Passage of freedom of information acts that prohibited governments from hiding information from the public:

The assembly of vertically integrated health systems that link hospitals, nursing homes, home care, and other services along with the diversification of health providers into various health-related ventures all reflect the privatization of health care.

A registered nurse (RN) can be trained in a(n):

Which of the following fall into the category of allied health personnel?  

Answer one of the questions below: 1) Technical advances in health care have spawned increasing numbers of specialty-trained personnel. More recently, however, hospitals and other institutions are promoting the cross-training of personnel so that they can perform multiple tasks and work more flexibly, based on needs of the institution. What are the implications of cross training, in terms of quality of care, costs, and efficiency? OR 2) Various kinds of health professionals—for example, physicians, nurses, dentists, and allied health professionals—are educated in separate schools but with considerable overlap in curricula and training requirements. They are, however, expected to integrate their training and work collaboratively. Identify the advantages and disadvantages of this approach to professional education in terms of costs, educational efficiency and patient care quality.

Answer one of the following questions below: 1. Identify major factors that have resulted in the shift in utilization from inpatient hospitalization to ambulatory care services. Describe the implications of this shift for hospitals, consumers, and the healthcare delivery system as a whole. OR 2. Hospital emergency departments continue to be used as important sources of primary medical care by large numbers of medically underserved populations. What are the implications of this for the patients, on healthcare costs, and quality of care? Suggest possible solutions to this situation.

Healthcare professionals, such as dentists, podiatrists, social workers, psychologists, physical therapists, and optometrists, typically conduct practices in acute care settings.

The Emergency Severity Index (ESI) includes five levels. In recent history, which level typically is the largest percentage of emergency room visits?

Answer of the questions below: 1. The Flexner Report of 1910 is described as “an accurate and searing description of abuses in the medical schools.” The Flexner Report described some of the major shortcomings of medical education and the corrective measures that resulted. Discuss the major features of the Flexner Report and their significant contributions to medical education reforms. OR 2. The dispute over exposing the comparative performance of physicians on a wide spectrum of variables has been resolved in favor of healthcare consumers with requirements such as “Physician Compare.” A number of states have passed legislation that gives the public access to physician information, including disciplinary records, malpractice actions, and whether a physician has lost hospital privileges. Are these fair and balanced bases on which consumers should make decisions about their choice of physicians?

A 2014 report produced by the Commonwealth Fund, a private U.S. foundation whose mission is to promote a high-performing equitable healthcare system, indicates that the United States is: