| Assignment
Parameters:
- Each student or team must select a topic from the list
provided by the professor and schedule a time to make their
presentation.
- The paper and presentation should discuss all sides of
the issue and the impact that alternative courses of action
may have on the health care system.
- The paper should provide current information on the topic,
updating data in the text.
- The purposes of the presentation are to demonstrate a
well-rounded understanding of the topic on the part of each
team member and to provide the class with in depth information
on a current issue in American health care.
- Papers must be presented in good form and must cite at
least five sources from current (2001-present) journals
or periodicals. Must be at least 10 full pages, double spaced,
but not more than 15 pages.
Table of
Contents
|
Prescription
Drug Costs and Financing
- How much have prescription drug prices and total costs risen
in the last 10 or 20 years? What are the factors in this increase?
What has been the impact on consumers, insurance plans, employers,
governments? What are insurance plans and Medicare doing or talking
about doing to control costs? What are the pros and cons of the
major alternatives?
Liability and
Tort Reform
- What impact do liability/malpractice losses have on the healthcare
system? What major reforms have been enacted or are under consideration?
Discuss the pros/cons of each.
Current and Projected
Status of the Medicare Program
- How much is the accumulated surplus or deficit of the program?
What has its yearly surplus/deficit been in recent years? What
is projected for this year and the future? What is the projected
impact of reforms that have been enacted in the last five years?
What reforms are under serious consideration and what is their
projected impact?
Healthy People
2010
- Describe this initiative. How is it funded and who oversees
it? Who participates? What are its main goals? How does it compare
with Healthy People 2000? What progress has been made toward the
goals? Be sure to use journal articles commenting on the initiative
and not just the Healthy People web sites.
Current and Projected
Supply of Caregivers
- Discuss physicians, both primary care and specialists, as well
as other caregivers such as nurses, therapists, physicians' assistants,
etc. What is the overall supply versus demand as well as the distribution?
What is projected?
Impact of Managed
Care
- Discuss impact on physicians, hospitals, and other providers.
Discuss financial impact as well as impact on quality and job
satisfaction from the point of view of providers. What changes
have consumers had to make as they moved from traditional insurance
to managed care plans? How do consumers feel about managed care
plans? (Be sure to quote valid sources--not just personal opinions!)
How have managed care plans impacted total health costs in America?
What measurable impacts are there on quality and access?
Consumer Driven
Health Care
- Backlash against restrictions has led to a weakening of managed
care controls and resurgence in health care costs. Many articles
recently have examined a new approach labeled consumer driven
health care or defined contribution health benefits. What are
the key elements of this approach? How is it different from managed
care? What does current literature suggest to be advantages, concerns,
and the projected future for this approach?
Alternative Medicaid
Systems
- What are the main issues that Medicaid programs have struggled
with in recent years in Utah and nationally? What strategies has
Utah implemented? What strategies have some other states used?
Be sure to include data that measure the success or failure of
these alternatives.
National Health
Insurance
- Does national health insurance work in a free market economy?
Socialized medicine has been touted as the solution for improving
access, quality and cost for the U. S. Health system. In the past
other countries such as Canada, Germany, U.K. and Sweden have
been used as examples where socialized medicine works. In the
last few years there have been troubling reports of problems funding
health care and increased limitations on access for citizens of
those countries. What can we learn from the experience of other
nations and how would it work or not work in the United States?
Medicare Reforms
of 2003
- Describe the main points of the Medicare Prescription Drug,
Improvement, and Modernization Act that was enacted late in 2003.
What are the major impacts expected to be? Be sure to talk about
access, quality, and cost.
Mandated Insurance
Coverage
- In April 2006 Massachusetts enacted legislation requiring everyone
in the state to have health insurance. Describe the law and how
insurance will be paid for different groups of people (covered
through employer, not covered through employer, high income, low
income, etc.). What advantages and disadvantages of this approach
have been described in the literature? Have other states enacted
or seriously considered similar legislation?
