Imagine that you are a resident of a city riddled with challenges. Crime is on the rise, schools are failing, and the population is among the poorest in the nation. Corruption is so rampant in local government that the state has had to intercede, wresting away control from those who had driven the city to the brink of economic ruin.
For Jeffrey Brenner, a doctor in Camden, New Jersey, this was no fictional case study-it was his reality. When asked to join a committee to help reform the local police, he compiled extensive data records culled from local hospitals, trying to identify concentrations of violent crime victims. He identified "hot spots" of criminal activity based on the data and suggested increased police activity for those neighborhoods, but the suggestion was rejected summarily.
Undeterred, and certain that the health data could still be put to good use, he began mapping different "hot spots." This time, he identified neighborhoods with significantly higher than average healthcare costs, based in large part on the number of hospital and emergency room visits. He found that a full third of the city's medical costs could be attributed to 1% of the total population, an underserved subset of the city with poor health insurance that lacked preventative healthcare services.
To prepare for this Assignment, review Dr. Brenner's story by reviewing the article "The hot spotters: Can we lower medical costs by giving the neediest patients better care?", as well as the other related Learning Resources and consider your responses to the following prompts: How do Brenner's actions reflect the concepts and principles of patient advocacy and culturally sensitive healthcare, as described in the readings?
Do you find Brenner's actions ethical? Why or why not?
Imagine that you are a hospital administrator. How would you reconcile the outcomes of the coalition and its impact on your hospital?
Perform a SWOT analysis on Brenner's program, identifying at least three strengths, three weaknesses, three opportunities, and three threats faced by the program.