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CHAPTER

37

AN OVERVIEW OF THE HEALTHCARE FINANCING SYSTEM

Learning Objectives

After reading this chapter, students will be able to

• use standard health insurance terminology, • identify major trends in health insurance, • describe why health insurance is common, • describe the major problems faced by the current insurance system, and • find current information about health insurance.

Key Concepts

• Consumers pay for most medical care indirectly, through taxes and insurance premiums.

• Direct payments for healthcare are often called out-of-pocket payments. • Insurance pools the risks of high healthcare costs. • Moral hazard and adverse selection complicate risk pooling. • About 85 percent of the US population has medical insurance. • Most consumers obtain coverage through an employer- or government-

sponsored plan. • Receiving insurance as a benefit of employment has significant tax

benefits. • Managed care has largely replaced traditional insurance. • Managed care plans differ widely.

3.1 Introduction

3.1.1 Paying for Medical Care Consumers pay for most medical care indirectly, through taxes and insurance premiums. Healthcare managers must understand the structure of private and

3

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E c o n o m i c s f o r H e a l t h c a r e M a n a g e r s38

social insurance programs because much of their organizations’ revenues will be shaped by these programs. Managers must also be aware that consumers ultimately pay for healthcare products, a key fact obscured by the complex structure of the US healthcare financing system. A prudent manager will anticipate a reaction when healthcare spending invokes higher premiums or taxes, thereby forcing consumers to spend less on other goods and services. Some consumers may drop coverage, some employers may reduce benefits, and some plans may reduce payments. This reaction need not occur if a con- sensus has emerged in support of increased spending, but even then manag- ers should be wary of the profound effects that changes to insurance plans can mean for them. Finally, managers must consider more than the amount subsidized by insurance. Even though the bulk of healthcare firms’ revenue comes from payments for products covered by insurance plans, consumers do pay directly for some products. Consumers directly spent more than $328 billion on healthcare products in 2012 (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2013b). No firm should ignore this huge market.

3.1.2 Indirect Spending Despite the large amount, direct consumer spending accounts for only a frac- tion of total healthcare spending. Exhibit 3.1 depicts a healthcare market in general terms—consumers directly pay the full cost of some services and part of the costs of other services. These direct payments are often called out-of- pocket payments. For example, a consumer’s payment for the full cost of a pharmaceutical product, her 20 percent coinsurance payment to her dentist,

Out-of-pocket payment Total amount that a consumer spends directly for healthcare

Coinsurance A form of cost sharing in which a patient pays a share of the bill rather than a set fee

Consumers Providers

Third parties

Premiums and taxes

Out-of-pocket payments

EXHIBIT 3.1 The Flow

of Funds in Healthcare

Markets

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C h a p t e r 3 : A n O v e r v i e w o f t h e H e a l t h c a r e F i n a n c i n g S y s t e m 39

and her $25 copayment to her son’s pediatrician are all considered out-of- pocket payments. Insurance beneficiaries make some out-of-pocket payments for services that are not covered, for services in excess of their policy’s cov- erage limits, or for deductibles (amounts consumers are required to spend before their plan pays anything). Another name for out-of-pocket payments is cost sharing. Economics teaches us that a well-designed insurance plan usually incorporates some cost sharing. We will explore this concept in detail in the discussion of demand in Chapter 7.

Insurance payments continue to be the largest source of revenue for most healthcare providers. In 2011, they represented 97 percent of payments to hospitals, 81 percent of payments to physicians, and 67 percent of pay- ments to nursing homes (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2013b). Because indirect payments are a factor in most healthcare purchases, their structure has a profound influence on the healthcare system and healthcare organizations.

Copayment A fee the patient must pay in addition to the amount paid by insurance

Deductible Amount a consumer must pay before insurance covers any healthcare costs

Cost sharing The general term for direct payments to providers by insurance beneficiaries (Deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance are forms of cost sharing.)

Boom and Bust in Home Care

The history of home care in the 1990s should be a warning to any man- ager whose business model relies on a single payer. Medicare home care spending grew rapidly between 1989 and 1997. Visits per user nearly doubled, and the number of users increased sharply (Spector, Cohen, and Pesis-Katz 2004). This boom had several causes. The intro- duction of the prospective payment system encouraged hospitals to discharge patients quickly to other settings, such as home care. Legal action in 1989 resulted in more generous eligibility and coverage, and new technology increased the number of patients who could receive adequate care at home. Some of the increased spending was for ser- vices of questionable value, and some was for services that were never delivered.

In 1997, however, the home care boom halted abruptly. Explod- ing spending and stories of fraud prodded the government to act. The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 reduced payments and eligibility for home care and reduced incentives for hospitals to discharge patients to home care. In addition, Medicare took steps to reduce fraud and abuse. The number of Medicare beneficiaries using home care fell by 20 percent, and visits per beneficiary fell by 40 percent. Home care spending fell sharply, and more than 10 percent of home care agencies

Medicare An insurance program for the elderly and disabled that is run by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

(continued)

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E c o n o m i c s f o r H e a l t h c a r e M a n a g e r s40

The extent of indirect payment in the healthcare market distinguishes it from most other markets. Indirect payment has three important effects on patients:

• It protects them against high healthcare expenses, which is one goal of insurance.

• It encourages them to use more healthcare services, which is a side effect of insurance.

• It limits their autonomy in healthcare decision making, which is not a goal of insurance.

Nonetheless, the advantages of indirect payment continue to exceed its disadvantages. As discussed in Chapter 2, the share of direct payments for healthcare has steadily fallen during the past 50 years.

3.1.3 The Uninsured For many years the share of the population without medical insurance rose steadily, even as insurance payments rose as a share of total spending. Since the enactment of the ACA, the percentage of the population without health insurance has edged down.

Uninsured consumers enter healthcare markets with two significant disadvantages. First, they must finance their needs from their own resources or the resources of family, friends, and well-wishers. If these funds are not adequate, they must do without care or rely on charity care. The uninsured do not have access to the vast resources of modern insurance companies when large healthcare bills arrive. Second, unlike most insured consumers, unin- sured consumers may be expected to pay list prices for services. The majority of insured consumers are covered by plans that have secured discounts from providers. For example, none of the major government insurance plans and

went out of business. The boom was too good to be true, and a pru- dent manager would have anticipated a response by Medicare.

A new version of this story seems to be in the works. As a part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has launched 65 trials of Medicare bundled payments that include post-acute care, of which home health care is one part (Cen- ters for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2013a). These trials almost certainly indicate that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services believes that opportunities exist to reduce spending in this sector.

(continued)

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C h a p t e r 3 : A n O v e r v i e w o f t h e H e a l t h c a r e F i n a n c i n g S y s t e m 41

few private insurance plans pay list prices for care. Although, in principle, uninsured patients could negotiate discounts, this practice is not routine.

The uninsured tend to have low incomes. In 2012, 16 percent of Americans lacked health insurance. A quarter of those with annual household incomes below $25,000 did not have health insurance, compared with only 8 percent of those with annual household incomes above $75,000 (DeNavas- Walt, Proctor, and Smith 2013).

The combination of low income and no insurance often creates access problems. For example, in 2012, 60 percent of uninsured adults reported not filling a prescription; skipping a recommended medical test, treatment, or follow-up; not seeing a specialist when recommended; or not making a clinic visit when they had a medical problem (Collins et al. 2013). This percentage was more than double the rate for well-insured adults. Delaying or forgoing care can lead to worse health outcomes.

3.2 What Is Insurance, and Why Is It So Prevalent?

3.2.1 What Insurance Does Insurance pools the risks of healthcare costs, which have a skewed distribu- tion. Most consumers have modest healthcare costs, but a few incur crushing sums. Insurance addresses this problem. Suppose that one person in a hun- dred has the misfortune to run up $20,000 in healthcare bills. For simplicity, let’s say no one else will have any healthcare bills. Consumers cannot predict if they will be lucky or unlucky, so they may buy insurance. If a private firm offers insurance for an annual premium of $240, many consumers would gladly buy insurance to eliminate a 1 percent chance of a $20,000 bill. (The insurer gets $4,000 extra per 100 people to cover its selling costs, claims processing costs, and profits.)

3.2.2 Adverse Selection and Moral Hazard Alas, the world is more complex than the preceding scenario, and such a sim- ple plan probably would not work. To begin with, insurance tends to change the purchasing decisions of consumers. Insured consumers are more likely to use services, and providers no longer feel compelled to limit their diagnosis and treatment recommendations to amounts that individual consumers can afford. The increase in spending that occurs as a result of insurance cover- age is known as moral hazard. Moral hazard can be substantially reduced if consumers face cost-sharing requirements, and most contemporary plans have this provision.

Another, less tractable problem remains. Some consumers, notably older people with chronic illnesses, are much more likely than average to face large

Moral hazard The incentive to use additional care that having insurance creates

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bills. Such consumers would be especially eager to buy insurance. On the other hand, some consumers, notably younger people with healthy ancestors and no chronic illnesses, are much less likely than average to face large bills. Such con- sumers would not be especially eager to buy insurance. This situation illustrates adverse selection: people with high risk are apt to be eager to buy insurance, but people with low risk may not be. Wary of this phenomenon, insurance firms have tried to assess the risks that individual consumers pose and base their premiums on those risks, a process known as underwriting. Of course under- writing drives up costs, making coverage more expensive. In the worst case, no private firm would be willing to offer insurance to the general public.

In the United States, three mechanisms reduce the effects of adverse selection: employment-sponsored medical insurance, government-sponsored medical insurance, and medical insurance subsidies. In 2012, 85 percent of the population had medical insurance. About 32 percent had government- sponsored medical insurance, and 57 percent had private medical insurance. Virtually all Americans 65 years or older have health insurance coverage through Medicare, a government insurance program. About 83 percent of those under 65 years have coverage, and most of them have private coverage (DeNavas-Walt, Proctor, and Smith 2013). More than 95 percent of privately insured consumers under 65 years obtained their coverage through their own or their spouse’s employer.

Why is the link between employment and medical insurance so strong? To begin with, insurers are able to offer lower prices on employment-based insurance because they have cut their sales costs and their adverse selection risks by selling to groups. Selling a policy to a group of 1,000 people costs only a lit- tle more than selling a policy to an individual; thus the sales cost is much lower. And because few people take jobs or stay in them just because of the medical insurance benefits, adverse selection rarely occurs (i.e., all of the employees get the insurance, whether or not they think they’ll need it soon). Medical insur- ance can also benefit employers. If coverage improves the health of employees or their dependents, workers will be more productive, thereby improving profits for the company. Companies also benefit because workers with employment- based medical insurance are less likely to quit. The costs of hiring and training employees are high, so firms do not want to lose employees unnecessarily.