Books
on Managed Care & Other Healthcare System Issues
- A second opinion: Rescuing America's healthcare: A plan
for universal coverage serving patients over profit RA395.A3
R45 2007 (one copy each at Stewart and Davis libraries)
- Fads, fallacies and foolishness in medical care management
and policy R729.5.H43 M37 2007
- Health care at risk: A critique of the consumer-driven
movement RA394.J67 2007
- Health care politics, policy, and services: A social
justice analysis RA395.A3 A4795 2007
- Health care reform now!: A prescription for change RA395.A3
H3449 2007
- Restoring fiscal sanity 2007: The health spending challenge
RA410.53.R488 2007
- Sick: The untold story of America's health crisis-and
the people who pay the price RA395.A3 C635 2007
- Medicine and the market: Equity v. choice RA410.53.C352
2006
- The Elgar companion to health economics RA410.E46
2006
- Medicare: A policy primer RA412.3.M658
2006
- The truth about health care: Why reform is not working
in America RA395.A3 M4184 2006
- Medicare matters: What geriatric medicine can teach
American health care RA412.3.C39 2005
- Essentials of the U.S. health care system WSU
Davis RA395.A3 S486 2005
- Managed care and monopoly power: The antitrust challenge
RA395.A3 H32 2003
- The ethics of managed care: A pragmatic approach
RA413.A618 2001
- Medical justice: A guide to fair provision
RA445.A95 2001
- Code Blue Archives RA413.5.U5 M33 2000
- Case management: A practical guide to success in managed
care RT90.7.P67 2000
- Good but not perfect: A case study of managed care
RA413.E66 2000
- The economic evolution of American health care: From
Marcus Welby to managed care RA413.D73 2000
- Organization ethics in health care RA413.O74
2000
- Regulating managed care: Theory, practice, and future
options KF1183.R44 1999
- Managed care: Financial, legal, and ethical issues
RA413.M264 1999
- Understanding the U.S. health services system
RA395.A3 B27 1999
- Ethical challenges in managed care: A casebook
RA413.E876 1999
- Managed care and the inner city: The uncertain promise
for providers, plans, and communities RA413.5.U5
A57 1999
- Managed care contracting: A practical guide for health
care executives RA413.5.U5 G37 1999
- Managed care: What it is and how it works RA413.5.U5
K655 1998
- Managed care ethics: Essays on the impact of managed
care on traditional medical ethics R725.5.L3 1998
- Managed care and public health RA395.A3
M356 1998
- Integrating managed care and ethics: Transforming challenges
into positive outcomes RA413.5.U5 R58 1998
- Health care in the United States: The facts and the
choices RA395.A3 A96 1996
- Essentials of managed health care RA413.E87
1995
- Medicine's dilemmas: infinite need versus finite
resources RA410.53.K55 1994
- The private regulation of American health care
RA395.A3 L496 1994
- Beyond crisis: Confronting healthcare in the United
States RA395.A3 B48 1994
Use a combination of in
health-related, business, and general databases for a more well-rounded
presentation:
Tip:
You may search each database individually, or you may search Business
Source Premier, Academic Search Premier, Health Source, MEDLINE,
and CINAHL at the same time. To do this, go to the EbscoHost
list, select all the databases you want to search, and click the
continue button at the bottom of the screen.
Also, remember that you
only want articles published from 2001-present. Newer articles
will appear first in your search, so you may only need to look at
the first few screens. You may also limit your search to articles
in that time frame to retrieve fewer results.
Healthcare
Statistics & Demographics Sources
Utah
Sources
- Kids Count Data Book Reference Table 5B
HQ792 .U5 K53
- Utah Health Profile RA447 U8U8
- Utah's Vital Statistics - Abortions
Reference HQ767.5 U5S745
- Utah's Vital Statistics - Births and Deaths
Reference HA 661.U838
- Maternal and Infant Health Reference
RG 961.U8R4
- Child and Adolescent Hospitalizations
for Most Frequent Conditions in Utah
Reference RJ 242.C46
- Suicide in Utah Reference HV 6548.U5S8552
- Utah Youth Household Survey on Substance Abuse 1997
Reference HV 4999.3.U8U80
- Mortality by Cause, Sex, Age and Autopsy, Residents:
Utah 1998 Reference HB
1355.U8M66
- Leading Cause of Death in Utah by Age and Sex Reference
HB 1355.U8L4
- Injuries in Utah Reference
HB 1323.A2I15
- Women's (and Men's) Health in Utah
Reference RA 410.8.U8W65
- Community Health Status: Selected Measures of Health
Status by Small Area in Utah Reference
RA 447.U8C6
- Chronic Medical Conditions in Utah Reference
RA 407.4.U8C4
- Measures of Child Well-Being in Utah HV
742 .U8 M43 - Table 5B
- Mortality by cause, sex, age and autopsy, residents:
Utah HB 1355 .U8 M66 T3b
- Statistical Abstract of Utah HA661 .S723
- Ref Desk
- Utah's Health, An Annual Review RA395 .A4
U83
- Utah Public Health Outcome Measures RA407.4
.U8 U826
- Overview of the 1996 Health Status Survey
Reference RA 161.O7 1998
- Kids Count Data Book Reference
Table 5B HQ792 .U5 K53
- Measures of Child Well-Being in Utah
Reference Table 5B
HV742 .U8 M43
- Health Care State Rankings RA407.3.H423
- Reference Table 5B
- Women's Health in Utah 1996 RA 407.4
.U8 W6 - Reference
- Utah Dept.
of Health
- Utah Health Care
Statistics
- IBIS
Utah Department of Health Indicator Based System for Public Health
Health Care Statistics, Vital Statistics & Records, Public
Health Assessment. IBIS-PH Provides a primary point of access
to a variety of information available through the Utah Department
of Health, including reports, health measures, and numeric public
health data.
