Assessment task: Case Study

Intent: This assessment item focuses on the ability to concisely respond to specific questions and to demonstrate an understanding of the management and application of health data.

Type: Case study

Task:
1. Read the following case scenario.
2. Provide a summary that demonstrates an understanding of the application and management of health data and refers to literature related to the identified issues and associated tasks.
3. In the response, apply your findings to the hospital so as to assist the executive group in decision making and planning.
4. The response should include appropriate and properly formatted tables and figures.

Case Scenario – UTS Hospital
UTS hospital is a well-established charitable hospital operated on a not for profit basis. It has 250 beds in an inner-city location. The hospital is experiencing financial difficulty. Over 90% of the funding to the hospital for inpatients comes from private health insurers with the rate of
reimbursement calculated base on the estimated rate for each AR-DRG.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has called a special meeting of the executive to discuss the
issues facing the hospital and to plan the action they need to take. Present at the meeting are the Health Service Manager (HSM), the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and the Chief Information Officer (CIO).

The HSM is sceptical of the practices of the coding staff in coding ICD-10-AM diagnoses and ACHI procedures. They suggested that clinical coders might not always assign the correct diagnostic and procedure codes using information provided in the medical notes, leading to incorrect AR-DRG classification.

As the assistant of the HSM, you are tasked with examining UTS Hospital data, and preparing a
summary for the HSM to use in the upcoming meeting. You are asked to include the following
information in the summary:
• Background
o A brief description of the background of the problem
o A statement of the aim, significance and research question
• Method
o A brief description of software and techniques used to examine the data
• Results
o Appropriate graphical presentation of result accompanied by clear description
o Appropriate tabulated presentation of result accompanied by clear description
• Discussions
o A brief interpretation and discussion of the findings
• Conclusion and recommendation
o Provide a short statement of conclusion and recommendation that is linked to the UTS Hospital
Length: Maximum 1000 words

Criteria:
• 30% Clear definitions, descriptions and discussion of topics associated with the case scenario.
• 10% Clear description of research aim and research questions.
• 10% Clear description of method of analysis.
• 25% Appropriate data presentation and description of findings.
• 15% Interpretation and critical discussion of key findings and recommendation for practice.
• 10% Produces correct grammar, spelling, formatting, style and referencing.

Keep in mind that while there is no dedicated ‘Literature Review’ section (for this assessment), you will still require references throughout your ‘Introduction’ and ‘Discussion’. While there is no dedicated ‘Recommendations’ section, you may still include recommendations in your ‘Discussion’ section.