The most salient factor in the link between employment and medi- cal insurance is the substantial tax savings that employment-based medical insurance provides. Medical insurance provided as a benefit is excluded from Social Security taxes, Medicare taxes, federal income taxes, and most state and local income taxes. Earning $5,000 in cash instead of a $5,000 medical insurance benefit could easily increase an employee’s tax bill by $2,500.

This system is clearly advantageous from the perspective of insur- ers, employers, and employees. From the perspective of society as a whole,

Adverse selection High-risk consumers’ willingness to pay more for insurance than low-risk consumers (Organizations that have difficulty distinguishing high-risk from low- risk consumers are unlikely to be profitable.)

Underwriting The process of assessing the risks associated with an insurance policy and setting the premium accordingly

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C h a p t e r 3 : A n O v e r v i e w o f t h e H e a l t h c a r e F i n a n c i n g S y s t e m 43

however, its desirability is less clear. The subsidies built into the tax code tend to force tax rates higher, may encourage insurance for costs such as eyeglasses and routine dental checkups, and give employees an unrealistic sense of how much insurance costs.

Another disadvantage is found in the way most employers frame health insurance benefits. In 2013, less than 15 percent of private employers allowed employees to choose between plans (Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research & Educational Trust 2013). Larger employers were more likely to offer a choice of plans. In addition, most employers pay more when an employee selects a more expensive plan, which encourages employees to choose one. Few employers share information about the quality of care offered through different plans or other aspects of plan performance. With- out this information, employees are unlikely to be able to identify plans with better provider networks or better customer service.

Understanding Health Risks and Insurance

Adverse selection is one reason for governments to intervene in health insurance markets. A persistent fear is that people with low risks will not buy insurance, pushing up premiums for people with higher risks. Once premiums go up, additional people with low risks will drop out. This sequence is called a death spiral because it will ultimately result in no one buying insurance. To prevent this, governments subsidize insurance or mandate that it be bought.

Little evidence suggests that people understand their health risks very well, and evidence shows that some consumers poorly understand health insurance plans. A study of the Medicare supple- mentary insurance market found that those with supplementary cover- age spend an average of $4,000 less than those without. One factor explaining this advantageous selection was cognitive ability (Fang, Keane, and Silverman 2008). People who did not buy coverage may not have understood the risks they were running or the benefits of having supplementary coverage. A recent survey of Americans who might seek insurance through the ACA marketplace found that many struggled with such basic concepts as a premium, a provider network, or covered services (Long et al. 2014).

A person under 65 years has a 10 percent chance of having medi- cal bills of $30,000 or more (Bernard 2013). Because such bills are not part of their experience, some people tend to underestimate the finan- cial and health risks of not having insurance.

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E c o n o m i c s f o r H e a l t h c a r e M a n a g e r s44

3.2.3 Medicare as an Example of Complexity The health insurance system in the United States is so complex that only a few specialists understand it. Exhibit 3.2 illustrates the complexity of healthcare financing, even in simple cases. To demonstrate this complexity, we will exam- ine the flow of funds in Medicare, starting with Medicare beneficiaries. Many pay premiums for Medigap policies that cover deductibles, coinsurance, and other expenses that Medicare does not cover. Like many insurers, Medicare requires a deductible. In 2014, the Medicare Part A deductible was $1,216 per year and the Medicare Part B deductible was $147. The most common coinsurance payments spring from the 20 percent of allowed fees Medicare beneficiaries must pay for most Part B services. To keep Exhibit 3.2 simple, we have focused on Medigap policies that reimburse beneficiaries rather than pay providers directly. Beneficiaries with these sorts of policies (and many without Medigap coverage) must make required out-of-pocket payments directly to

Medicare Part A Coverage for inpatient hospital, skilled nursing, hospice, and home health care services

Medicare Part B Coverage for outpatient services and medical equipment

Medicare beneficiaries

Premiums

Part B premiums and income taxes

Providers

Government

Employees

Wages

Employers

Payroll and income taxes

Medicare payments

Medigap insurers

Out-of-pocket payments

EXHIBIT 3.2 The Flow

of Funds in Medicare

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C h a p t e r 3 : A n O v e r v i e w o f t h e H e a l t h c a r e F i n a n c i n g S y s t e m 45

providers. Beneficiaries must also pay the Part B premiums that fund 25 per- cent of this Medicare component. Like other taxpayers, beneficiaries must also pay income taxes that cover the other 75 percent of Part B costs.

Employers and employees also pay taxes to fund the Medicare system. The most visible of these taxes is the Medicare payroll tax, which is levied on wages to fund Part A (which covers hospital, home health, skilled nursing, and hospice services). In addition, corporation and individual income taxes help fund the 75 percent of Part B costs that premiums do not cover. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the federal agency that operates Medicare, combines these tax and premium funds to pay providers. Not surprisingly, few taxpayers, beneficiaries, or public officials understand how Medicare is financed.

3.3 The Changing Nature of Health Insurance

Traditional, open-ended fee-for-service (FFS) plans (of which pre-1984 Medicare was a classic example) have three basic problems. First, they encourage providers and consumers to use covered services as long as the direct cost to consumers is less than the direct benefit. Because the actual total cost of care is much greater than the amount consumers pay, some con- sumers may use services that are not worth as much as they actually cost. In addition, open-ended FFS plans discourage consumers from using services that are not covered, even highly effective ones. Finally, much of the system is unplanned, in that the prices paid by consumers and the prices received by providers do not reflect actual provider costs or consumer valuations.

Given the origins of traditional medical insurance, this inattention to efficiency makes sense. Medical insurance was started by providers, largely in response to consumers’ inability to afford expensive services and the unwillingness of some consumers to pay their bills once services had been rendered. The goal was to cover the costs of services, not to provide care in the most efficient manner possible and not to improve the health of the covered population.

Managed care is a varied collection of insurance plans with only one common denominator: they are different from FFS insurance plans. FFS plans covered all services if they were included in the contract and if a pro- vider, typically a physician, was willing to certify that they were medically necessary. No FFS features tried to influence the decisions of patients or physicians (aside from the effects of subsidizing higher spending).

At present, insurance takes five basic forms: FFS plans, PPOs (pre- ferred provider organizations), HMOs (health maintenance organiza- tions), point-of-service (POS) plans, and high-deductible plans. We will briefly describe each of the alternatives to FFS plans.

Fee-for-service A reimbursement model that pays providers on the basis of their charges for services

PPO (preferred provider organization) An insurance plan that contracts with a network of providers (Network providers may be chosen for a variety of reasons, but a willingness to discount fees is usually required.)

HMO (health maintenance organization) A firm that provides comprehensive healthcare benefits to enrollees in exchange for a premium (Originally, HMOs were distinct from other insurance firms because providers were not paid on a fee-for-service basis and because enrollees faced no cost-sharing requirements.)

Point-of-service (POS) plan Plan that allows members to see any physician but increases cost sharing for physicians outside the plan’s network (This arrangement has become so common that POS plans may not be labeled as such.)

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E c o n o m i c s f o r H e a l t h c a r e M a n a g e r s46

Federal Employees Health Benefits Program as the Model for Marketplace Plans

Many Americans have little choice about health insurance. For the majority, the choices are to accept the plan offered by their employer, by their state Medicaid agency, or by Medicare, or to do without. Even Americans who have a choice lack the information needed to choose wisely. In many respects, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Pro- gram is superior. Its structure reflects the concept of managed competi- tion first advocated by a Stanford University economist (Enthoven 1984):

• Each year employees choose one of several private insurance plans in an online exchange.

• Employees pay the marginal cost of choosing more expensive coverage.

• Insurance providers must accept everyone and must charge everyone the same premium.

How has this program worked? Compared to private employer plan premiums, federal plan premiums have risen more slowly in some years and have risen more rapidly in others (Liu and Jin 2013). The overall pattern, however, is similar to the patterns of other private insurer plan premiums.

Although the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program served as model for ACA marketplace plans, it differs from those plans in several ways. The most important difference is that federal employ- ees are typically well-paid professionals. Nearly two-thirds of federal employee households have incomes that are at least four times the federal poverty level; only 11 percent of uninsured households do (Bovbjerg 2009). Not surprisingly, given that their customers are apt to be very sensitive to insurance premiums, ACA marketplace plans have been aggressive in taking steps to keep premiums low. Many excluded high-priced providers from their 2014 networks, and they appear poised to implement additional steps to bring down costs.

Discussion questions: • One plan costs $8,000. The government will pay $6,500. How much

would a $10,000 plan cost the employee?

Medicaid A collection of state-run programs that meet standards set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (Medicaid serves those with incomes low enough to qualify for their state’s program.)

Case 3.1

(continued)

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PPOs are the most common form of managed care organization. All PPOs negotiate discounts with a panel of hospitals, physicians, and other providers, but their similarities end there. Some PPOs have small panels; oth- ers have large panels. Some PPOs require that care be approved by a primary care physician; some do not.

PPOs are far less diverse than HMOs, however. Some HMOs are structured around large medical group practices and are called group model HMOs. Group model HMOs typically make a flat payment per consumer enrolled with the group. This practice is called capitation. Other HMOs, called staff model HMOs, employ physicians directly and pay them salaries. Both staff and group model HMOs still exist, but they are expensive to set up and make sense only for large numbers of enrollees.

HMO expansion largely has been fueled by the growth of indepen- dent practice association (IPA) HMOs. These plans contract with large groups of physicians, small groups of physicians, and solo practice physicians. These contracts assume many forms. Physicians can be paid per service (as PPOs usually operate) or per enrollee (as group model HMOs usually oper- ate). IPAs also pay hospitals and other providers in different ways.

The POS plan is another form of HMO. These plans are a combina- tion of PPO and IPA. Unlike an IPA, they cover nonemergency services pro- vided by nonnetwork providers, but copayments are higher. Unlike a PPO, they pay some providers using methods other than discounted FFS.

A high-deductible (HD) plan typically has a deductible of more than $1,000 for an individual. These plans are also sometimes called consumer- directed health plans. Many HD plans also incorporate health savings accounts, in which funds deposited by the worker or the employer can earn interest if not spent.

Group model HMO HMO that contracts with a physician group to provide services

Capitation Payment per person (The payment does not depend on the services provided.)