- Utah
Health Facts from the National Center for Health Statistics
- Substance
Abuse in Utah
- Utah
- County Quick Facts
-
Utah County Demographics and Economics
- American
Factfinder Provides statistical data at the zip code
level (use the Fact Sheet option at the top of the page)
- Utah
Agency List
Scroll down to Health or Human Services for links to
Utah government agency sites.
US
Sources
- Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
- MMWR: Morbidity
and Mortality Weekly Report
- National Center
for Health Statistics
Collects and analyzes and disseminates health statistics, such
as the U.S.
Vital and Health Statistics
- WHO Statistical
Information System (WHOSIS)
Statistical reports on many topics. From the World Health Organization.
- Statistical
Abstracts of the U.S.
Since 1878, the Statistical Abstract has been the single most
authoritative source of facts about the people, institutions and
economy of the country. This is a publication of the Census Bureau
and is compiled from government and private sources and is an
excellent place to start when looking for statistics. This is
an annual and covers a broad range of topics, mostly United States,
but includes some international. Most recent print edition is
located at the Reference Desk.
- U.S. Census Bureau
-
Health,
United States
"Health, United States presents national trends in health statistics
on such topics as birth and death rates, infant mortality, life
expectancy, morbidity and health status, risk factors, use of
ambulatory care and inpatient care, health personnel and facilities,
financing of health care, health insurance and managed care,
and other health topics. " HE 20.7042/6: - Reference Table
5B. Older editions are in Government Documents.
-
Statistical
Record of Health & Medicine
"This book provides statistics on : health status and lifestyle
of Americans; health care establishments; health care programs;
medical professions; politics, opinions, and law; medical practices
and procedures; health care costs; and international rankings
and comparisons. Data gathered from approximately 300 sources
including the U.S. federal government, newspapers, business
periodicals, trade magazines, association publications, and
others. The source is listed for each set of statistics. The
Keyword Index is cross-referenced for easy access." RA
407.3H423 - Reference Table 8B.
- Health & Healthcare of the United States
Compilation of demographics, vital statistics including births
and fertility as well as deaths and causes, healthcare resources
including healthcare personnel and facilities, and Medicare data.
Data has been compiled from various federal and private sources
and is available at the county and metropolitan area level.
LB 2846.6E38 - Reference Table 8B.
-
Mental
Health, United States
"Provides summaries of statistical information on topics that
will be of concern in health care reform. Covers such topics
as: policy considerations; behavioral managed care approaches;
managed behavioral health care; behavioral health care in HMOs;
mental health epidemiological data; Medicare and Medicaid programs
on mental health; mental health services in rural areas; and
data on mental health providers." HE 20.8137: Reference
Table 8B.
-
Injury
Facts
National Safety Council - "Source of accurate, comprehensive
& objective statistics on unintentional injuries, their
costs, trends and other characteristics. New estimates of deaths,
disabling injuries and costs for 1998 Final mortality statistics
for 1996, Updated occupational injury and illness incidence
rates from BLS (for 1997), and the Council's Occupational Safety/Health
Award Program (for 1998), new information on lifetime risk of
fatal work injury, occupational risks to young workers, new
information on length of disability due to upper extremity musculoskeletal
disorders, new research on the effects of recent speed limit
increases, Current data on the nature of injury in home fire
deaths, & new data on commercial chemical incidents." Formerly
known as Accident Facts.
-
Vital
Statistics of the United States
National Center for Health Statistics. Detailed statistics on
marriage, divorce, abortions, and mental health hospitalizations.
HE 20.6210 - Government Documents. 1988-1996 in print. 1994-2002
online.
National Vital Statistics Reports are online
also.
-
Health
Care State Rankings
"This annual publication contains over 500 tables ranking each
of the fifty states by a variety of health and medical service
criteria. Broad categories include births and reproductive health,
deaths, medical facilities, finance, incidence of disease, medical
providers, and physical fitness." RA 407.3S732 Reference
Table 8B.
- Best of Health: Demographics of Health Care Consumers
Reference Table 5B
- Healthy People 2010
"Healthy People 2010 is a national health promotion and disease
prevention initiative that brings together national, state, and
local government agencies; nonprofit, voluntary, and professional
organizations; businesses; communities; and individuals to promote
the two overall goals of: Increased quality of life and years
of health life and the elimination of health disparities." HE 20.2 P 39 Government Documents Also online
- Center for Disease
Control Data & Statistics
- White
House Social Statistics Briefing Room
- Statistical
Resources on the Web- Health
University of Michigan
International
Sources
- World Development Indicators, 1998 Reference
Table 5B
- Statistical Abstract of the World Reference
Table 5B
- Europa World Yearbook Reference Table
5A
Be sure to completely
and accurately cite all of the sources you use in your paper!
