Managed Care Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Managed Care Organizations - Essay Example The group is paid a fixed fee per month. Independent practice association model HMO - This is similar to group model. The HMO enters into contract with a group of individual health care providers (through a legal entity - practice association). The difference is that the independent practice association (IPA) can treat patients other than the HMO enrolled patients as well. Network model HMO - It is a combination of all of the above. The HMO can have multiple contracts; it can hire some doctors and pay them salary, it can have IPA contracts with other doctors, and can have exclusive contracts with groups. Point of service model HMO - In point of service (POS) model, the patients enrolled in the HMO can consult with doctors who are not outside the network of HMO, without needing a referral from a doctor of HMO network. This provides the patients the flexibility consult any doctor of their choice although they have to pay more to consult with doctors outside the HMO network. A PPO is a form of MCO which makes arrangements with health care providers to seek reimbursement at lower rates. Thus, the patients pay lower than regular fees when they consult the health care providers (preferred providers) who are part of the PPO network. The managed care organizations generally reduce cost by improving efficiencies. ... Techniques Used by Managed Care Organizations to contain costs The managed care organizations generally reduce cost by improving efficiencies. The efficiency can be increased by optimally utilizing technology, reducing overheads, enhancing patient care treatments, and increasing utilization rate of the available medical equipment. The managed care organizations also provide incentives to health care providers if they select economical ways of treatment. They provide guidelines on various matters; for instance, how to maximize utilization rate of hospital rooms for in-patient treatment; what should be the length of hospital stay for particular treatment; eliminating unnecessary office processes and procedures so that costs can be reduce; etc. These techniques assist the hospitals and doctors to provide better services to patients, and at the same time, to reduce the cost of these services. The patients, thus, have to pay lower amounts to the managed care organizations. Hence the objective of providing low cost health care services is achieved. However, in order to ensure that providers do not exhibit unethical behavior by providing lesser than required services to the patients in order to reduce costs, all the medical records are kept for future reference and are periodically reviewed by external party. In addition, quality assurance reviews are undertaken to verify the quality of services provides to the patients (Managed Care Magazine, 2000). Reimbursement for Services There are various ways the providers are reimbursed for services by the managed care organizations. These include: Salary: Normally used for staff model; the doctors are hired and are provided fixed monthly salary. Fixed Capitated Fee: The provider is paid