Staff model HMO HMO that directly employs staff physicians to provide services

Independent practice asso- ciation (IPA) HMO HMO that contracts with an independent practice association, which in turn contracts with physician groups

• Is equal government payment important, regardless of the plan the employee chooses?

• How does equal payment affect employees’ choices?

• Would varying premiums (such as premiums based on age) work better, so that older employees would be attractive risks for insurers?

• What problems would varying premiums cause?

• Why didn’t insurers for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program take aggressive steps (like creating narrow networks) to bring down premiums?

• Why do the high incomes of federal employees affect their choices?

Case 3.1 (continued)

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E c o n o m i c s f o r H e a l t h c a r e M a n a g e r s48

Health insurance continues to evolve in a disorderly fashion. Where this development will lead is not clear. The belief that managed care is in retreat is widespread, but Exhibit 3.3 indicates otherwise. FFS plans have all but disappeared, and the market share of PPO plans has risen. HMOs and POS plans have lost market share, likely because of the fact that PPO plans do not cost much more, are easier to operate, and have been better accepted by consumers. HD plans (which were not even tracked separately until 2006) claimed 20 percent of the market in 2013.

Complicating this already complex picture are recent developments in Medicare, Medicaid, and ACA marketplace plans. A series of changes in these plans could have widespread effects.

Medicare has launched a series of demonstration projects and major changes in Medicare Advantage. The demonstration projects include trials of accountable care organizations, trials of bundled payments, trials of primary care innovations, and initiatives to improve the speed of innovation (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2013a). Accountable care organizations include doctors, hospitals, and other providers who assume the risk for the quality of care and the cost of care delivered to Medicare beneficiaries. When an accountable care organization succeeds, it gets paid more. A 2012 evalua- tion of one of the first accountable care organizations found that it met qual- ity targets and realized modest savings (Colla et al. 2012). As of early 2014, no results were available from any of the bundled payment trials, but earlier models did show cost and quality gains (Cromwell, Dayhoff, and Thoumaian 1997). A bundled payment creates incentives for clinicians to streamline and standardize care. Medicare’s primary care initiative emphasizes paying bonuses to primary care doctors who take steps to improve coordination of

20 00

20 02

20 03

20 04

20 05

20 06

20 07

20 08

20 09

20 10

20 11

20 12

20 13

20 01

HMO

POS FFS

HD

PPO60%

70%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

8% 1%

5%

13%

19%21%

29%

42%

61% 60% 57%

20%

EXHIBIT 3.3 Enrollment Patterns in Employer-

Sponsored Insurance

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research & Educational Trust (2013).

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C h a p t e r 3 : A n O v e r v i e w o f t h e H e a l t h c a r e F i n a n c i n g S y s t e m 49

care. In essence, Medicare’s primary care initiative is testing medical homes. The evidence suggests that some medical homes improve care and reduce cost, but some do not (Peikes et al. 2012). As of early 2014, no results were available for the initiatives to speed innovation.

The changes to Medicare Advantage appear to have been successful. The main driver appears to have been the creation of a rating system that summarizes the performance of an insurance plan (and its network of provid- ers) using a rating of one to five stars. This system appears to have improved outcomes for Medicare Advantage customers and has increased enrollment significantly (Ayanian et al. 2013; Landon et al. 2012; Reid et al. 2013). Given the complexities of making health insurance decisions, this innovation might prove useful in other health insurance sectors.

Changes in Medicaid have taken place since the passage of the ACA in 2010. Most of these changes entail creation of managed care plans for beneficiaries who are also eligible for Medicare. These dually eligible benefi- ciaries typically face grave health problems and have very low incomes. No general results are available, although a trial of accountable care organizations for dually eligible Medicare beneficiaries showed improvements in cost and quality (Colla et al. 2012).

ACA marketplace plans are new, but most have used narrow provider networks to keep premiums down. About 70 percent of these plans have very small networks, and plans with broader networks have significantly higher premiums (McKinsey & Company 2013). Some of these innovations will likely work well, and some of them will be incorporated into standard insur- ance plans. However, it is too soon to tell which ones will become routine.

Group Health Cooperative’s Patient- Centered Medical Home

Group Health Cooperative is a nonprofit, consumer-governed health- care system that provides healthcare and health insurance coverage to residents of Idaho and Washington. Originally a staff model HMO that employed physicians, Group Health became a network HMO, meaning that it contracted with a large multispecialty medical group and with independent physicians.

Group Health had traditionally stressed primary care. But as it tran- sitioned away from being a staff model HMO, its primary care practices began showing signs of strain. Primary care patient panels kept getting larger, referrals to specialists increased, hospitalization costs rose, emergency department use mounted, evidence of workforce burnout

Network HMO HMO that has a variety of contracts (including contracts with physician groups, IPAs, and individual physicians)

Case 3.2

(continued)

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E c o n o m i c s f o r H e a l t h c a r e M a n a g e r s50

3.4 Payment Systems

In the past, most healthcare providers were paid on a simple FFS basis. Today, managed care plans have begun to experiment with alternative payment arrangements. Different payment systems are important because they create

increased, and recruiting primary care physicians kept getting harder.

In response, Group Health began turning one of its locations into a patient-centered medical home. Doing so entailed using its electronic health record system to recognize patient care needs, expanding use of phone and e-mail communication to reduce patient visits, and increasing the time physicians spent per patient visit. This process involved adding a medical assistant for each physician. It also involved adding a nurse practitioner to handle same- day visits, adding one clinical pharmacist per 10,000 panel members, and adding two licensed practical nurses per 10,000 panel members.

The practice that became a patient-centered medical home improved in patient satisfaction and clinical quality more than compa- rable Group Health practices (Reid et al. 2010). Cost per member per month also rose more slowly than in other practices, primarily because hospitalization rates did not rise in the patient-centered medical home. At 21 months, admission rates were 6 percent lower in the patient-cen- tered medical home practice, and use of emergency and urgent care was 29 percent lower.

Discussion questions: • Why would it make sense to become a network model HMO?

• Would you like to get your primary care at a patient-centered medical home?

• Did it make sense for Group Health to support the patient-centered medical home transition?

• Could an independent practice afford to become a patient-centered medical home?

• Why is Medicare sponsoring patient-centered medical home demonstrations?

• How would a 6 percent reduction in hospitalization rates affect hospitals?

Case 3.2 (continued)

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different incentive systems for providers. Differences in financial incentives lead to different patterns of care, so the power of changing incentives should not be underestimated. In contracting with insurers or providers, managers need to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of different systems. The four basic payment methods—salary, FFS, case-based, and capitation—can be modified by the addition of incentive payments, increasing the number of possible payment methods.

A salary is fixed compensation paid per defined period. As such, it is not directly linked to output. Typically, physicians are paid a salary when their productivity is difficult to measure (e.g., in the case of academic physicians) or when the incentives created by FFS payments are seen as undesirable (e.g., an incentive to overtreat increases costs). As stated earlier, most physicians in the United States have traditionally been paid on a fee-for-service basis, meaning that each physician has a schedule of fees and expects to be paid that amount for each unit of service provided.

Case-based payments make single payments for all covered services associated with an episode of care. Medicare’s diagnosis-related group (DRG) system is a case-based system for hospital care, although it does not include physicians’ services or posthospital care. In essence, case-based pay- ments are FFS payments for a wider range of services. Bundled payments are a form of case-based payments. Capitation is compensation paid per benefi- ciary enrolled with a physician or an organization. Capitation is similar to a salary but varies according to the number of customers.

Each of the four basic payment methods has advantages and disadvan- tages. Salaries are straightforward and incorporate no incentives to provide more care than necessary, but they do not encourage outstanding effort or exemplary service. In addition, salaries give providers incentives to use resources other than their time and effort to meet their customers’ needs. In the absence of incentives not to refer patients to other providers, salaried providers may well seek to refer substantial numbers of patients to specialists, urgent care clinics, or other sources of care.

Capitation incorporates many of the same incentives as a salary, with two important differences. One is that capitation payments drop if customers leave the practice, so physicians have more incentive to serve patients well. The other is that capitation arrangements often generate extra costs. Profits rise if these extra costs fall, so capitation encourages greater efficiency, referral to other providers, or insufficient treatment.

In contrast, FFS payments create powerful incentives to provide supe- rior service, so much that overtreatment of insured consumers often results. Services that are more costly than beneficial can be profitable in this system, as long as the benefits exceed the consumer’s out-of-pocket cost. These incentives can complicate efforts to control costs. For example, attempts to

Salary Fixed compensation paid per period

Case-based payment A single payment for an episode of care (The payment does not change if fewer services or more services are provided.)

Diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) Case groups that underlie Medicare’s case- based payment system for hospitals

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E c o n o m i c s f o r H e a l t h c a r e M a n a g e r s52

impose or negotiate lower rates are likely to provoke providers to “unbun- dle” care by billing separately for procedures or tests that had been combined as one service.

The case-based method combines features of the FFS and capitation methods. Like FFS, it creates strong incentives to provide exceptional ser- vice, as well as an additional incentive to increase profits by reducing costs included in the case rate. Costs can be reduced by improving efficiency, shifting responsibility for therapy to “free” sources (such as the health depart- ment), and narrowing the definition of a case. The challenge is to keep pro- viders focused on improving efficiency, not on duping the system.

Any of these four basic methods can be modified by including bonuses and penalties. A base salary plus a bonus for reducing inpatient days in selected cases is not a straight salary contract. Similarly, a capitation plan with bonuses or penalties for exceeding or not meeting customer service standards (e.g., a bonus for returning more than 75 percent of after-hours calls within 15 min- utes) would not generate the same incentives a plain capitation plan would.

Capitation was previously expected to become the dominant method of payment. Experience with capitation suggests, however, that few providers (or insurers, for that matter) have the administrative skills or data that capita- tion demands. In addition, the financial risks of capitation can be substantial. Few providers have enough capitated patients for variations in average costs to cease being worrisome, and capitation payments are seldom risk-adjusted (i.e., increased when spending can be expected to be higher than average). These considerations have dampened most providers’ enthusiasm for capita- tion. Insurers also have realized that capitation is not a panacea, recognizing that providers have ways other than becoming more efficient to reduce their costs. At present, FFS payments to providers remain the norm, even in most HMOs, but incentive payments for quality are proliferating. What compensa- tion arrangements will look like in ten years remains to be seen.

3.5 Conclusion

The days of traditional, open-ended insurance plans are over. Despite the ubiquity of managed care, most consumers are enrolled in plans that are minimally managed, such as PPOs or POS plans that pay providers in familiar ways, and most providers are not part of an organized delivery system. This situation may change.