Accurately documenting sources used for research is an important
part of the writing and research process. Documentation is important
because:
- It is used to give credit for information originally written
elsewhere.
- Documentation enables others to find the same information again.
- Failure to give credit for drawing on the work of others constitutes
plagiarism.
A proper citation should
include the following information when relevant:
- Author(s)
- Title of book or title of journal article
- Source information
- For an article (publication name, volume, issue, year, page
numbers)
- For a book, or other item (publisher and place of publication)
- Date published ( for most items)
- URL with date retrieved (for Web sites)
- Database where information was retrieved (for many electronic
publications)
APA and
MLA are the two most popular citation styles for
undergraduates. See the Stewart Library guide
on citations or use the links below to view citation examples.
- APA
American Psychological Association
- MLA
Modern Language Association
For more information
on citing sources using APA consult the Publication
Manual of the American Psychological Association,
Fifth Edition (2001). For complete rules and guidelines for
MLA format see the 6th edition of: Gibaldi , Joseph.
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.
Both of these sources
may be found in the reference area of the Stewart Library.
-
RATS
(Read All The Screens!):
Be sure to read the search screens on your database
carefully. Some databases only search a certain default
time range (e.g. only six months). You may have to change
this in your search to find what you need. Also, look
to see what field options (title, author, company name, etc.)
you have in your advanced search screen- this will really help
you narrow down your search.
-
PDF:
Some full text articles come in PDF format,
which requires Adobe Acrobat software. You can download
this for free at home. Downloading
files using Acrobat can be very slow over a 56Kb modem, but
many people do it. If you are impatient, downloading articles
from a student computer lab or any terminal with high-speed
Internet access is a better option.
-
Printing,
downloading, emailing: Most databases provide
you with the choice of printing, downloading, or emailing the
full text of the articles to your email account. Look
for tabs or buttons on the database screens for these options.
-
Saving
articles to disk: When you save articles to
a floppy or zip disk, make sure that you always save the file
as a text file (.txt). This way, it doesn't matter what
word processing software you use (Word, Word Perfect, WordPad,
NotePad, etc.); they all read text files. If you are unsure
how to do this, call the reference desk at 626-6415 and ask.
-
If
you ONLY want full text , be sure to tell the database
that's what you want. On most databases, there is a 'full
text only' box that can be chosen from the search screen.
-
Locating
'scholarly
' or 'professional' journal articles: If
you are required to use ONLY scholarly, academic, or professional
business journals, most databases will have a 'peer-reviewed'
or 'refereed' option to check on the search screen. If
you check this box, you will NOT get magazines or newspapers.
-
Customizing
your search:
-
To
broaden your search, use truncation symbols.
Truncation will pick up any ending to a particular word.
For example: market* finds articles with the word
market, markets, marketing, marketer, marketers, etc.
Account? will find articles with the word account, accounts,
accounting, accountable, accountancy, accountant, accountants,
etc. The symbols may be different for each database.
-
ABI/Inform
uses the ?
-
Business
Source Premier, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Academic Search Premier,
and Health Source use the *
-
If
you're not sure what the symbol for another database
is, call the reference desk and ask (626-6415).
-
For
a better, more customized search, always used 'advanced'
search screens . These will give you multiple
search boxes, instead of just one, and most will offer various
fields for a more narrow search.
For example, when searching for information on a specific
company, use the 'company name' field instead of just typing
in the company name. That way, you'll pull up articles
that focus on your company, instead of those that just mention
your company somewhere in the article.
When searching for materials,
try a variety of databases- ask a librarian for suggestions based
on your topic. Remember- different databases will have different
coverage, and will look a little different. One good strategy
is to try to find one or two GOOD articles- once you've found them,
look at the terms they use, and try another search using those terms.
For more detailed information on finding full text articles from
business database, see 'finding
full text articles online'.
GET STARTED EARLY!
If you can find it, we can get it, but you need to start your research
early. You might find some really great stuff that is not
available in full text, or articles from journals that we don't
have access to. If this is the case, all you have to do is
use our Interlibrary Loan
service. These things might take a few days or
a week.
Remember that you can
always ask me for help:
G. Megan Davis
Health Sciences Librarian
Room 149, Stewart Library
801-626-6069
megandavis1@weber.edu
If you STILL can't find
exactly what you need, or have questions...
- CALL the Reference desk at: 626-6514
- CLICK on the Live assistance button for real
time help during library hours.
- Email us at
refdesk@weber.edu
- or COME IN! The Reference Desk is on the main
floor, North.
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