changes will have on the targeted group.
• What does the evidence-based literature suggest are potential strategies to improve performance for your targeted benchmark?
• How would these strategies ensure performance improvement or compliance with applicable local, state, or federal healthcare policy or law?
• How can you ensure that these strategies are ethical and culturally inclusive in their application?
• What is the direct impact of these changes on the stakeholders’ work setting/job requirements?
• Explain why particular stakeholders and groups must be involved in further development and implementation of your proposed policy and practice guidelines.
• Why is it important to engage these stakeholders and groups?
• How can their participation produce a stronger policy and facilitate its implementation?
• Present strategies for collaborating with the stakeholder group to implement your proposed policy and practice guidelines.
• What role will the stakeholder group play in implementing your proposal?
• Why is the stakeholder group and their collaboration important for successful implementation?
• Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.
• Proofread your proposal, before you submit it, to minimize errors that could distract readers and make it more difficult for them to focus on the substance of your proposal.
• Use paraphrasing and summarization to represent ideas from external sources.
• Be sure to apply correct APA formatting to source citations and references.

Policy Proposal Format and Length

It may be helpful to use a template or format for your proposal used in your current organization. The risk management or quality department could be a good resource for finding an appropriate template or format. If you are not currently in practice, or your organization does not have these resources, many appropriate templates are freely available on the Internet.

Your policy summary statement should be succinct (about one paragraph). Overall, your proposal should be 46 pages in length.

Supporting Evidence

Cite 35 references to current and scholarly research, case studies, or best practice guidelines to support your analysis and recommendations.

Competencies Measured

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:

• Competency 1: Analyze relevant healthcare laws, policies, and regulations; their application; and their effects on organizations, interprofessional teams, and professional practice.
• Explain and interpret for stakeholders the need for creating a policy and practice guidelines to address a shortfall in meeting a benchmark metric prescribed by local, state, or federal healthcare policies or laws.
• Competency 2: Lead the development and implementation of ethical and culturally sensitive policies that improve health outcomes for individuals, organizations, and populations.
• Summarize a proposed organizational policy or practice change guideline and analyze the potential effects of environmental factors on recommended practice guidelines.
• Competency 3: Evaluate relevant indicators of performance, such as benchmarks, research, and best practices, to inform healthcare laws and policies for patients, organizations, and populations.
• Explain how ethical, evidence-based practice guidelines to improve targeted benchmark performance will impact a stakeholder group needed for successful implementation of the policy or practice change.
• Competency 4: Develop strategies to work collaboratively with policy makers, stakeholders, and colleagues to address environmental (governmental and regulatory) forces.
• Explain why particular stakeholders and groups must be involved in further development and implementation of a proposed policy or practice change to improve quality and outcomes.
• Present strategies for collaborating with a stakeholder group to implement a proposed policy and practice guidelines.
• Competency 5: Produce clear, coherent, and professional written work, in accordance with Capella’s writing standards.
• Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.
• Support main points, assertions, arguments, conclusions, or recommendations with relevant and credible evidence.

Scoring Guide

Use the scoring guide to understand how your assessment will be evaluated.

Collapse AllCriterion 1

Explain and interpret for stakeholders the need for creating a policy and practice guidelines to address a shortfall in meeting a benchmark metric prescribed by local, state, or federal healthcare policies or laws.

Distinguished

Explains to stakeholders the need for creating a policy and practice guidelines to address a shortfall in meeting a benchmark metric prescribed by local, state, or federal healthcare policies or laws. Clearly articulates the effects of benchmark underperformance and draws sound conclusions about the potential repercussions of inaction, based on credible evidence and relates information to stakeholder group.

Proficient

Explains to stakeholders the need for creating a policy and practice guidelines to address a shortfall in meeting a benchmark metric prescribed by local, state, or federal healthcare policies or laws.

Basic

Identifies to stakeholders the need for creating a policy and practice guidelines to address a shortfall in meeting a benchmark metric prescribed by local, state, or federal healthcare policies or laws. irrespective of a particular need.

Non Performance

Does not explain to stakeholders the need for creating a policy and practice guidelines to address a shortfall in meeting a benchmark metric prescribed by local, state, or federal healthcare policies or laws.