The central challenge of cost remains. In 2012 the median household income for a family of four was $66,000. This statistic means that half of the households in the country made less than $66,000. The Milliman Medical Index, which tracks all healthcare costs, shows that an average family of four

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C h a p t e r 3 : A n O v e r v i e w o f t h e H e a l t h c a r e F i n a n c i n g S y s t e m 53

spent $20,728 on healthcare in 2012 (Milliman 2013). Many families simply cannot afford this level of spending.

The process of change substantially increases the risks healthcare man- agers must face. The next chapter will introduce the basics of how to manage these risks.

Exercises

3.1 Why is health insurance necessary? 3.2 Explain how adverse selection and moral hazard are different, and

give an example of each. 3.3 “The United States is the land of the overinsured, the underinsured,

and the uninsured.” What do you think these concepts mean? Why might this comment be true?

3.4 Private health insurers have been slow to develop and adopt proven cost containment innovations (e.g., case rates or disease management programs). Why do you think this is the case?

3.5 A radiology firm charges $2,000 per exam. Uninsured patients are expected to pay list price. How much do they pay?

3.6 A radiology firm charges $2,000 per exam. An insurer’s allowed fee is 80 percent of charges. Its beneficiaries pay 25 percent of the allowed fee. How much does the insurer pay? How much does the beneficiary pay?

3.7 If the radiology firm raised its charge to $3,000, how much would the insurer pay? How much would the beneficiary pay?

3.8 A surgeon charges $2,400 for hernia surgery. He contracts with an insurer that allows a fee of $800. Patients pay 20 percent of the allowed fee. How much does the insurer pay? How much does the patient pay?

3.9 You have incurred a medical bill of $10,000. Your plan has a deductible of $1,000 and coinsurance of 20 percent. How much of this bill will you have to pay directly?

3.10 Why do employers provide health insurance coverage to their employees?

3.11 Your firm offers only a PPO with a large deductible, high coinsurance, and a limited network. You pay $400 per month for single coverage. Some of your employees have been urging you to offer a more generous plan. Who would you expect to choose the more generous plan and pay any extra premium?

3.12 What are the fundamental differences between HMO and PPO plans?

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E c o n o m i c s f o r H e a l t h c a r e M a n a g e r s54

3.13 Suppose that your employer offered you $4,000 in cash instead of health insurance coverage. Health insurance is excluded from state income taxes and federal income taxes. (To keep the problem simple, we will ignore Social Security and Medicare taxes.) The cash would be subject to state income taxes (8 percent) and federal income taxes (28 percent). How much would your after-tax income go up if you took the cash rather than the insurance?

3.14 How different would this calculation look for a worker who earned $500,000 and lived in Vermont? This worker would face a state income tax rate of 9.5 percent and a federal income tax rate of 35 percent.

References

Ayanian, J. Z., B. E. Landon, A. M. Zaslavsky, R. C. Saunders, L. G. Pawlson, and J. P. Newhouse. 2013. “Medicare Beneficiaries More Likely to Receive Appro- priate Ambulatory Services in HMOs Than in Traditional Medicare.” Health Affairs 32 (7): 1228–35.

Bernard, T. S. 2013. “Weighing the Risks of Going Without Health Insurance.” New York Times, November 19.

Bovbjerg, R. R. 2009. “Lessons for Health Reform from the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.” Timely Analysis of Immediate Health Policy Issues August. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute. www. urban.org/UploadedPDF/411940_lessons_for_health_reform.pdf.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 2013a. “Innovation Models.” http:// innovation.cms.gov/.

———. 2013b. “National Health Expenditure Data.” www.cms.gov/Research- Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealth ExpendData/NationalHealthAccountsHistorical.html.

Colla, C. H., D. E. Wennberg, E. Meara, J. S. Skinner, D. Gottlieb, V. A. Lewis, C. M. Snyder, and E. S. Fisher. 2012. “Spending Differences Associated with the Medicare Physician Group Practice Demonstration.” Journal of the American Medical Association 308 (10): 1015–23.

Collins, S. R., R. Robertson, T. Garber, and M. M. Doty. 2013. Insuring the Future: Current Trends in Health Coverage and the Effects of Implementing the Afford- able Care Act. New York: The Commonwealth Fund.

Cromwell, J., D. A. Dayhoff, and A. H. Thoumaian. 1997. “Cost Savings and Phy- sician Responses to Global Bundled Payments for Medicare Heart Bypass Surgery.” Health Care Financing Review 19 (1): 41–57.

DeNavas-Walt, C., B. D. Proctor, and J. C. Smith. 2013. Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2012. Washington, DC: US Govern- ment Printing Office.

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Enthoven, A. C. 1984. “A New Proposal to Reform the Tax Treatment of Health Insurance.” Health Affairs 3 (1): 21–39.

Fang, H., M. P. Keane, and D. Silverman. 2008. “Sources of Advantageous Selection: Evidence from the Medigap Insurance Market.” Journal of Political Economy 116 (2): 303–50.

Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research & Educational Trust. 2013. 2013 Employer Health Benefits Survey. Menlo Park, CA: Kaiser Family Foundation and Chicago: Health Research & Educational Trust.

Landon, B. E., A. M. Zaslavsky, R. C. Saunders, L. G. Pawlson, J. P. Newhouse, and J. Z. Ayanian. 2012. “Analysis of Medicare Advantage HMOs Compared with Traditional Medicare Shows Lower Use of Many Services During 2003–09.” Health Affairs 31 (12): 2609–17.

Liu, Y., and G. Z. Jin. 2013. Employer Contribution and Premium Growth in Health Insurance. National Bureau of Economic Research. Working Paper 19760. Published December. www.nber.org/papers/w19760.

Long, S. K., G. M. Kenney, S. Zuckerman, D. E. Goin, D. Wissoker, F. Blavin, L. J. Blumberg, L. Clemans-Cope, J. Holahan, and K. Hempstead. 2014. “The Health Reform Monitoring Survey: Addressing Data Gaps to Provide Timely Insights into the Affordable Care Act.” Health Affairs 33 (1): 161–67.

McKinsey & Company. 2013. “Hospital Networks: Configurations on the Ex- changes and Their Impact on Premiums.” Updated December 14. www. mckinsey.com/client_ser vice/healthcare_systems_and_ser vices/center_ for_us_health_system_reform.

Milliman. 2013. 2013 Milliman Medical Index. Published May. www.milliman.com/ uploadedFiles/insight/Periodicals/mmi/pdfs/mmi-2013.pdf.

Peikes, D., A. Zutshi, J. L. Genevro, M. L. Parchman, and D. S. Meyers. 2012. “Early Evaluations of the Medical Home: Building on a Promising Start.” American Journal of Managed Care 18 (2): 105–16.

Reid, R. J., K. Coleman, E. A. Johnson, P. A. Fishman, C. Hsu, M. P. Soman, C. E. Trescott, M. Erikson, and E. B. Larson. 2010. “The Group Health Medical Home at Year Two: Cost Savings, Higher Patient Satisfaction, and Less Burn- out for Providers.” Health Affairs 29 (5): 835–43.

Reid, R. O., P. Deb, B. L. Howell, and W. H. Shrank. 2013. “Association Between Medicare Advantage Plan Star Ratings and Enrollment.” Journal of the Amer- ican Medical Association 309 (3): 267–74.

Spector, W. D., J. W. Cohen, and I. Pesis-Katz. 2004. “Home Care Before and After the Balanced Budget Act of 1997: Shifts in Financing and Services.” Geron- tologist 44 (1): 39–47.

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CHAPTER

57

DESCRIBING, EVALUATING, AND MANAGING RISK

Learning Objectives

After reading this chapter, students will be able to

• calculate an expected value and standard deviation, • describe the key features of a risky outcome, • construct and use a decision tree to frame a choice, and • discuss common approaches to managing risk.

Key Concepts

• Clinical and managerial decisions typically entail uncertainty about what will happen.

• Decision makers often have imprecise estimates of the probabilities of various outcomes.

• Decision making about risk involves describing, evaluating, and managing potential outcomes.

• Insurance and diversification are two ways to manage risk.

4.1 Introduction

Clinical and managerial decisions typically entail risk. Important information is often incomplete or missing when the time to make a decision arrives. At best, one is aware of potential outcomes and the probability of each outcome’s occurrence. At worst, one has little to no information about out- comes and their probabilities. The challenge for managers is to identify risks that are worth analyzing, risks that are worth taking, and the best strategies for dealing with them.

When outcomes are uncertain, decision making has three compo- nents: describing, evaluating, and managing potential outcomes. Because uncertainty is central to many areas of healthcare, the same techniques (e.g.,

4

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Assignment: Balanced Scorecard

For this assignment you must first select an actual company that employs a low-cost strategy. Options include: Aldi, Wal-Mart, Spirit Airlines, Motel 6, IKEA, Nucor Steel. Once you have selected the company this assignment involves two parts:

  1. For part one of this assignment, conduct an internet search and determine the types of crisis this company has faced in the past.
  2. For part two you must build a balanced scorecard for the organization. Creating a balanced scorecard is like creating a blueprint for making a company’s mission and vision a reality. When you create a balanced scorecard for this class you must assume the role of a business leader within the company and develop the plan for your company. A balanced scorecard brings together the 4 main perspectives or areas of a business (Financial, Business Process, Learning & Growth, and Customer) which all play a role in making a company’s mission and vision a reality. Next a balanced scorecard lists objectives, measurable targets, and initiatives for each of the 4 main areas. These help ensure each of the 4 areas supports the mission and vision. You will need to make these up as if you led the company. Review the lectures, the balanced scorecard videos, and materials from this module and the last module in this course to ensure you understand the concept. Many companies layout a balanced scorecard differently so I have laid out a blueprint below. You do not need to submit this assignment in a graphical format. A simple word style layout is fine [as a file upload to this dropbox], but you must provide the following:
    • List the organization’s Mission and Vision statements (search the web to locate)
    • Then in each of the 4 main areas (Financial Perspective, Business Process Perspective, Learning & Growth Perspective, Customer Perspective) you must create the following 4 items:

1. Objectives – Develop objectives that will help support the companies mission/vision as it relates to that particular area. There may be more than one in some areas. (FedEx example in the “business process perspective”: To deliver more FedEx basic ground delivery packages on time.)

