HSCS 6411 Assessing Healthcare Quality

This graduate level introductory course provides an overview of health care quality theory, practice, and management. It takes a patient centered approach to explore the complexities of rising costs, accessibility, overuse/underuse, fraud, and medical errors common in our current health care system which drive the need for quality standards and methodologies to measure and improve healthcare service quality, cost efficiency, and safety. Students will be introduced to licensing, accreditation, data compilation and presentation in statistical formats, quality improvement functions, quality tools, utilization management, risk management, and medical staff data quality issues. Learners will also be introduced to basic health informatics to understand the links between quality outcomes, evolving reimbursement paradigms, and different analytical models through data quality concepts, the challenges of accessing data from devices, e-quality measures, and calculating quality measures with EMR data. The course will be divided into three overlapping topic areas: 1) patient safety and satisfaction; 2) evaluation of quality and quality measures; and 3) principles of quality improvement. Students will review and create quality measures within their chosen field and develop a quality improvement project to improve a process or outcome.

Registration Name

Assessing Healthcare Quality

Lecture Hours

3

Lab Hours

0

Credits

3

Prerequisite

ATRG or HLHP Program Admission

Offered

Online: Summer

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon the completion of this course, students will be able to demonstrate the following outcome-based learning skills:

• (56) Students will advocate for the health needs of clients, patients, communities, and populations.
• (57) Students will identify health care delivery strategies that account for health literacy and a variety of social determinants of health, including: 1) personal hygiene, sanitation, immunizations, and avoidance of infectious diseases, and will apply them to their daily class/clinical attendance; 2) interpersonal and cross-cultural communication, educational intervention strategies to promote positive behavior change, and impacting emotional well-being while protecting privacy; and 3) the impact of sociocultural issues that influence the nature and quality of healthcare received and formulate and implement strategies to maximize client/patient outcomes.
• (58a) Students will incorporate patient education and self-care programs to engage patients/clients, their families, and their friends to participate in care and recovery, including: 1) personal hygiene, sanitation, immunizations, and avoidance of infectious diseases; 2) interpersonal and cross-cultural communication, intervention strategies to promote positive behavior change and impact emotional well-being; and 3) consider the impact of sociocultural issues that influence the nature and quality of healthcare received and formulate and implement strategies to maximize client/patient outcomes.
• (59a-2) Students will use effective communication and documentation strategies to work appropriately with clients/patients, family members, coaches, administrators, other health care professionals, consumers, payors, policy makers, and others, including: 1) use of correct terminology and complying with legal statutes regulating privacy and medical records; 2) using a comprehensive patient file management system (including diagnostic and procedural codes) for documentation, risk management, outcome assessment, and billing purposes; and 3) use culturally-appropriate communication techniques and intervention strategies to promote positive behavior change and impact emotional well-being.
• (60) Students will use the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health model (ICF) as a framework for delivery of patient care and communication about patient care to: 1) explain the theoretical foundation of clinical outcomes assessment and common methods of assessment (generic, disease-specific, region-specific, and dimension-specific instruments); and 2) use outcome assessments to identify the patient's participation restrictions (disabilities) and activity limitations (functional limitations) to determine the impact of the patient's life.
• (61e) When practicing in collaboration with other health care and wellness professionals, students will be able to describe their roles, functions, and protocols that govern patient referrals between caregivers.
• (62a) Students will provide athletic training services in a manner that uses evidence to inform practice, including: 1) the ability to differentiate between narrative reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses; 2) the ability to describe and differentiate types of qualitative and quantitative research, research components, and levels of research evidence; and 3) use standard criteria to critically appraise the structure, rigor, and overall quality of research studies to create and answer clinical questions.
• (62b) Students will provide athletic training services in a manner that uses evidence to inform practice, including: 1) the use of clinical outcome assessment instruments; and 2) the development and use of clinical prediction rules to determine the effectiveness and efficacy of intervention strategies.
• (62c) Students will provide athletic training services in a manner that uses evidence to inform practice, including: 1) the use of patient- and clinician-based clinical outcome assessment instruments (patient- and disease-oriented); 2) using accepted methods to assess patient status and progress ; and 3) applying and interpreting psychometrically sound measures to determine the effectiveness and efficacy of intervention strategies.
• (63b) Students will use quality assurance and quality improvement strategies to enhance client/patient care, including: 1) the use of patient- and clinician-based clinical outcome assessment data (patient- and disease-oriented); 2) using accepted methods to assess patient status and progress ; and 3) applying and interpreting psychometrically sound measures to determine the effectiveness and efficacy of prevention and intervention strategies.
• (64a) Students will apply contemporary principles and practices of health informatics to patient care delivery and administration, including: 1) use outcome assessment data to drive informed decisions regarding intervention efficacy, patient status, and progress toward goals using psychometrically sound instruments.
• (64b) Students will apply contemporary principles and practices of health informatics to patient care delivery and administration, including: 2) search, retrieve, analyze, and use information derived from databases and online critical appraisal libraries for clinical decision support.
• (64c) Students will apply contemporary principles and practices of health informatics to patient care delivery and administration, including: 3) maintain data privacy, protection, and security; 4) use medical classification systems (ICD-10, CPT) and terminology; 5) use an electronic health record to document, communicate, and manage health-related information, mitigate error, and support decision making.
• (77a) Students will demonstrate effective interpersonal and cross-cultural communication and educational intervention strategies when identifying, referring, and supporting patients and others involved in their healthcare to effect positive behavioral change and monitor their treatment compliance, progress, and readiness to participate.
• (80) Students will use injury surveillance, epidemiological, and other evidence provided by accepted outcome measures to develop, implement, and assess risk reduction programming effectiveness for healthy and at-risk individuals across the lifespan.
• (NSCA Practical/applied 3.C.) Students will determine the policies and procedures associated with the safe operation of the strength and conditioning facility (e.g., facility/equipment cleaning and maintenance, rules, scheduling, emergency procedures).