Evolution by Natural Selection Essay Example for Free

Evolution by Natural Selection Essay a. Evolution by Natural Selection: This theory is developed by Charles Darwin as one of the parts of his theory of evolution. This theory embodies the thought that species change and evolve over generations and that the mechanisms for the species change along with it. b. Inheritance: This theory, introduced by Gregor Mendel, embodies the principle that traits are passed on from one generation to the next through the genes that carry them. This means that traits are inherited from the parents to the offspring through these hereditary factors. c. Cells: The Cell theory from Matthias Schleiden and Theodor Schwann, discussed that all cells come from preexisting cells and that cells are the basic elements for life to exist. d. Biological Classification: Carolus Linnaeus began the classification of different species according to their similarities and differences called nomenclature. e. Bioenergetics: is based on the concept that there is an energy that powers life and that it follows the rules of the energies that exist in the inanimate world. f. Homeostasis: Claude Bernard discovered that organisms function best under a narrow range of conditions and that they maintain internal conditions to maintain stability, which allows them to live in a larger range of environments. g. Ecosystems: This deals with the concept that organisms don’t exist alone but is part of a community of other living organisms that interact with one another. (â€Å"What is Biology? †) In relation to the news today and the theories’ applications in the 21st century, a test connected with the Inheritance theory recently revealed that genetics may determine the extent we are influenced by social drinking clues. The article states that a specific form of the Dopamine D4 receptor gene may make people more sensitive to craving caused by alcohol-related cues from other people. This, the article reports, â€Å"†¦may increase the risk for extensive alcohol use or abuse when spending time with heavy-drinking peers (Association for Psychological Science, 25 July 2010). 2. Scientific Method The website began with the question â€Å"Have you ever noticed if you place a plant near a window, that after a while, the plant grows or leans toward the window? † and was followed by the question â€Å"Have you ever wondered why the plant grows toward the window? † This required a hypothesis formulation in order for there to be a guide on how to arrive on the answer. The hypothesis that I have chosen for the experiment on the website was that â€Å"plants respond to the light which they need to make their food. † After selecting my hypothesis, I chose to â€Å"grow three plants with light to the left and glass to the right and three more with light to the right and glass to the left† and look for the difference in the â€Å"direction the plant is growing/leaning. † The result was that â€Å"The leaves of the plants with the light on the left turned toward the left and the tops of the plants grew toward the left. The leaves of the plants with the light on the right turned toward the right and the tops grew toward the right. † This supported my hypothesis that light was the reason that the plants grew toward the windows where the light was. In the scientific method, the whole process began with observation and questioning the behavior of the plant as it grew toward the window and analyzing the possible variables that may affect this behavior. Considering that I had a basic idea about how plants grow, I made a hypothesis that was likely the case, though there may be some other variables that influence the behavior. These other variables made me think of testing them along with the main reason I had been thinking about. In order to test all the elements involved, I proceeded testing with both the light and the glass. Putting all the variables in not only confirms one or more of the variables, but also eliminates other variables that might not have any weight on the observations made. With the results supporting the hypothesis, and eliminating other non-weight bearing variables (in this case, the glass), then the hypothesis is accepted. The explanation in this case would be that plants respond to the light that enables them to create their own food. From here, it is possible to have other questions that would lead to the repeat in the cycle of the scientific method back to observations and questions. These questions could include how plants would react when the source of light comes from different directions. In my own personal experience, I have applied the scientific method to some of the simplest questions I’ve had the chance to encounter in my life. One such example where I constantly apply it is when making projects whether they are for school or for personal enjoyment, especially when the project requires so many redundant details such as cutting strips of paper or stitching something up or anything else. Although this is not exactly the same in doing scientific experiments, the same principles apply. Since I am always concerned with efficiency in doing things, I always ask myself, what is the shortest way I’ll be able to do this while maintaining a standard of quality? This forms the observation and questioning phase. From past experiences and from certain observations, there are many methods that can be applied and I think of the best ones that might apply to what I am currently working on. These comply with the hypothesis that one of the methods that I have thought of will work, which brings me to the experimentation phase. Here, I test which ones work best on a small scale, checking which ones I finish more quickly and produce the same results despite separate repetitions of the method. Upon seeing the results of my experiments, I finally come to the conclusion that at least one of the methods is efficient and effective in producing mass quantities of material for the project I am working on. Sometimes, this leads to other questions such as whether or not the method can be applied to other materials, or which materials work best with that method. This may then catapult me back to the scientific method from the beginning. References What is Biology?. Retrieved July 27, 2010 from http://course1. winona. edu/mdelong/principles/ Lecture%201%20-%20Introduction. ppt Association for Psychological Science. (July 27, 2010). Genetics may Influence Social Drinking. Medical News Today. Retrieved July 27, 2010 from http://www. medicalnewstoday. com/ articles/195725. php

Molière (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) :: English Literature

Molià ¨re (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) was born in Paris on January 15, 1622 Molià ¨re (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) was born in Paris on January 15, 1622. His father was one of eight valets de chambre tapissiers who tended the king's furniture and upholstery, so the young Poquelin received every advantage a boy could wish for. He was educated at the finest schools (the College de Clermont in Paris.) He had access to the king's court. But even as a child, Molià ¨re found it infinitely more pleasant to poke fun at the aristocracy than to associate with them. As a young boy, he learned that he could cause quite a stir by mimicking his mother's priest. His mother, a deeply religious woman, might have broken the young satirist of this habit had she not died before he was yet twelve-years-old. His father soon remarried, but in less than three years, this wife also passed away. At the age of fifteen, Jean-Baptiste was left alone with his father and was most likely apprenticed to his trade. Molià ¨re and his companions made their dramatic debut in a converted tennis court. Although the company was brimming with enthusiasm, none of them had much experience and when they began to charge admission, the results proved disastrous. Over the course of the next two years, the little company appeared in three different theatres in various parts of Paris, and each time, they failed miserably. Several of the original members dropped out of the company during this period. Finally, the seven remaining actors decided to forget Paris and go on a tour of the provinces. For the next twelve years, they would travel from town to town, performing and honing their craft. Over the course of the next thirteen years, Molià ¨re worked feverishly to make his company the most respected dramatic troupe in Paris. (Eventually, they were awarded the coveted title "Troupe of the King.") He directed his own plays and often played the leading role himself. On February 17, 1673, Molià ¨re suffered a hemorrhage while playing the role of the hypochondriac Argan in The Imaginary Invalid. A bit ironic isn’t it. He had insisted on going through with the performance in spite of the advice of his wife and friends saying, "There are fifty poor workers who have only their daily wage to live on. What will become of them if the performance does not take place?