2. Measures – Develop measures for each objective. (For the above FedEx example this would be % of basic ground packages delivered on time)

3. Targets – Develop Targets for each measure. (For the above FedEx example this might be to reach the following on-time delivery goals: FY 1– 96% on-time delivery, FY 2 96.5% on-time delivery, FY 99% on-time delivery)

4. Initiatives – Develop at least one real-world implementable initiatives for each objective that will help employees reach the targets and ultimately reach the objective, which ultimately makes the company live out its mission/vision. (For the above FedEx example this might be: Offer financial incentives of $100 bonuses to any delivery driver who delivers all packages on-time for an entire month.)

  • To help you understand each of the 4 main areas:
    • Financial Perspective answers the following: “To achieve our goals, how should we appear to our shareholders?”
    • Business Process Perspective answers the following: “To satisfy our customers and stakeholders, at what business process must we excel?”
    • Learning & Growth Perspective answers the following: “To achieve our vision, how will we sustain our ability to change and improve?”
    • Customer Perspective – answers the following: “To achieve our vision, how should we appear to our customers?”)
  • The goal of this assignment is to help you master this important concept. The ultimate goal of this assignment is to allow you to see how well built Balanced Scorecard can help a company live out its mission and see its vision become a reality.

The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate that you absorbed the knowledge presented in your text and can thoughtfully articulate and apply that knowledge.  All answers should be in your own words and any use of specific language used in the text must be properly cited to avoid plagiarism.

30.0 to >24.0 pts (30pts total)

Distinguished

Answers or responses are accurate and complete and include personal anecdotes and evidence of deeper comprehension.

 
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Human Resources Management

Part 1

Provide answers to the following questions:.

·  Explain why you agree or disagree with Black’s view on the skills employees need to be successful in the area of HR. Explain the skills.

·  What outcomes have been realized due to the new HR strategy?

·  What challenges do global organizations face when establishing HR policies?

Part 2

Find at least three articles beyond the textbook, two of them connected to Grantham University Library, and one from another approved source that supports, refutes, and/or provides best practices or other alternatives related to the topic.

·  This assignment is to assess the mastery of your ability to critically analyze case studies to promote best practices in the realm of HRM.

·  When doing this assignment, critique the case study and articles found.

·  Analyze the data and other concepts found.

·  Assess the situation and allow yourself to find solutions to the identified problems.

·  Include questions that arise when moving through the case study, finding other answers to solve problems you anticipate running into.

·  Forecast for other concerns, finding positive outcomes that are beneficial from an HRM perspective.

The following requirements must be met:

Write 1,500 words using Microsoft Word in APA 6th edition style.

Use an appropriate number of references to support your position and defend your arguments. The following are examples of primary and secondary sources that may be used and non-credible and opinion-based sources that may not be used.

Primary sources such as government websites (United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Census BureauThe World Bank), peer-reviewed and scholarly journals in EBSCOhost (Grantham University Online Library), and Google Scholar.

Secondary and credible sources such as CNN MoneyThe Wall Street Journal, trade journals, and publications in EBSCOhost (Grantham University Online Library).

Non-credible and opinion-based sources such as Wikis, Yahoo Answers, eHow, blogs, etc. should not be used.

Cite all reference material (data, dates, graphs, quotes, paraphrased statements, information, etc.) in the paper and list each source on a reference page using APA style. An overview of APA 6th edition in-text citations, formatting, reference list, and style is provided here.

Download an APA sample paper from the Purdue OWL here.

 
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Human Resource Management Case Study

Please answer all the questions for the two case studies below.  Answers should be thorough and complete for each question.  Please write your responses in a Word document for submission and use the APA format as a guideline. Double space and use a 12-point font. The combined responses should be at least 1000 words in length, with individually identified responses to each of the questions for the two case studies or critical thinking scenarios. Use the following information to support you in completing this assignment correctly.  Include two references for full credit.  One can be the text, and the other should be information regarding the company in the scenario, a scholarly article on the main topic of the case, or a critical thinking activity.

  • All questions answered and addressed
  • Answers indicate that symptoms were recognized
  • The actual causes of the problem were uncovered
  • Answers indicate that you identified major goals of the organizations, units, and/or individuals in the case
  • Answers indicate that longer-term performance problems and those requiring immediate attention have been recognized and considered
  • Identified appropriate alternative actions

 

Please answer all the questions for the two case studies below.  Answers should be thorough and complete for each question.  Please write your responses in a Word document for submission and use the APA format as a guideline. Double space and use a 12-point font. The combined responses should be at least 1000 words in length, with individually identified responses to each of the questions for the two case studies or critical thinking scenarios. Use the following information to support you in completing this assignment correctly.  Include two references for full credit.  One can be the text, and the other should be information regarding the company in the scenario, a scholarly article on the main topic of the case, or a critical thinking activity.

·

· All questions answered and addressed

· Answers indicate that symptoms were recognized

· Actual causes of the problem were uncovered

· Answers indicate that you identified major goals of the organizations, units, and/or individuals in the case

· Answers indicate that longer-term performance problems and those requiring immediate attention have been recognized and considered

· Identified appropriate alternative actions

 
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SELECTION PROCESS

Running Head: NEEDS ASSESSMENT 2

NEEDS ASSESSMENT 2

Needs Assessment

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation:

Course Name and Number

Instructor Name

Assignment Due Date

 

Introduction

Our organization is a retail shop that deals largely with household and consumer goods. It operates a chain of stores in the country and has, in recent years, registered significant success with an appealing profitability index. Since its establishment, the firm has only been dealing with physical orders where the c clients have to visit our facilities to purchase the goods that they desire. However, with the recent COVID 19 outbreaks, there have been numerous controls that have been affected and have largely reduced the number of sales made each day (OECD.org, 2020). Over the last few months of 2020, the company has registered very low sales as people have largely avoided physical contact. By operating on a physical basis, our stores have been avoided by customers, translating into dropped sales. The situation has made it essential to carry out a needs assessment that will attract more customers to our products.

The need analysis has been concentrated on the sales department since it is the section that has a direct impact on the sales index. While the team in the department has, over the years, led to the development and implementation of highly successful policies, the virus outbreak has seemingly exhausted their ideas. Thus, the firm needs to look into how well the company can adjust the structure of the section to revert to past success. The primary goal of the assessment is to come up with effective measures that would aid in increasing sales volumes. An increase in the customer base will be essential, and there lies a high possibility of exceedingly previously sales that have been recorded over the past years.

Employment needs

The employment needs of the identified need are to facilitate the sales recorded by the company. As a profit-oriented organization, there is a high preference for making as many revenues as possible. Therefore, one of the employment needs is to boost the sales of the entity. The only variance from the sales from previous periods is that it will be designed and aimed towards online selling employment is a relatively new platform for the firm. Therefore, the company will be looking at how best to reach out to the buyers, emphasizing getting them to place their orders over the online platform.

The move is also expected to boost the firm by rolling out the online platform, considered a relatively more effective selling method. Despite having some firms already in the area, there are still numerous unexplored openings that the company seeks to take advantage of. The acquisition of loyal online clients will be determined by how well and effective the system is (Singh & Davidson, 2017). It will also be necessary to develop an online site that is easy to operate as this would encourage more clients to adopt our proposed venture. Besides, by going online, it means that there will be lower physical visits to our stores. We will also manage to sell to larger geographical regions, and this would eliminate the need to open further branches across the country. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the firm will decongest their stores and save costs that would be incurred in renting shop spaces. There would be more emphasis on acquiring go down relatively cheaper services. The strategy is therefore projected to raise the sales moved, and thus the profits realizable to the company.

Required Function

The company looks at the possibility of launching an online shopping platform over which shoppers can order their goods at their comfort and have them delivered to their desired locations. Such a structure will work well not only to avert the adversities caused by the pandemic outbreak but will also target the people who are too busy to get time for their basic shopping. Further, it will help increase the clientele since the company will have a platform to reach even people far from the physical stores (Lamont, 2017). Such would assist in correcting the low sales that have been recorded across the second and the third quarters of 2020.

It is a primary responsibility for firms to be socially responsible to their clients. Our company also sees the possibility of meeting their corporate social responsibility needs with the adoption of online shopping. Through the development of the platform, the retail stores will discourage unnecessary movement and congestions that have been reported to be primary risk factors in the spread of the COVID 19 pandemic. The proposition will assist the people in gaining easy access to their basic needs without having to expose themselves to the pandemic (Cable, 2013). These are perceived to be the primary functions that the needs assessment will seek to address.

Jobs or Tasks

There is a need to develop a team that will identify the specific needs of the market to achieve the desired function. Currently, a majority of retailers have created an online selling system. There is thus going to be a crucial need to try and identify the deficiencies in the existing structures and taking advantage of it (Jobber et al., 2019). The job that is to be created will involve a person who is vibrant in the marketing field and one who can easily convince people to adopt our entity’s online platform. Upon recruitment of the new clients, they will then be oriented into the system to ensure they are well acquainted with all the functionalities of the company’s site. They will also be required to aid the clients in the placing of orders.

Upon order submission, the personnel tasked with handling the system will then follow up to the selling team to get the orders processed. The order will be considered fulfilled when delivered and approved by the client, recorded as a successful sale (Syed & Kramer, 2017). Also, the task will include making a follow-up to get the feedback of the clients. The team will help develop a system that will amicably address all the issues raised by the buyers and use it to come up with worthy proposals of how to improve the process.

Current Training

To achieve the objectives of the need identified, the firm is expected to instill the right skills and knowledge to the employees. The company aims at selecting a team of five employees from the sales and marketing team that will be tasked with meeting the needs of the gap identified. The plan is to come up with a training schedule that the selected employees will be subjected to. The arrangement will include taking them through the basics of online selling and social media platforms to attract new sales (Jobber et al., 2019). They will further be taken through more detailed customer relations sessions that will be aimed at ensuring they get a competitive advantage over their peers when dealing with existing as well as prospected clients. The five employees will then be taken through continuous system orientation to ensure they understand the operations in the site. Further, the company will organize further training to match the dynamism of the sector and the industry at large. That way, the company aims to fulfill the identified needs entirely.

Online Marketers Job Description

The aim of conducting a needs assessment is to identify the gaps in the system that need to be addressed. The company seeks to deploy employees to the online selling team proposed after the conduct of the need’s assessment done on the company. The firm will be looking for marketing experts who will help in spearheading the online selling department. The persons will be expected to have high marketing skills and be very conversant with the emerging trends in the sales and marketing sector as it will play a major role in determining the best approaches to take. The initial plan is to have a team of five employees who will be placed under the marketing department as an independent section. They will work in coordination with the general sales and marketing department in ensuring that the firm meets the objectives set as per the need analysis.

