Category: Occupational safety and Health administration

Reflect on how, as a safety professional, you would respond to the overlap in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards and state or local building, electrical, and life safety regulations. In your opinion, what might be the most significant challenges?
Your journal entry must be at least 400 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.

Guidelines for written assignments must be:
Completed in Microsoft Word
Display proper grammar
Completed in APA format (typed in font size twelve (12) using Times New Roman, Ariel, or Calibri fonts, normal margins (no more than 1 inch), double spaced, 0.5 indentation at the beginning of each paragraph and 0.5 hanging references).
Title page must consist of your name (First and Last), Course ID number, and research topic/title (APA format).
Must have a minimum of two (2) references. One reference can be the course textbook. 
For the written assignment, make sure you address all required instructions/criteria as noted in the assignment instructions.
There must be a minimum of two (2) pages for the written assignment. Address all questions presented. If a paragraph is required, please ensure each paragraph has at least five (5) sentences.
Instructions for individual written assignment: VSM and Process Flow
Select a current process or system (e.g. patient check-in for a surgical procedure, consent forms for admission into a hospital, physician screening in an ER, etc.) in a healthcare environment that you identify as needing improvement to improve flow and reduce waste. Define the process and the population served; detail why the area is an important area to focus your process improvement efforts; describe how many patients/customers are served on a daily basis, who provides the services, hours of operation for the process, etc.
Draw a value stream map (VSM) for the process identified including time stamps for each step in the process. Calculate cycle time, idle time, throughput time, takt time, and percent value added in the process.
Describe in detail the muda (or areas of waste) in the system (e.g. DOWNTIME) you’ve identified in the system or process.
Use Lean principles to describe the process improvement you would make to remove non-value-added activities and decreases the throughput time for the patient. Be specific with the principles you would use and why.
Now that you have described what tools you would use to improve the system or process and how, construct an updated VSM to highlight the new process including updated calculations on cycle time, throughput time, takt time, and percent value added in the process. Describe what immediate changes you intend to see (e.g. increase in patient satisfaction, provider satisfaction, reduction in inventory waste, etc.).
Grammar/APA Format/Meet All Guidelines for Written Assignment.
*Attached to this assignment are two simple VSM and process map examples that you can use as a guide. 

Episode 1: Policy Analysis and Development 
Overview see  guidance and attached transcript.
In this episode, you will be in a health care policy internship program in a Senator’s office in Washington, D.C.  The Senator wants to develop policy that requires all health care organizations that receive federal funds to implement the recommendations presented in the Institute of Medicine reports on quality care. You will develop a policy, so that it can become proposed legislation. You must collect data, describe the problem, solutions and related ethical issues, examine the cost-benefit analysis, identify stakeholders (such as lobbyists from American Hospital Association, health care providers, health care corporations, pharmaceuticals, insurers, etc.), and impact.  Based on this information, you will create a policy description that will be the foundation for a bill. You will describe critical issues that would be in the bill such as requirements of hospitals to:
Monitor and report medical errors to the Department of Health and Human Services
Use root cause analysis on a certain percentage of errors
Track and report patient outcomes focused on the clinical problems identified in the National Health Care Quality Report
Integrate the 5 healthcare profession core competencies into staff education and track outcomes
Establish a no-blame culture
*I suggest that you do some research on your own, and if you use outside sources to help you compile your policy description, be sure to reference them (following an APA format) at the end of your post.
To-Do for this Assignment:
You will post a policy description to this discussion board forum. Make sure to identify a plan that addresses legal and ethical issues in a health care policy. 
Below are the characters from this LearnScapes scenario (LearnScapes for Health Policy 1):
The Student (which is you), Health Care Policy Intern for Congress
The student used to work within the Bright Road Health Care System, and had a special interest in policy. The student is thinking about moving into politics, hoping to make a difference at that level. The student has just been accepted into the internship; this is the student’s first big project.
Peter Shackley, Senior Policy Staff Member
The student’s mentor, Peter, is a young and feisty staff member. In his late 20s, Pete has been interested in politics since he was President of his high school student body. He’s especially passionate about policy-making and how the process works. Pete will help guide the student through the policy-making process.
Gretchen Wilde, Senator Chief of Staff
Gretchen is in her 30s and has been the Senator’s Chief of Staff for about 2 years now. She’s very professional, and holds high expectations for everyone in the Senator’s office, including interns. Gretchen is responsible for reviewing policy ideas and descriptions before giving the approval to create a bill.
Marian Powers, Senator
Senator Powers is a Senator in her late 40s. She’s extremely busy with legislative issues, and trusts her staff members implicitly so does not spend a lot of time working directly with the team on this policy.
However, the student and other staff members sometimes contact her for information about state issues, reaction of stakeholders, etc.

