In this essay you will have an opportunity to integrate the course materials from the three modules. The assignment is to develop an essay in the form of a proposal for a new healthcare policy or the modification of an existing policy. The policy can be targeted to any level in the healthcare system or to any particular organization: a healthcare organization such as a hospital or outpatient center, a municipality, an agency with regulatory oversight, a practitioner group, third party payers, etc. In short, do not feel restricted about the target group. This is an opportunity to explore, analyze, and exercise creativity with respect to a policy area that interests you. You may choose an area with which you have been very familiar or use this to explore new policy terrain. It will be important to consider as well how the policy could be implemented (thus, we address the province of management). Please include the following sections:
• · Executive Summary (less than 1 page)
• · Statement of the Problem
• · Policy Goals and Design
• · Implementation Plan and Issues
• · Works Cited
Below is a short draft outline for my capstone project, the topic I have chosen is: Improving Emergency Room Wait Times for Mental Health Patients
Statement of the Problem
• Emergency room wait times
• ER Wait times specifically related to mental health patients
• Why does this occur
o Patients automatically go to the ER for health issues
o Not aware of their options for other mental health facilities
Behavioral Health Urgent Care, Facility Based Crisis Centers, Private Psychiatric Inpatient/Outpatient facilities
o Possibly do not have health insurance
Policy Goals and Design
• Reduce emergency room wait times
• Provide the proper level of care to mental health patients
• Provide greater education about resources for mental health patients
Implementation Plan and Issues
Hospitals and Behavioral health facilities would make sure patents mental health needs are identified and they guided towards the appropriate level of care for their mental health needs
• Methods
o Completing psychiatric evaluation soon after arrival as part of the registration process in order to be aware of the level of care needed before patient waits for hours (ER, facility based crisis center, psychiatric inpatient).
o Use of psychiatric bed boards to explore bed availability at other facilities
o Use of telepsychiatry