The team will be led by a section head who will be categorized as a middle-level manager. The team leader will be tasked with the implementation of policies that are aimed at boosting the selling process of the firm. He will report directly to the overall marketing manager with the staff under him being delegated to carry out various functions under online selling. The team will seek to enroll clients to the platform and follow up on the orders placed for delivery. Their efficiency will be assessed based largely on the sales volumes pushed and the ability to retain clients beyond the first order. The company aims at approaching the recruitment internally, with a bias towards the personnel in the sales and marketing department. However, there will be consideration given to employees from other departments if the management feels that they fit the needs identified by the assessment done.

 

References

Cable, D. M. (2013). The Oxford handbook of recruitment. Oxford University Press.

Jobber, D., Lancaster, G., & Meunier-FitzHugh, K. L. (2019). Selling and sales management. Pearson UK.

Lamont, I. (2017). Lean Media: How to focus on creativity, streamline production, and create media that audiences love. I30 Media Corporation.

OECD.org. (2020). COVID-19 and the retail sector: Impact and policy responses. OECD. https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/covid-19-and-the-retail-sector-impact-and-policy-responses-371d7599/

Singh, D. J., & Davidson, J. (2017). How to make a profit by selling your household items online – One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Mendon Cottage Books.

Syed, J., & Kramar, R. (2017). Human resource management: A global and critical perspective. Macmillan International Higher Education.

 
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3-1 Milestone Two: Cover Letter

OL 751 Milestone Three Rubric: Proposal Content Overview: This milestone continues your detailed HR proposal, which should include, on the whole, a combination of the concepts that you have learned during your time in the Human Resource Management program. You will receive feedback from your instructor regarding the cover letter. Implement this feedback into your final version of the human resource strategy proposal. Prompt: For this milestone, submit a draft of your detailed HR proposal, which should highlight how the HR department, under your leadership, will operate as an effective business partner. The following strategies should be considered and incorporated into your proposal:

 Methods of advancing the organization’s vision and mission through effective leadership and critical evaluation and decision making

 A global outlook and cross-cultural approach in the interest of improving cultural responsiveness and capitalizing on diversity

 Organizational development efforts to foster collaboration and guide the organization through changes

 Application of performance management and total rewards programs to attract, inspire, and retain a highly skilled and effective workforce

 A plan of how to effectively build stronger relationships with all stakeholders through trust, teamwork, and direct communication

 Evaluation of how the department will continue protecting the integrity of the business, its employees, and its management practices through appropriate risk management and legal and ethical practices

Support your ideas and strategy with outside resources to provide a summary of viewpoints on this matter and explain how your strategy is the best choice. Guidelines for Submission: The proposal should be of sufficient length to communicate your strategies listed above. Your proposal content draft should be in a professional format to include all necessary elements that one would find in a proposal, such as a title page, table of contents, and professional bibliography using APA format. The document should use double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins.

Critical Elements Proficient (100%) Not Proficient (0%) Value

Timeliness Submits detailed draft of project proposal by deadline Does not submit detailed draft of project proposal by deadline

5

Vision and Mission Introduces methods of advancing the organization’s vision and mission through effective leadership and critical evaluation and decision making

Does not introduce methods of advancing the organization’s vision or mission through effective leadership or critical evaluation and decision making

15

Outlook and Approach

Includes a global outlook and cross-cultural approach in the interest of improving cultural responsiveness and capitalizing on diversity

Does not include a global outlook or cross-cultural approach in the interest of improving cultural responsiveness or capitalizing on diversity

15

 

 

 

Analysis and Decision Making

Includes appropriate evidence-based strategies that integrate sound, data-driven analysis and critical decision making to support the goals, vision, and mission of the organization

Does not include appropriate evidence-based strategies that integrate sound, data-driven analysis or critical decision making to support the goals, vision, or mission of the organization

15

Risk Management Includes an evaluation of how the department will continue protecting the integrity of the business, its employees, and its management practices through appropriate risk management and legal and ethical practices

Does not include an evaluation of how the department will continue protecting the integrity of the business, its employees, and its management practices through appropriate risk management or legal and ethical practices

15

Customer Service and Negotiations

Describes how to effectively leverage customer service and negotiation strategies that build engaging relationships with stakeholders through trust, teamwork, and direct communication

Does not describe how to effectively leverage customer service or negotiation strategies that build engaging relationships with stakeholders through trust, teamwork, or direct communication

15

Data Analysis Provides data analysis to further support the proposal and includes opposing viewpoints on this issue while explaining how student’s strategy is preferable

Does not provide data analysis to further support the proposal or include opposing viewpoints on this issue while explaining how student’s strategy is preferable

15

Articulation of Response

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

5

Earned Total 100%

 
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Labor Relations Paper 3-5 Pages

A lot of this just needs to be eloborated/made up! This is one of those papers that you really can just bs your way through!

 

1.            Work on your final paper.  Include the following:

a.    Briefly describe the issues you initially identified while reading the Mock Negotiation Problem.**attached

i.    How did your views differ from those of your teammates? **try to explain how I didn’t really have a good view/understanding what unions in labor groups went through in negotiations

ii.    What research did you provide for your team during this process?  Did it help? *** we broke up our demands and I was gave 3.) Overtime should be on a volunteer basis first and if additional personnel are needed then it can be made mandatory only if additional workers are needed. Persons out of town pre-approved vacations are exempt from mandatory overtime.
— my info I submitted is attached below

b.    Briefly describe the 6-8 demands your team decided on to negotiate. **below

i.    Why did you choose these demands to negotiate? ** we felt this was a good mix of good/current topics?? Elaborate on this!

ii.    Do you feel these demands were adequate for negotiations?  Why or why not? **I would go w/ yes because that is the best/easiest to answer and include reasons why you chose them to negotiate as why you feel these were adequate!

iii.    Choose two demands and give the bargaining zone limits for each.  **from final decisions below!

iv.    What were the results of these two demands? ***From Final Decisions below!

c.    How do you feel the negotiating process went?  Was it smooth? Difficult?  Why? **say it went ok w/ a few bumps in the road because not everyone could effectively communicate in the discussions because of technical problems…

d.    What do you feel could have been done better or differently? **pretty much the above…

e.    Compare your views of labor unions and management before and after this negotiation. **opened my eyes to all of this…

i.    How are your views different than before?

2.            This paper is to be 3-5 pages type written APA format, 12 pt Arial or Times New Roman font, double spaced with 1” margins.  You are to have at least three sources – one of which can be your textbook.  This paper is due no later than Sunday, May 5, 2013 at midnight.  No exceptions!

 

 

8 demands:

 

1.)          Increase the escalator clause from 3 cents to 5 cents for every 0.4 point increase in the CPI. Bi-Annual review of the escalator agreement.
2.) Maintain employee coverage for emergency department usage.
*Company will establish a wellness program which emphasize prevention, smoking cessation, diet, prescription coverage through discount programs such as Medco by mail.
*Company will establish and maintain an employee assistance program for employees dealing with stress and other stress creating situations.
3.) Overtime should be on a volunteer basis first and if additional personnel are needed then it can be made mandatory only if additional workers are needed. Persons out of town pre-approved vacations are exempt from mandatory overtime.
4.) Minimum of two union members serving on the company board of directors at all times.
5.) Extend medical insurance coverage to 90 days for employees on lay-off
6.) 2 weeks paid vacation after 2 years of seniority, 3 weeks after 5 years of seniority.

 

Final Decisions:

 

At this time, union and management have reached a settlement on the issues at hand. I will post the issues below and our final decisions on them. We, the union and the management team have worked jointly to negotiate a new contract which we believe will serve the company to operate both in the interest of the business and the interest of the employees.
Management Requests
Keep wages the same.  Over the 3 year period of the first contract, wages have increased $0.75 hr. //$0.40 from the escalator clause of $0.03 increase per 0.4 percent increase in the CPI. And $0.30 from the operation of the annual improvement factor.

See COLA, SUB pay and production bonus details under other headings.

2. Contract shall set production standards

Set production standards at 100% for full employee pay and allowing employees the option to leave work for the day with full pay intact once they have met these standards. This may change at the next contract negotiation, however at this time we found it may not be in the best economic interest of the company to offer a financial bonus to employees to create surplus, but we believe that an incentive should be offered to meet these production standards. We have have taken safety and housekeeping factors into consideration and the go-home option will be rotating and offered based on seniority.

3. Reduce SUB pay percentage

Adjust the sub pay back to 90%

4. Cost share any increase in health premiums with the employee

Future health care costs will be shared 50/50 between the company and the employee.

5. Modify the wait time before employee is eligible for health and retirement benefits

The wait time for eligibility for health benefits shall be six months and eligibility for retirement benefits shall be two years. We believe this will help to reduce healthcare costs and still offer a benefits package that will retain and attract employees.

6. Open dialog on flex-time, telecommute, outsourced administrative functions, holidays, sick leave and vacation.

Generally applies to Management and Administrative.

 

Flex time will be introduced with the expectation of normal 8 hour days/40 hour week.  Identify daily fixed schedule where most all employees are expected to work “core time”.  (Telecommuters to be separately arranged).

 

Telecommuting will be encouraged for positions wishing and able to do so with consideration to certain core time requirements.

 

Union Requests

1. The demand is to pay $0.05 instead of $0.03 for every 0.40 % CPI increase, reviewed twice annually.

Keep COLA at $0.03 per 0.40% increase in CPI, reviewed twice annually.

5. Medical coverage for laid off employees: Current contract is 30 days coverage; the demand is for 90 days.

Extend medical coverage for laid off employees to 60 days post notice.

 

6. Vacation accrual is currently 1 week after 1 year, 2 weeks after 5 years and 3 weeks after 20 years. Demand is for 2 weeks after 2 years and 3 weeks after 5 years.

Vacation to be 1 week after six months with 1 day per year additional accumulation on employee’s anniversary date with the maximum retained accumulation being 15 days.  Rotational shift workers will have the comparable amount of time off.

3. Overtime: currently the company can require overtime. This continues. The demand is to make overtime volunteers first and mandatory only to the point of filling slots/positions not able to be filled by volunteers. Two historical points here. First, recently the company forced overtime and threatened to fire those not responding. Secondly some employees say supervisors offer overtime to their “friends” and the chance to make overtime money isn’t equally shared.

