Excelsior College Module 5 Breaking Down Barriers to Health Services Discussions

Module 5

An active discussion is the key to an interesting and engaging online course. Discussion in this course is designed to simulate a classroom discussion. Start with one question at a time and then move on to the next question as each question has been exhausted. It is important to start the discussion at the beginning of the module to ensure that you have had adequate time to fully explore each question before moving on to the next module.

The first question is opinion-based so that you can begin discussion immediately without having completed all of your readings.

• So far this term, we have focused in on the complexities of our health care delivery system and many strategies attempted over the decades to improve access to and quality of health services. Yet, we know that access and quality remain a significant issue for many. Based on what you have learned so far this term, why is it so difficult to create a system that promotes access to quality affordable health and public health services?

Now let’s start applying your readings, discussing one question at a time. This week, you will select a specific population of interest to you from the readings. (If you wish to focus on a population not covered by the readings, you will need to provide references and cite your sources.)

• Thinking about the population you have chosen, what do you see as the top barrier(s) to accessing health services? How precisely are these barriers impacting access to health and/or public health services? As you discuss your chosen populations, consider common themes across groups.
• Often in health disparities, population-based risks become cumulative; that is, when combined with other risks or systemic barriers, they become more than “the sum of their parts.” What do you see as at the main factors that place your chosen group at risk, and to what extent do you see synergy across barriers and risks that may perpetuate disparate access to health and public health services?
• How has the health care delivery system, including providers and the government, responded to barriers to public health and health care access with your chosen population? Share your perspective based upon your degree focus. Has the response been adequate? If not, what further response is needed and why?

Consult the Discussion Posting Guide for information about writing your discussion posts. It is recommended that you write your post in a document first. Check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors. When you are ready to make your initial post, click on “Reply.” Then copy/paste the text into the message field, and click “Post Reply.”

To respond to a peer, click “Reply” beneath her or his post and continue as with an initial post.

This discussion will be graded using a rubric. Please review this rubric prior to beginning the discussion. You can view the rubric by clicking on “Discussion Rubric” on the Course Rubrics page within the Start Here module. All discussions combined are worth 35% of your final course grade.

Module outcomes that are addressed in this discussion include:

1. Investigate the impacts of specific measures, methods, and industry standards on quality of health care. (CO4)
2. Examine patient/consumer safety initiatives. (CO4)
3. Analyze drivers of patient safety and quality of care. (CO4)
4. Describe the relationships of prevention methods and models to quality of care. (CO4)

Read:

Required

• Module Notes: Access to Health Services
• Shi Shi & Singh Text:
  • Chapter 11
  • Chapter 12: (pp. 301-306 only)
• Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. (2012). Access to health services policy statement (Links to an external site.), 1-2.
• Friedman, M. (2016, April 13). For Native Americans, health care is a long, hard road away (Links to an external site.). NPR Shots.
• Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2016). Access to health services. (Links to an external site.) Healthy People 2020.
• Rural Health Information Hub. (2016). Healthcare access in rural communities (Links to an external site.).
• Schoenberg, N. (2015, November 2). For some military families, timely medical care is a struggle (Links to an external site.). Chicago Tribune.

Optional:

• Community Service Society New York. (2015). Community Health Advocates: The consumer voice for health care access 2015 annual report (Links to an external site.). (This 24 page report depicts the work of a state-wide organization, Community Health Advocates, in assisting New York state residents locate and access health services. Many states have similar assistance groups. This provides an excellent example of opening access to services.)
• Derose, K. P., Gresenz, C., & Ringel, J.S. (2010). Understanding disparities in health care access – and reducing them – through a focus on public health (Links to an external site.). Health Affairs, 30(10), 1844-1851. (This article, though a bit dated, remains a seminal article on health disparities and is often cited in more recent studies.)

Discuss:

• M5D1: Special Populations: Breaking Down Barriers to Health Services