Criterion 2

Summarize a proposed organizational policy or practice change guideline and analyze the potential effects of environmental factors on recommended practice guidelines.

Distinguished

Succinctly summarizes a proposed organizational policy and practice guidelines; analyzes the potential effects of environmental factors on recommended practice guidelines. Identifies clear cause-and-effect relationships and the influence of those factors on specific recommendations.

Proficient

Summarizes a proposed organizational policy and practice change guidelines and the potential effects of environmental factors on recommended practice guidelines.

Basic

Provides a summary that paints an unclear picture of a proposed organizational policy and practice guidelines and/or does not expand on environmental factors that can affect recommended practice guidelines.

Non Performance

Does not summarize a proposed organizational policy and practice guidelines or identify environmental factors that can affect recommended practice guidelines.

Criterion 3

Explain how ethical, evidence-based practice guidelines to improve targeted benchmark performance will impact a stakeholder group needed for successful implementation of the policy or practice change.

Distinguished

Explains how ethical, evidence-based practice guidelines to improve targeted benchmark performance will impact a stakeholder group needed for successful implementation of the policy or practice change. Provides clear and compelling justification, substantiated by credible evidence.

Proficient

Explains how ethical, evidence-based practice guidelines to improve targeted benchmark performance will impact a stakeholder group needed for successful implementation of the policy or practice change.

Basic

Identifies how ethical, evidence-based practice guidelines to improve targeted benchmark performance will impact a stakeholder group needed for successful implementation of the policy or practice change but does not provide context or rationale to support the content.

Non Performance

Does not explain how ethical, evidence-based practice guidelines to improve targeted benchmark performance will impact a stakeholder group needed for successful implementation of the policy or practice change.

Criterion 4

Explain why particular stakeholders and groups must be involved in further development and implementation of a proposed policy or practice change to improve quality and outcomes.

Distinguished

Provides a perceptive and succinct explanation of why particular stakeholders and groups must be involved in further development and implementation of a proposed policy and practice guidelines. Offers clear and convincing rationale for stakeholder and group engagement and how it strengthens policy and facilitates changes in practice to improve quality outcomes.

Proficient

Explains why particular stakeholders and groups must be involved in further development and implementation of a proposed policy and practice guidelines change to improve quality and outcomes.

Basic

Identifies stakeholders and groups who are not the most logical choices to be involved in further development and implementation of a proposed policy and practice guidelines and implementation of a proposed policy or practice change to improve quality and outcomes.

Non Performance

Does not explain why particular stakeholders and groups must be involved in further development and implementation of a proposed policy or practice change to improve quality and outcomes.

Criterion 5

Present strategies for collaborating with a stakeholder group to implement a proposed policy and practice guidelines.

Distinguished

Presents strategies for collaborating with a stakeholder group to implement a proposed policy and practice guidelines. Makes a compelling case for the importance of stakeholder collaboration and considers stakeholder perspectives by addressing possible objections.

Proficient

Presents strategies for collaborating with a stakeholder group to implement a proposed policy and practice guidelines.

Basic

Presents stakeholder collaboration strategies for implementing a proposed policy and practice guidelines that lack clear relevance or insight into the positions and perspectives of the stakeholder group.

Non Performance

Does not present strategies for collaborating with a stakeholder group to implement a proposed policy and practice guidelines.

Criterion 6

Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.

Distinguished

Organizes content so clarity is enhanced and all ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.

Proficient

Organizes content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.

Basic

Organizes content with some logical flow and smooth transitions.

Non Performance

Does not organize content for ideas to flow logically with smooth transitions.

Criterion 7

Support main points, assertions, arguments, conclusions, or recommendations with relevant and credible evidence.

Distinguished

Supports main points, assertions, arguments, conclusions, or recommendations with relevant, credible, and convincing evidence. Skillfully combines virtually error-free source citations with a perceptive and coherent synthesis of the evidence.

Proficient

Supports main points, assertions, arguments, conclusions, or recommendations with relevant and credible evidence.

Basic

Sources lack relevance or credibility, or the evidence is not persuasive or explicitly supportive of main points, assertions, arguments, conclusions, or recommendations.

Non Performance

Does not support main points, assertions, arguments, conclusions, or recommendations with relevant and credible evidence.