Lifestyle Segmentation

Cryptographic segmentation Consumer Attitudes Behaviors Perceptions Interests Reasoning: Pricing, Location of dealers, advertising all suggests that the car buying experience can be divided into demographics of lifestyle segmentation of the area. Jaguar, Lexus, Mercedes and BMW dealers tend to be located in areas where people care what they drive and perceive the nicer the car shows status. I live In Climate Falls. We have snow and they put rocks down when It snows.I have en two Mercedes since have lived here 7 years. People don't hold status In cars the way they do In Orange County. This Is a cow town. People use trucks. They haul things, they tow things. They hit deer in the road. When they have the dealer showcase at the Fairgrounds all of the nice diesel trucks are right up front, all shiny and polished. If you don't drive a truck, you drive some sort of more economical family car, whether it be a minivan, or a sedan, or SUB. The billboards here in town all have Trucks or Subs on them.You go to our parking lot at work and almost half re trucks. There are no luxury car dealers here in town. We have Ford, Honda, Toyota, Suburb, Jeep and Dodge. The trucks are very nice though and even have the newest features. You go to a parking lot In Southern California, and you find a myriad of sedans. They even hold opening parties at the Mercedes Benz dealers to showcase the newest cars. People spend more time in traffic in Southern California than they do here in Climate Falls. They want a cushy luxury car that they can spend that time. The parking spaces are smaller.They are more people, less room for big huge trucks. People in Southern California are also more concerned with their looks and how other perceive each other. Their nice vehicle is a status symbol. (If you don't believe that, look at all the tanned skinny people at the beaches and tell me they aren't into looks) Where I grew up in Southern California, we had all the luxury dealers within 15 miles. And the b illboards? Those showed the latest and greatest luxury car. Even the less expensive cars such as the Haunted have modeled their cars to look like luxuryThis segmentation model has been successful for each group. I would Like to say having a car is not a necessity, but in today's world it is in most places. People who and find a vehicle that will fit their lifestyle. Segmenting in this manner allows them to choose which cars to market in that area. I would market a Jaguar in Climate Falls, and I wouldn't market an 850 with a huge cow guard and diesel engine in Southern California. This allows them to also make sure their inventory backs the demand in the area.

Death Penalty should be Illegal Essay

Each year in America there are about 250 people added to death row and 35 executed. The death penalty is the harshest form of punishment in the United States today. Once the jury has proved a criminal guilty they go to the second part of the trial – the punishment phase. Lethal injection is the most common form of death. Capital Punishment is a difficult issue and there are as many different opinions as there are people. In this country Capital Punishment is not allowed but in America it is legal and it should not be. I think that Capital Punishment should be made illegal in America. The reasons I think that this should be illegal are. Firstly it is possible to execute someone who is innocent. If this does happen it cannot be undone whereas if they had been put in jail they could be released and given compensation. Secondly I think that death penalty is almost not a punishment because you are not around to be punished like if you were in jail with the poor living conditions and no freedom. The opposing side strongest argument would be in 1991; a young mother was rendered helpless and made to watch as her baby was executed. The mother was then mutilated and killed. The killer should not live in some prison with three meals a day, clean sheets, cable TV, family visits and endless appeals. For justice to prevail, some killers just need to die. Another reason I think that Capital Punishment should be made illegal is that life imprisonment without parole serves the same purposes as this at less cost. Right now, to execute someone in The U.S it costs approximately three times the amount it would to have them serve a life sentence in prison. The money used to pay for the death row (including court appeals) comes out of the taxpayer’s wallets. If Capital Punishment was made illegal, this money could go to other projects in need of the funds like building new prisons. A while ago in Britain, a man was released from prison who was wrongly  accused of committing murder. He had been sentenced to life imprisonment, for this murder. While he was in prison he always maintained he was innocent. It took years on campaigning while he was in prison to prove that he actually was innocent. If such a crime like this had been committed in America he could have been put on death row and been executed. If later on they found out he was innocent there would be nothing they could do to bring him back to life. In Britain the man was released and given compensation. There have been cases in America where innocent people have been executed, and this is the main reason I think it should be illegal. I hope most of you will now see the reasons why capital punishment is a waste of time and should not be made legal.