The Final Project should demonstrate an understanding of the reading assignments, class discussions, your own research and the application of new knowledge.  It should utilize previous skills developed in foundational health care courses and apply them within the context and viewpoint of  a health care administrator and their role in managing health and human services.For the Final Project, select one of the following topics and conduct scholarly and professional research while integrating the course’s learning outcomes to address a selected topic:

• Research specific leadership and management traits and theories necessary for managing a multidisciplinary and multicultural health care organization to promote organizational effectiveness.
• Present how strategic planning, performance improvement, and information systems are interrelated and fundamental to the delivery of quality health care.
• Examine the financial characteristics of health care delivery along with managing costs, revenues, and human resources.
• Analyze ethical and legal concepts, including specific federal regulations, required of health care organizations to ensure the delivery of high quality health care that protects patient safety.

Research Requirements

Academic research and papers must meet certain standards of quality that are recognized by the academic community.  What constitutes quality academic research?

• The use of primary (original), credible sources written by experts in the field of study.
• Ensuring secondary sources are supported by research in primary sources.
• Making sure all research is relevant and that material used is pertinent to the area of study.
• In graduate work, the use of peer-reviewed journal articles (journal articles reviewed by recognized experts in the relevant field of study) is required.
• Keep in mind that educational websites may be appropriate, in some cases, but should be evaluated carefully.

The Ashford University Library offers many excellent databases and other resources to assist you in conducting scholarly research.

What sources are not acceptable for academic research and referencing?

• Encyclopedias
• Dictionaries
• Wikipedia, other wikis, or blogs
• Websites and other sources that do not provide quality researched materials (e.g., they do not use credible sources to support the information in the document).

All research must reflect professional academic protocol and must be documented according to APA standards as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Creating the Final Project

You may choose to present your research is the form of an eight- to ten-page research paper (excluding title and reference pages) or a comprehensive 10- to 15-slide PowerPoint presentation (excluding title and reference slides) with detailed speaker notes.  In either case, the content of the assignment must include each of the elements listed below:

1. IntroductionDescribe the issue.  Include why it was selected, the perspective of your approach to the issue, and the scope of the paper or presentation.  In essence, describe in this area what is being covered.  Be specific and to the point.  This is an important part of the project as it engages the reader and sets the scope of the research.
2. Statement of the Issue to be InvestigatedDescribe why the topic is a relevant problem or issue.  It is important to provide literature sources in support of the importance of the need/issue/topic.  For example, if you are interested in researching the issue of nutrition in early childhood brain development among American children – cite literature identifying the scope of the problem (for example:  the number of malnourished children, the implications of malnourishment on learning and brain development; and long term implications).  Overall, this section should detail what makes this topic or issue so important that you are spending time and energy researching it.  What is the impact of the problem if nothing is done to correct the situation?
3. Research SourcesThis section documents the relevant research reflecting the topic of the Final Project.  In this section, paraphrased narratives of the actual research studies are reported and should represent the current research related to the topic area.  In general, your research should:
   1. Identify your chosen topic and what has happened in the specific research of the topic (describe the study, sample, findings, important points from the discussion in the research article, and any variables that may influence the findings of the research).
   2. Discuss any key elements of the topic that may be instructional, legal, ethical, social, etc. (what is projected if nothing is done? what has been tried?).  Support this section with relevant resource citations.
   3. Provide an analysis of the research articles used, including: explaining what was done in the study, what the target population was, information about who did the research (the author), what was found with the study, and any implications of the findings to your topic or issue.
4. ConclusionIn this section, provide a general, but thorough summary reviewing:  why the topic was selected; the problem or issue briefly stated; the approach that was used; findings; and solutions.  In this section, the reader or audience should have a good idea of what the researcher did and what was found.
5. ReferencesThe references should be listed on a new page or slide and must be formatted according to APA requirements as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.  You must use a minimum of six to eight scholarly sources.

Application: A Stimulus for Health Information Technology in Health Care Organizations

The HITECH provision of ARRA will facilitate the use of new health information technology in a range of health care organizations, from hospitals to physicians’ practices. To encourage a timely transition, HITECH includes incentives for providers and organizations based on how quickly and how well they incorporate certain kinds of technology in their practices.

Prepare for this Application Assignment as follows:

• In light of this week’s Learning Resources, what do you think are major challenges facing health care organizations as they seek to interpret and implement ARRA/HITECH?
• Select a particular health care setting, such as a physician’s practice, academic hospital, or outpatient clinic, and consider the management implications of ARRA/HITECH in your selected setting. Do further research in the Walden Library and elsewhere online to understand the issues facing this type of organization as they expand their use of health information technology. (You will be examining the technological issues in some detail later in the course; for this Application Assignment, focus on the breadth of management challenges that ARRA/HITECH raises.)
• What solutions have been found? How might you, as a manager in this particular setting, contribute to the process? What tools and knowledge would you need to be effective?

Then write a 1- to 2-page paper that addresses the following:

• Summarize the purpose of ARRA/HITECH and the key benefits it offers your selected health care setting.
• What kinds of management challenges does ARRA/HITECH pose to this kind of organization? How are these being addressed?
• What additional solutions might you propose, and why?