For this assignment, You will be submitting a detailed outline and a video presentation. I recommend choosing a topic that sparks your interest. If you would like to reach out to me to make sure your topic works for this assignment, be sure to reach out to me.

What do you think about the deployment, staffing, training, and procedures your department or a department near you has in place to perform fire investigations over and above just cause and origin? Do you feel your department is prepared for these types of investigations? Why, or why not?
What would you recommend to make the process operate better?
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words. No references or citations are necessary.

Anticipating
future events is a huge focus in health care today. We have a number of
different assessment tools and frameworks in place today that assist with this
focus. Discuss the similarities and differences of Six Sigma methodology and
the balanced scorecard concept. Both of these have been used in the business
setting for many years with great success and have recently been applied and
used within health care. 

Make a 5 slide presenation summerizing this analysis. 
Article used is linked https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/epdf/10.1377/hlthaff.2022.01061(although not needed just as a reference). Speakernotes as well please. 
make powerpoint interesting please. 
MAKE SURE THIS STRUCTURE IS FOLLOWED 
Identify the statement of the problem within the article. 
Describe the most significant outcomes of the study. 
Describe the article’s recommendations and
4. Assess the article’s effectiveness from the perspective of a healthcare services administrator /leader.
analyis 
onducting a comprehensive evaluation of the study’s methodology, results, and conclusions.
This study investigates the selective participation of ACOs in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) in response to the regional spending benchmarks during the period between 2013 to 2019. The study focused on three areas. First, the strength of the MSSP to adjust benchmarks for regional efficiency. This was done by measuring the difference between providers’ average spending and average spending in the region where the provider is located. Secondly, the study observed how the number of ACOs changed over time in response to the MSSP incentives. Lastly, the study analyzed certain subgroups that had stronger selective participation in MSSP.
Overall, the study found that participation in the MSSP consisted of lower-spending ACOs while high-spending ACOs left the increasingly left the program. The disproportionate participation of low spending providers demonstrates the need for benchmarking reforms. 
– Checking for consistency between the study’s objectives, research questions, and data analysis.
The objective of the study was to analyze how changes in benchmarking methods influences participation of ACOs in the MSSP. The study objectives were answered through the research methods and data analysis. The data demonstrated trends in participation by observing the shift over time. The study was able to effectively analyze ACO participation in MSSP in order to identify what factors incentivize providers to selectively participate. 
– Verifying the accuracy of the statistical analysis performed by the primary reviewer.
The study utilizes a large amount of data over an extensive period of time which helps ensure the validity by providing a comprehensive view of the program. However, the lack of a control group limits the ability of the study to attribute changes in ACO participation to regional benchmarks. The data is reliable as it observes patterns in ACO participation before and after the introduction of regional benchmarks. The analysis of ACO behavior and implications for policy change are supported by the trends in the data.
– Assessing the study’s contribution to the existing knowledge in health services administration.
By showing how regional adjustments in benchmarks encouraged participation from lower spending ACOs, this demonstrates how policy changes can affect provider behaviors and program outcomes. The article enhances overall understanding of how financial incentives and policy improvements in benchmarking can improve provider participation in value-based care programs. This helps provide further insight into future research and policy development. 
– Providing additional insights or alternative perspectives regarding the study’s findings and implications.
The study’s findings demonstrate that higher-spending ACOs continue to exit the MSSP leaving a higher concentration of lower spending AOCs. However, this does not reflect the healthcare landscape. Diverse participation is important for the long-term sustainability of the program. 
– Identifying potential ethical concerns or conflicts of interest that should be addressed.
The study raises ethical concerns about equitable access to care and whether the program favors wealthier populations. The program also incentivizes participation through financial advantages rather than improvements in care quality. The focus on lowering costs can lead providers to neglect the objective to focus on enhancing care quality. The selective participation by benchmarking changes may lead to reduced participation by ACOs that serve at-risk populations such as minorities which can increase health disparities.  
Conflicts of interest may exist if policymakers or stakeholders involved have ties to the ACOs and benefit financially from benchmarking changes. This demonstrates the need for transparency in the policymaking process to avoid conflicts of interest and maintain fairness.
– Evaluating the study’s methodology, including the study design, sample size, data collection methods, and analysis techniques.
The study utilizes a longitudinal analysis of MSSP participation from 2013 to 2019. The study collected a random 20% sample of traditional Medicare beneficiaries. The sample included 528 ACOs that entered the MSSP from 2012 to 2016 before benchmark regionalization and 285 that entered from 2017 to 2019 after benchmark regionalization. The study took into account several different analysis techniques including subgroup analysis, compositional changes over time, sensitivity analysis, and selection incentives. 
– Assessing the validity and reliability of the study’s findings by examining the statistical analysis and the use of appropriate statistical tests.
I couldn’t find much information on this. Andrea, can you please look into this and see if you can answer this part? 
– Analyzing the study’s limitations and potential biases that may affect the generalizability of the results.
One limitation of the study was the lack of a control group. Instead of an official control group, the study used pre-post comparisons of Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) participation patterns. Due to this limitation, baseline spending changes and other compositional changes cannot be definitively attributed to benchmarking changes. Another limitation of the study was the differing reasons why lower and higher-spending providers participated or chose not to participate in MSSP. The decisions of higher-spending providers in the MSSP were disproportionately influenced by changes in Medicare or the provider markets, whereas lower-spending providers were more significantly influenced by the benchmarks. 
– Identifying gaps or inconsistencies in the study and suggesting potential improvements or further research areas.
The study carried out several subgroup analyses including beneficiary distribution, ACO size, and convener organizations. To improve the study, the researchers could have investigated other relevant factors in their subgroup analyses, like provider specialty and the geographic location of ACOs.
– Providing constructive feedback and recommendations to enhance the overall quality of the research study.
The study’s complex nature and technical language made it challenging for the average reader to understand the study methods, analysis, and discussion. Simplifying the language of the study would allow readers to effectively digest the valuable information provided and the conclusions drawn. The study also followed 528 pre-benchmark regionalization ACOs and 285 post-benchmark regionalization ACOs. Gathering more post-benchmark regionalization ACOs could have enriched the results of the study, providing more information on the impact of MSSP and policy change on ACOs

Search the CSU Online Library, and locate two peer-reviewed or academic articles regarding ergonomics-related concerns focusing on one of the following demographics:
the aging workforce,
women in the workforce, or
obese workers in the workforce.
Provide a summary for each article. For each article, identify the premise and significant points in support of the premise.
Conclude with an explanation of the extent to which the topic is interesting to you and if you think it would make a good topic for a doctoral project.
Your assignment should be between two-to-three pages in length, not counting the title page and references page.
Adhere to APA Style when constructing this assignment, including in-text citations and references for all sources that are used. Please note that no abstract is needed.

Assignment Content
As the Environmental Health and Safety Manager (EHS Manager), conduct a fire prevention and protection audit of the following assembly area:
It measures 80 feet by 140 feet.
There are currently two 2A10B:C fire extinguishers located in the center of the room on each of the short ends (40 feet on each end of the room). 
The room hazard level is rated as ordinary with moderate amounts of Class A Combustibles and only minimal amounts of flammable/combustible materials. 
Then based on the following information, provide a determination (you must show your math calculations) as to how many fire extinguishers are needed for this area and provide comments on their placement. 
Your company has several employees who are working along a conveyor line to clean up an over spill of product by manually shoveling the materials. The conveyor belt is located outdoors and will take several days to clean up. Given the following data Wet Bulb Temperature = 88oF; Dry Bulb Temperature = 93oF; and Globe Temperature = 91oF, calculate the WBGT Index. You must show your math calculations.
Due to the heat, the employees are only exposed for 190 minutes at this temperature over an 8-hour workday. Assume a 75oF exposure for the remaining 290 minutes. Provide a recommendation on the work/rest cycle based on the information and guidance in this unit. Include any assumptions in your analysis. 
Finally, discuss the concept of wind chill and calculate the wind chill in oF based on the following information below. You must show your calculations.
Air Temperature: 10oF and a Wind Speed of 12 miles per hour (mph)
Your journal may use headings to separate topics. It should be at least two pages in length. APA formatting and references are not required.

Assignment Content
Part 1: Examine affirmative defenses used in legal proceedings.
Part 2: How will you be able to apply the skills you learned from this course to gain life and/or career success?
Your journal entry must be at least 500 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.