Policy Memo Assignment
The final assignment for the semester will be a paper (no more than 6 pages double-spaced in length) written as a policy memo critically analyzing and proposing recommendations for a current healthcare policy or public health policy topic, with a management analysis component.
The goal of this Paper – Policy Memo is to provide students with the opportunity to think through a complex healthcare policy or public health policy issue and prepare a concise strategy and decision-making memo for policy recommendations for a governmental representative. The focus of the policy memo can be on a local, state, regional, or national concern and the memo may be addressed to executive, legislative, or regulatory officials. The memo itself must address a specific healthcare policy or public health policy issue and promote, challenge, or defend a specific policy option or set of options. For purposes of positioning the memo, students will write either from 1) the vantage point of an existing healthcare policy or public health policy advocacy or provider organization, or 2) the vantage point of a senior governmental policy analyst or administrator advising their executive, legislative, or regulatory supervisor or a relevant committee. All the requirements stated here and in the rubric apply. The body of the memo can be no longer than 6 pages, double-spaced, not including the cover page at the beginning and the page of references at the end.
Students will clearly identify their:
(1) target audience or individual(s)
(2) point of view (the organization, agency, or institution you are representing)
(3) healthcare policy or public health policy problem
(4) policy recommendations
(5) at least two management issues for implementing the policy and how to address them.
Students must:
Describe the healthcare or public health problem in terms of its prevalence, causation, impact on health status or outcomes, quality, access, cost to individuals or the healthcare system, and other factors.
As appropriate, identify data and information from local, state, or national governments, policy, advocacy or foundation organizations, and/or peer-reviewed journal articles on the scope of the problem and alternative interventions, with a focus on what policy changes, funding, etc., are being recommended in your paper.
Describe and discuss at least two key management aspects related to policy implementation and how to address them.
Clearly explain why the policy change fills an important gap and is needed currently.
(Students may want to reference secondary data sources; such as community health assessments, county health rankings, Department of Health and Human Services data sets, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation data sets, Healthy People 2030 Goals, and others)
Students should indicate how their recommendations addresses an important gap or need and why the time for change is now. Clearly identify other (actual and/or potential) supporters of the recommendations as well as potential challengers. In the case of potential challengers, the memo should identify their specific objections and at least two strategies for addressing or overcoming them.
The Policy Memo must be clearly and effectively written and appropriately cited. There must be at least 8-10 references listed in a references page or pages at the end of the paper and they must all be cited in the text of the paper. The references and citations must be in the APA format. Documents describing the APA format are posted in Canvas in the Modules section at the top. At least 4 of the references must be from peer-reviewed journal articles; the other references can be from reputable news sources and/or governmental and non-governmental administrative, policy, research, and advocacy organizations, including consumer groups and healthcare provider groups. The Policy Memo must have a cover page with your name, the name of this course, the name of this assignment, the topic of your paper, the date, and any other information that you may want to add. Each page of text in the paper must be numbered at the bottom of the page, with page 1 being the first page of text (i.e., not the cover page).
My proposed Policy Memo Topic is Pharmaceutical Supply Chain resillience and transparancy. Supply chain or logistics in healthcare is a policy issue that directly impacts the patient outcome and overall drug delivery system. By addressing this issue through policy interventions, it can strengthen the industry’s ability to withstand disruptions and improve access to essential medical products.
Rubric:
The Policy Memo has a clear focus
Clearly identifies the target audience, such as a public administrator, legislator, group of agencies, legislators, regulators, etc.
Clearly identifies what organization, agency, or institution you are representing and you speak from that perspective.
Clearly identifies the public health or healthcare policy problem of interest and you have clear recommendations
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeDiscussion of the Problem and Policy Recommendations is clear and well supported.
Describes the healthcare or public health problem in terms of its prevalence, causation, impact on healthcare services, health status or outcomes, quality, access, cost to individuals or the healthcare system, and other factors.
As appropriate, identifies data and information from local, state, and national governments, policy, advocacy, and foundation organizations, and/or peer-reviewed journal articles that support the scope of the problem and alternative interventions, with a focus on what policy changes, funding, etc, that you are recommending.
Describes and discusses at least two key management aspects related to policy implementation and how you would address them.
Clear about why the policy change fills an important gap and is needed currently.
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeClearly identifies Supporters and Potential Challengers
Identifies organizations, public officials, interest groups, or others who will support your policy recommendations.
Identifies those who may object and discuss at least two ways that their objections can be addressed.
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWriting is clear, well-organized, and appropriate for a Policy Memo
Clearly and effectively communicate your ideas.
No grammatical or spelling errors.
A clear structure and format for policy memo, as indicated in the assignment.
At least 8-10 references, including at least 4 peer-reviewed journal articles, and all references are cited in the text. References and citations are in the APA format.