Overtime will be rotational within skills and departments giving all an equal opportunity for overtime and allowing employees to predict when their obligation to overtime will be.  An alphabetical ranking or apprentice-journeyman-full type of schedule will be adopted.  The unpredictable part is how many employees will be required in any instance but after the first series employees will know if they may be obliged to overtime the next occurrence.

4.  The current demand is to put TWO representatives on the board. Logically they are thinking that by starting with 2 we might concede to allowing 1.

We have agreed to have one voting member on the board. This is what was asked for in the case study and we, the union believe this will allow us a more open dialogue with management and provide management with more “hands on” company information.

2. The classroom union demand is for a host of wellness programs covering both physical and mental health issues. Recently the company has pushed to eliminate emergency room visits from the health coverage and that employees enroll in an HMO to save on dollars.

A Union-Management committee will be struck to analyze wellness programs with the mandate to offer a binding proposal to this contract on wellness programs within six months provided that future health care costs are shared 50/50 and wait times for health and retirement are adopted.

 
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Determine How Innovations In Employee Benefits Can Improve The Overall Competitive Compensation Strategy Of The Organization.

HRM533 Assignment 5 New and Improved Rewards at Work (***** APA Format + Abstract + 7 References + as discussed + 10 Pages *****)

 

 

Assignment 5: New and Improved Rewards at Work Due Week 10 and worth 250 points

 

Employers have been coming up with innovative employee rewards to boost morale and acknowledge employee needs for creativity and personal goal accomplishment. Some of the latest potential employee rewards include using the Internet at work for personal reasons such as shopping, communicating with friends, or personal finances; bringing a pet to work; instituting a controlled napping policy, and the sports and office betting pools.

 

Write an eight to ten (8-10) page paper in which you:

 

1. Determine how innovations in employee benefits can improve the overall competitive compensation strategy of the organization.

 

2.Explain how innovative benefits could be tied to specific jobs.

 

3.Critique the effectiveness of equity-based rewards systems versus those with more creative approaches.

 

4.Discuss the key elements of integrating innovation into a traditional total rewards program.

 

5.Recommend a process that optimizes an employee-based suggestion program to continually refresh the total rewards of the organization.

 

6.Use at least five (5) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources.

 

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

 

•Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

 

•Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length. The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

 

•Analyze an organization’s strategy and integrate pay-for-performance plans and total rewards into a compensation strategy that will motivate desired behavior and improve job performance.

 

•Explain a benefit plan as part of an overall competitive compensation strategy and the policies to administer the benefits.

 

•Use technology and information resources to research issues in total rewards. •Write clearly and concisely about total rewards using proper writing

 

HRM 533 Assignment 5 – New And Improved Rewards At Work

HRM/533 Assignment 5 New And Improved Rewards At Work

 

HRM533 Assignment 5: New And Improved Rewards At Work

 
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Online Exam

Question 1

 

 

Physicians who receive the Doctor of Medicine use an allopathic approach which means they actively intervene in attacking and eradicating disease and focus their efforts on the disease.

 

True

False

10 points

Question 2

 

Physicians who receive the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs) tend to stress interventionist treatments and use a aggressive, pharmaceutical-based approaches to treating patients.

True

False

10 points

Question 3

 

 

Most DOs are generalists.

True

False

10 points

Question 4

 

Exercise physiologists manage programs to assess, design and manage individual programs for both healthy and unhealthy individuals

 

True

False

10 points

Question 5

 

 

Kinesiotherapy is the application of exercise science to enhance the emotional capabilities of individuals with limited functions.

 

True

False

10 points

Question 6

 

 

Licensed vocation nurse’s responsibilities include patient observation, takes vital signs, keeps records, assists patients with personal hygiene, feeding and dressing them which are considered activities of daily living (ADLs).

 

True

False

10 points

Question 7

 

 

Certified nursing midwives (CNM) are registered nurses who have graduated from a nurse-midwifery education program that has been accredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives’ Division of Accreditation.

True

False

10 points

Question 8

 

 

Primary care is important to U.S. healthcare because:

 

 

It is the point of entry in the health care system where the patient makes contact with the system.

 

It focuses on short term interventions that may require a specialist’s intervention.

 

 

It is the most complex level of medical care needed to complicated health issues.

 

 

It is based on a referral from a primary care provider.

10 points

Question 9

 

 

A hospitalist is a:

 

Nurse that only works in hospitals.

 

Physician that replaces the patient’s specialist for complicated surgeries.

 

Physician that monitors the patient from admittance to the hospital to the patient’s discharge.

 

Specialist physicians that work with the patient while they are in the hospital.

10 points

Question 10

 

 

Physician extenders are:

 

Registered nurses that are used for physicians in rural areas.

 

Also called non physician practitioners (NPPs) such as nurse practitioners.

 

Physicians who are retired but have returned to practice, extending their career.

 

Chiropractors who manipulate the patient’s spine to extend their life expectancy.

10 points

Question 11

 

 

Which of the following statements are accurate regarding nurses?

 

Nurses constitute the largest group of health care professionals.

 

Nurses provide the majority of care to patients.

 

Nurses represent 20% of the healthcare workforce.

 

All of these statements are accurate.

10 points

Question 12

 

 

Which statements are accurate regarding dentists?

 

They prevent, diagnose and treat teeth, gum and mouth disease.

 

They are required to complete four years of dental school once they complete a four year undergraduate degree.

 

Dental practices are not in managed care environments.

 

All of these statements are true.

10 points

Question 13

 

 

_________________ is the point of entry into the healthcare system—where the patient makes first contact with the system.

 

Secondary care

 

Tertiary care

 

Primary care

 

Primary prevention

10 points

Question 14

 

 

________________________ constitute the largest group of healthcare professionals in the U.S.

 

Physicians

 

Physician extenders

 

Chiropractors

 

Nurses

10 points

Question 15

 

 

The concept of healthcare providers has expanded to include many different positions. This expansion is called

 

Optometrists

 

Allied health professionals

 

Podiatrists

 

Nurse practitioners

10 points

Question 16

 

 

This category of healthcare professional focuses on a holistic approach to patient treatments.

 

Podiatrist

 

Personal trainer

 

Chiropractors

 

Optometrists

10 points

Question 17

 

 

Another term for primary care physicians is:

 

Psychologists

 

Psychiatrists

 

Specialists

 

Generalists

 
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1-2 Page Compare And Contrast

OL 645:

Risk Management Plan Project Instructions and Rubric

Overview

The HR department plays a critical role in risk management strategy, education, and mitigation. When a risk situation has arisen within an organization, the HR department must respond and take action.

Imagine that you have just been hired as an HR manager for a large corporation (fictitious or real). The executive team is worried about potential organizational risks within the company. They have asked you to create a risk management plan to mitigate organizational risk.

In order to understand the process of how an organization responds to a risk situation, you will need to find two public cases of risk mitigation. In examining the two public cases, you will pay special attention to the legal, ethical, safety, environmental, cultural, political, and financial factors addressed by both.

Your goal will be to create a compare and contrast assessment of the two cases regarding the aforementioned considerations. The result of the two case comparisons will allow you to extract best practices while developing a risk management plan for the company you work for.

The risk management plan will showcase your mastery with respect to the following course outcomes:

OL-645-01: Analyze ethical and legal risks of complex human resource issues to ensure legal compliance and to mitigate risk.

OL-645-02: Predict the impact and costs of legal, safety, environmental, and financial risks on stakeholders.

OL-645-03: Analyze societal, cultural, and political factors in order to make well-informed human resource decisions.

OL-645-04: Evaluate the current trends related to workplace health, safety and security for their impact on corporate social responsibility.

OL-645-05: Describe pertinent federal employment laws that are related to ethical challenges facing human resource professionals today.

Prompt

Your risk management plan should answer the following question: What specific challenges must the HR department address to mitigate organizational risk situations?

The risk management plan should address the following main elements:

1. Ethical and Legal Risks—Identify ethical and legal challenges that were taken into account when analyzing the two public cases, such as positive and/or negative impacts on key stakeholders (e.g., employees, their families, shareholders, and the communities involved).

a. What are some approaches your company could take to ensure legal compliance? Explain the probable impacts of those approaches. [OL-645-01]

b. What methods could your company use to mitigate ethical and legal risks? Provide specific examples. [OL-645-01]

2. Potential Impact—Evaluate the impacts of legal, safety, environmental, and financial risks that were encountered in the two public cases.

a. What was the impact of the legal, safety, environmental and financial risks to the organizations in the public cases? Provide specific examples to illustrate. Use these examples to forecast potential impacts for your company in the risk management plan. [OL-645-02]

b. Considering that the executive team is having you take a proactive approach by creating a risk management plan to organizational risk, what are some of the costs associated with these risks? [OL-645-02]

3. Public Relations—Identify the challenges associated with the cases going public.

a. What factors were considered when society as a whole either supported or opposed the decisions made in the public cases? How important is societal support, and what factors will you consider to produce positive societal support? [OL-645-03]

b. What factors were considered with regard to cultural support or opposition in the public cases? How might you apply these factors to your company? [OL-645-03]

c. Were there political influences affecting management’s decisions in the public cases? Give examples of possible political issues and explain how they are relevant to your company’s decisions. [OL-645-03]

4. Trends—Describe current and projected trends regarding workplace health, personal safety, and security in the public cases. Based on those current and projected trends, address the following:

a. What are the implications for workplace health and safety of the risk situations in the public cases? Why should these factors be considered in the risk management plan? [OL-645-04]

b. Why would an employer be concerned with the personal safety and security of workers in these risk situations? [OL-645-04]

5. Employment Laws

a. Identify the applicable federal laws and acts and the possible impacts of each law on current employees at your company. [OL-645-05]

b. Propose methods that could be used to ensure compliance with all identified regulations. [OL-645-5]

Deliverable Milestones

Deliverable Description Due Submission Required
Phase I 2- to 3-page analysis of the Executive Summary by Ernst and Young Business Pulse 2013. Module 6 Submit as an Assignment X
Phase II 1-page comparison and contrast of two or more case studies, identifying HR strengths and weaknesses regarding legal and ethical workplace situations. Module 8 Submit as an Assignment X
Phase III

 

Submit your final Risk Management Plan, minimum 10 pages. Module 10

 

Submit as an Assignment X

Risk Management Plan Project Phase I

Due Week 6

1. Academic Writing: To prepare for academic writing, visit the SNHU Learning Center. Review the resources available for writing academically. https://my.snhu.edu/Offices/LearningCenter/Pages/home.aspx

2. Prepare: Read the following Executive Summary by Ernst and Young Business Pulse 2013

The Ernst and Young report identifies the top risks and opportunities for executives to consider for their strategic plans. This report discusses many influences on business practices, such as society, culture, politics, health, safety and security.

http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/Business_Pulse_-_top_10_risks_and_opportunities/$FILE/Business%20pulse%202013.pdf

3. Executive Summary Project Phase I: Imagine your company is planning and strategizing for the future and that you have been asked by the executive team to brief them on the state of the risks and opportunities in the industry. Prepare a 2- to 3-page analysis of the Executive Summary by Ernst and Young Business Pulse 2013, along with a review of the Modules 1-5, your textbook, and other research. Your analysis will help the top executives create a comprehensive strategic plan that includes risks and opportunities that could impact employees and other stakeholders. Make sure your paper clearly addresses the following questions:

• What are the top legal, safety, environmental, and financial risks and opportunities identified?

