HCM 320 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric
Overview
The final project for this course is the creation of a health issue presentation.
Healthcare managers must recognize that changes in healthcare policy can alter the economic landscape of an organization. In understanding healthcare
economic principles, healthcare mangers can develop healthcare delivery models designed to address critical healthcare issues. Ultimately, the goal must always
be improving population health and outcomes. This assessment will provide you with a real-world opportunity to assume the role of healthcare administrator
and analyze key legislation for its impacts to the delivery of care and public health.
In this assessment, you will select an economic issue that has impacted the healthcare system from the provided list and identify a corresponding health policy
addressing the issue. Your task will be to examine relevant macroeconomic and microeconomic forces to arrive at an informed opinion on the benefits and
consequences of that policy. Based on your investigation, you will create a presentation articulating the value of the policy initiative for the overall health of
American society. Ultimately, your aim is to influence an audience of healthcare administrators and managers, as well as healthcare policy makers and legislators,
to care about your key health topic and support your identified solution.
The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final
submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two, Three, and Five. The final submission is due in Module Seven.
In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:
Analyze fundamental economic principles and indicators for determining operational strategies that improve healthcare quality, costs, and accessibility
for patients and caregivers
Evaluate contemporary economic policies and practices for their positive and negative impacts to the American healthcare system and the healthcare
consumer
Assess the market power of healthcare organizations for their potential to influence healthcare consumer behavior
Illustrate socioeconomic factors that influence community health needs by identifying specific catalysts for and obstacles to change in the American
healthcare system
Prompt
Your presentation should be a polished artifact using slides and speaker notes that are supportive of a five- to ten-minute talk. In the talk, you should
passionately address an audience of healthcare administrators and managers, as well as healthcare policy makers and legislators. The content should address
each of the critical elements listed below.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
I. Analysis of the Health Issue: Describe for your audience the nature of your chosen public health issue, so that they will be able to understand and
appreciate your presentation. Specifically, be sure that you address the following:
A. Outline the underlying economic principles and indicators at play, using specific examples. To what extent do those principles and indicators
apply in understanding your chosen public health issue?
B. Demonstrate the economic impacts of your public health issue. Provide specific examples of each impact.
C. Analyze the larger context within which your chosen public health issue exists. To what extent is the issue a product of larger socioeconomic
factors?
D. Examine the major healthcare organizations impacted by the public health issue. How are they currently acting and reacting to the issue?
II. Evaluation of Policy
A. Discuss the current economic and legal landscape related to your public health issue. To what extent do existing policies (or the lack thereof)
have positive or negative impacts to the American healthcare system?
B. Explain your proposed policy using evidence and examples to illustrate.
1. What are the specific operational strategies that you believe are necessary for addressing your chosen issue and why?
2. What role do the major healthcare organizations play in your proposed policy? To what extent can their position in the marketplace be
harnessed?
C. Defend your proposed policy for addressing the public health issue with specific research and evidence.
1. How will your proposed public policy improve the American healthcare system in terms of healthcare quality, costs, and accessibility?
2. In what ways is your proposed policy informed by the larger socioeconomic factors that can influence public health?
III. Implementation
A. Identify potential socioeconomic barriers to policy change and describe each with specific details.
B. Identify possible socioeconomic supports for policy change and describe each with specific details.
C. Illustrate the value proposition for the major healthcare organizations you referenced earlier. To what extent will there be beneficial outcomes
for their organizations if your policy is enacted? How would you mobilize them to support change?
D. End your presentation with a final, persuasive call to action tailored to your target audiences.
Milestones
Milestone One: Topic Selection
In Module Two, you will submit your topic selection. After reviewing the requirements in the final project document, explore the four focus areas identified by
the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. From these broad topics, identify a specific public health issue to use as the basis for your final project presentation. For
example, if you are interested in mental health as a broad topic, you may narrow your focus and select healthcare for veterans as your specific topic. Using the
template provided, begin to compile important information and resources that you can use to develop your presentation. This milestone is graded with the
Milestone One Rubric.
Milestone Two: Analysis of Health Issue (Draft of Section I)
In Module Three, you will submit your analysis of the health issue. Describe for your audience the nature of your chosen public health issue, so that they will be
able to understand and appreciate your presentation. Your analysis will include the economic principles and impacts involved with your public health issue,
related socioeconomic factors, and the healthcare organizations impacted. Use the feedback you received on Milestone One to assist you in developing your
introduction. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.
Milestone Three: Letter to Stakeholder (Draft of Section II)
In Module Five, you will submit a letter to a stakeholder. Address the critical elements in the Evaluation of Policy section and write a letter to the stakeholders
involved to describe and defend your proposed policy. Stakeholders could include policy makers, healthcare providers, insurers, and healthcare consumers. This
milestone is graded with the Milestone Three Rubric.
Final Submission: Health Issue Presentation
In Module Seven, you will submit your health issue presentation. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final
product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This final submission will be graded using the Final Project Rubric.
Final Project Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: Your presentation should be a polished artifact using slides and speaker notes that are supportive of a 5- to 10-minute talk. Any
citations should be in APA format.
Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value
Analysis of the Health
Issue: Economic
Principles and Indicators
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
demonstrates nuanced
understanding of fundamental
economic principles and
indicators
Outlines the underlying
economic principles and
indicators at play, using
specific examples
Outlines the underlying
economic principles and
indicators at play, but there
are inaccuracies or the outline
lacks specific examples
Does not outline the
underlying economic
principles and indicators at
play
8
Analysis of the Health
Issue: Economic Impacts
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
demonstrates nuanced
understanding of fundamental
economic principles and
indicators
Demonstrates the economic
impacts of the public health
issue and provides specific
examples of each impact
Demonstrates the economic
impacts of the public health
issue, but there are
inaccuracies or the
demonstration fails to provide
specific examples of each
impact
Does not demonstrate the
economic impacts of the
public health issue
8
Analysis of the Health
Issue: Socioeconomic
Factors
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
demonstrates keen insight
into socioeconomic factors
that influence community
health needs
Analyzes the larger context
within which the public health
issue exists by qualifying the
extent to which the issue is a
product of larger
socioeconomic factors
Analyzes the larger context
within which the public health
issue exists, but fails to fully or
accurately qualify the extent
to which the issue is a product
of larger socioeconomic
factors
Does not analyze the larger
context within which the
public health issue exists
6
Analysis of the Health
Issue: Healthcare
Organizations
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
demonstrates sophisticated
ability to assess the market
power of healthcare
organizations
Examines the major
healthcare organizations
impacted by the public health
issue, including their actions
and reactions to the issue
Examines the major
healthcare organizations
impacted by the issue, but
fails to fully or accurately
explain their actions and
reactions to the issue
Does not examine the major
healthcare organizations
impacted by the issue
8
Evaluation of Policy:
Current Landscape
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
demonstrates insightful ability
to evaluate contemporary
economic policies and
practices
Discusses the current
economic and legal landscape
related to the public health
issue, including to what extent
existing policies have positive
or negative impacts on the
healthcare system
Discusses the current
economic and legal landscape
related to the public health
issue, but fails to fully or
accurately qualify the extent
to which existing policies have
positive or negative impacts
on the healthcare system
Does not discuss the current
economic and legal landscape
related to the public health
issue
8
Evaluation of Policy:
Explain: Operational
Strategies
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
demonstrates keen insight
into operational strategies
that improve healthcare
quality, costs, and accessibility
Explains the proposed policy
in terms of the specific
operational strategies and
why they are necessary for
addressing the public health
issue
Explains the proposed policy,
but fails to detail the specific
operational strategies and
why they are necessary for
addressing the public health
issue
Does not explain the
proposed policy in terms of
the necessary operational
strategies
8
Evaluation of Policy:
Explain: Healthcare
Organizations
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
demonstrates sophisticated
ability to assess the market
power of healthcare
organizations
Explains the proposed policy
in terms of the role the major
healthcare organizations can
play to harness their market
position for addressing the
public health issue
Explains the proposed policy,
but fails to detail the specific
ways in which the major
healthcare organizations can
harness their market position
to address the public health
issue
Does not explain the
proposed policy in terms of
the role of the major
healthcare organizations in
addressing the public health
issue
8
Evaluation of Policy:
Defend: Improve
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
demonstrates insightful ability
to evaluate contemporary
economic policies and
practices
Defends the proposed policy
by explaining how it will
improve the American
healthcare system in terms of
healthcare quality, costs, and
accessibility
Defends the proposed policy,
but fails to fully or logically
explain how it will improve
the American healthcare
system in terms of healthcare
quality, costs, and accessibility
Does not defend the proposed
policy in terms of how it will
improve the American
healthcare system
8
Evaluation of Policy:
Defend: Informed
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
demonstrates keen insight
into socioeconomic factors
that influence community
health needs
Defends the proposed policy
by explaining how it is
informed by the larger
socioeconomic factors that
influence public health
Defends the proposed policy,
but fails to fully or logically
explain how it is informed by
the larger socioeconomic
factors that influence public
health
Does not defend the proposed
policy in terms of how it is
informed by larger
socioeconomic factors
6
Implementation:
Barriers to Policy Change
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
demonstrates keen insight
into socioeconomic factors
that influence community
health needs
Identifies potential
socioeconomic barriers to
change and describes each
with specific details
Identifies potential
socioeconomic barriers to
change, but not all barriers
are logical, or identification
fails to describe each with
specific details
Does not identify potential
socioeconomic barriers to
change
6
Implementation:
Supports for Policy
Change
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
demonstrates keen insight
into socioeconomic factors
that influence community
health needs
Identifies possible
socioeconomic supports for
change and describes each
with specific details
Identifies possible supports
for change, but not all
supports are logical, or
identification fails to describe
each with specific details
Does not identify possible
socioeconomic supports for
change
6
Implementation: Value
Proposition
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
demonstrates keen insight
into the market power of
healthcare organizations
Illustrates the value
proposition for the major
healthcare organizations by
explaining the beneficial
outcomes for them and
proposing strategies to
mobilize their support
Illustrates the value
proposition for the major
healthcare organizations, but
fails to fully or logically explain
the beneficial outcomes and
propose strategies for
mobilization
Does not illustrate the value
proposition for the major
healthcare organizations
8
Implementation: Call to
Action
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
is particularly persuasive in
articulating the positive
impacts of the proposal for
the American healthcare
system and the healthcare
consumer
Ends the presentation with a
final, persuasive call to action
that is tailored to the target
audiences
Ends the presentation with a
final call to action, but fails to
persuasively tailor the appeal
to the target audiences
Does not end the presentation
with a final call to action
8
Articulation of Response Submission is free of errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, and
organization and is presented
in a professional and easy to
read format
Submission has no major
errors related to citations,
grammar, spelling, syntax, or
organization
Submission has major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or
organization that negatively
impact readability and
articulation of main ideas
Submission has critical errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or
organization that prevent
understanding of ideas
4
Total 100%