• What situations are influenced by society, culture, politics, health, safety and security? Connect to Federal and State laws when appropriate.

• In the global market, what are challenges businesses face when identifying risk for forecasting?

This assignment covers the following areas and objectives:

• Ethical and Legal Risks [OL-645-01]

• Potential Impact [OL-645-02]

• Trends [OL-645-04]

• Employment Laws [OL-645-05]

Rubric

Critical Elements Exemplary Proficient Needs Improvement Not Evident Value
Evolution of Business Models Submission meets “Proficient” and extends explanation to include additional reasons for the change

(20)

Describes how Wal-Mart and Amazon have changed their business models in recent years, and identifies at least two economic factors and reasons behind the changes

(18)

Describes how Wal-Mart and Amazon have changed their business models in recent years, or identifies economic factors and reasons behind the changes, but does not include both

(14)

Does not include description of business models

(0)

20
Comparative Advantage Submission meets “Proficient” and extends explanation to include compelling evidence in support of the evaluation from scholarly resources

(20)

Describes one comparative advantage of Wal-Mart and one comparative advantage of Amazon, and evaluates which company is likely to dominate the growing online market for perishables based on these comparative advantages

(18)

Describes comparative advantage of only one company, and evaluates which company is likely to dominate the growing online market for perishables based on this comparative advantage alone

OR

Describes one comparative advantage of Wal-Mart and one comparative advantage of Amazon, but does not evaluate which company is likely to dominate the growing online market for perishables based on these comparative advantages

(14)

Does not describe one comparative advantage of Wal-Mart and one comparative advantage of Amazon, and does not evaluate which company is likely to dominate the growing online market for perishables based on these comparative advantages

(0)

20
Business Strategy Submission meets “Proficient” and includes additional economic reasons for the suggested top priority

(20)

Identifies the business strategy advice, and provides a suggestion for a top priority and explains the logic for it using economic reasoning

(18)

Does not identify the business strategy advice, or does not make a suggestion for a top priority or does not explain the logic for it using economic reasoning

(14)

Does not identify the business strategy advice and does not make a suggestion for a top priority, and does not explain the logic for it using economic reasoning

(0)

20
Course Vocabulary Meets “Proficient” and integrates the course vocabulary into all aspects of the case study

(20)

Applies vocabulary for the economic topic throughout case study

(18)

 

Lists some vocabulary or phrases, but it is not connected to the context of the questions

(14)

Does not include economic vocabulary

(0)

 

20
Articulation of Response Submission is free of errors related to grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format

(20)

Submission has no major errors related to grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

(18)

 

Submission has major errors related to grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

(14)

Submission has critical errors related to grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

(0)

20
Earned Total:

Comments:

100%

Risk Management Plan Project Phase II

Due Week 8

1. Academic Writing: To prepare for academic writing, visit the SNHU Learning Center. Review the resources available for writing academically. https://my.snhu.edu/Offices/LearningCenter/Pages/home.aspx

2. Prepare: Identify two or more case studies on legal and ethical workplace situations that are influenced by society, culture, politics, health, safety, and security. There are many resources to use. One recommended website is Business in the Community Case Studies at http://www.bitc.org.uk/our-resources/case-studies

The following article provides excellent sources on HR’s role in the mitigation of social and environmental risk and opportunities.

• The Executive Summary by HRM’s Role in Corporate Social and Environmental Sustainability by Elaine Cohen, Sully Taylor and Michael Muller-Camen http://www.shrm.org/about/foundation/products/Document/4-12%20CSR%20Report%20FINAL%20for%20Web.pdf

3. Executive Summary Project Phase II: Assume the executives of your organization are interested in HR’s approach to risk mitigation with regard to legal and ethical workplace situations. Begin to research best practices regarding legal, ethical, safety, environmental, cultural, political, and financial factors in the workplace.

To accomplish this, you will need to compare and contrast two executive summaries of your choice. Consider what each company’s strengths and weaknesses are. Utilize what you’ve learned in Modules 1-7, as well as from your textbook and other assigned readings, to identify, evaluate, and present sound approaches to risk mitigation associated with legal and ethical decision making in HR.

Review the critical task prompt and rubric in preparation for your final project (see below). Use the following bullet points to guide your initial research. Begin to draft your risk mitigation plan. Your final paper will need to be a minimum of 10 pages.

• What ethical and legal risks are identified in your case studies?

• How can HR mitigate the ethical and legal risks identified in your case studies?

• How are federal and state workplace laws influenced or impacted by society, culture, politics, health, safety, and security?

• How may your company’s CSR sustainability plan mitigate risks and maximize profits for shareholders? How important is societal support for your CSR plan?

• What factors need to be considered when a company communicates to the public?

This assignment covers the following areas and objectives:

• Ethical and Legal Risks [OL-645-01]

• Potential Impact [OL-645-02]

• Public Relations [OL-645-03]

• Trends [OL-645-04]

• Employment Laws [OL-645-05]

Risk Management Plan Project Phase III

Due Week 10

1. Academic Writing: To prepare for academic writing, visit the SNHU Learning Center. Review the resources available for writing academically. https://my.snhu.edu/Offices/LearningCenter/Pages/home.aspx

2. Prepare: Review Phases I and II of your Risk Management Plan, Modules 1-10, your textbook, and other materials you have researched. Also review the instructions and criteria presented in this document.

Note that Executive Summary Project Phase I and II (Modules 6 and 8) were designed to promote cumulative application of your knowledge of HR and organizational risk management.

3. Executive Summary Project Phase III: Finalize your research and prepare your presentation for the executive leadership team. Review all criteria as outlined by the critical task and grading rubric. Submit your final risk mitigation plan as an Assignment.

This assignment covers the following areas and objectives:

• Ethical and Legal Risks [OL-645-01]

• Potential Impact [OL-645-02]

• Public Relations [OL-645-03]

• Trends [OL-645-04]

• Employment Laws [OL-645-05]

Rubric

Requirements of Submission: Written components of your project must follow these formatting guidelines when applicable: double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and APA format for all elements. The Risk Management Plan has a required minimum of 10 pages, and should include legal, ethical, safety, environmental, cultural, political, and financial factors. You need to include references and a cover page. You will need to include a minimum of 5 properly cited, scholarly sources in your risk management plan. Failure to adhere to these requirements of submission will result in the paper not being graded.

Critical Elements Exemplary Proficient Needs Improvement Not Evident Value
Ethical and Legal Risks: Legal Compliance

[OL-645-01]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and incorporates specific examples to substantiate and clarify claims (9) Proposes logical and ethical measures to ensure legal compliance for all key stakeholders (7) Proposes measures for legal compliance that are either unethical, contain gaps in the logic, or do not take into account all key stakeholders (5) Does not propose measures for legal compliance (0) 9
Ethical and Legal Risks: Mitigating Risks

[OL-645-01]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and incorporates specific examples to substantiate and clarify claims (9) Proposes logical and ethical ways for mitigating risks for all key stakeholders (7) Proposes measures for mitigating risks that are either unethical, contain gaps in the logic, or do not take into account all key stakeholders (5) Does not propose measures for mitigating risk (0) 9
Potential Impact: legal, safety, environmental, and financial risks

[OL-645-02]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and incorporates specific examples to substantiate and clarify claims (9) Evaluates the impact of legal, safety, environmental, and financial risks (7) Evaluates the impact of legal, safety, environmental, and financial risks, but claims are not logical (5) Does not evaluates the impact of legal, safety, environmental, and financial risks (0) 9
Public Relations: Societal

[OL-645-03]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and proposals are insightful and substantiated by scholarly research (9) Accurately analyzes the influences associated with societal support and opposition (7) Analyzes societal influences, but does not address both support and opposition or draws inaccurate conclusions (5) Does not analyze societal influences (0) 9
Public Relations: Cultural

[OL-645-03]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and proposals are insightful and substantiated by scholarly research (9) Accurately analyzes influences associated with cultural support and opposition (7) Analyzes cultural influences associated, but does not address both support and opposition or draws inaccurate conclusions (5) Does not analyze cultural influences (0) 9
Public Relations: Political

[OL-645-03]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and proposals are insightful and substantiated by scholarly research (9) Accurately analyzes the influences associated with political support and opposition (7) Analyzes political influences, but does not address both support and opposition or draws inaccurate conclusions (5) Does not analyze political influences (0) 9
Trends:

Health

[OL-645-04]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes quantifiable data that supports these trends (9) Evaluates the effects on workplace health and includes current and projected trends (7) Evaluates the effects on workplace health, but does not adequately incorporate researched trends to substantiate the claim (5) Does not evaluate the effects on workplace health (0) 9
Trends:

Safety & Security

[OL-645-04]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes quantifiable data that supports these trends (9) Evaluates the safety and security of employees based on current and projected trends (7) Evaluates the safety and security of employees, but does not adequately incorporate researched trends to substantiate the claim (5) Does not evaluate the safety and security of employees (0) 9
Employment Laws: Identification

[OL-645-05]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and discussion is substantiated by scholarly research (9) Identifies applicable federal laws and acts, and identifies applicable situations (7) Identifies most federal laws and acts, but does not address possible situations (5) Does not identify applicable federal laws and acts (0) 9
Employment Laws: Compliance Proposal

[OL-645-05]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and proposal is substantiated by scholarly research (9) Proposes methods that could be used to ensure compliance with all identified regulations (7) Proposes methods that could be used to ensure compliance with all identified regulations, but proposals are not well-developed (5) Does not propose methods to ensure compliance with identified regulations (0) 9
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 (10) Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization (8) Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas (6) Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas (0) 10
Total 100
 
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